It’s football time in Tennessee…

 

It

Every September when I was a kid, I would hear John Ward say these words around the first of September.  ”It’s football time in Tennessee!”  I have such a hard time explaining University of Tennessee football to my friends in New England.  There’s nothing like it in New England.  Many of my friends think that NASCAR in Loudon is similar but I don’t think it really is.

Every year, late in August, you start to see it.  Everyone starts wearing their orange shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, hats, t-shirts, socks, shoes, and on and on.  You see cars with orange flags hanging out the windows, and pom-poms in the back window.  You see, Tennessee football isn’t just for UT alumni, it’s for the entire state. 

Then, there are the home games.  Well over 100,000 people fill up Neyland stadium every time the Vols come onto the field.  Oh, and watching them come onto the field is a treat as they run through the ‘big T’ formed by the marching band while the band is playing Rocky Top for the first of many, many times for the day.  When the team runs through the ‘big T’ the roar is deafening and the stadium actually shakes under the Vol faithful.

 

Running through the Big T

 

 

Also, the ‘Vol navy’ comes to the home games.  Neyland stadium sits on the banks of the Tennessee river and hundreds of house boats, yachts, and even small sport boats tie up outside the stadium for some pretty special tail-gating.  The aroma of barbeque, steak, sausages, and other tail-gating food is incredible.  

So, if you’re a New Englander, I suggest you make a trip to Knoxville and catch the Big Orange on a Saturday afternoon.  Get your tickets early, though, because there are only 110,000 of them and they go pretty fast.

Go Vols!