ForumsTennessee 35
Alabama 28
October 16, 1982
Attendance: 95,342
- Bama rolled into Neyland Stadium ranked #2 in the nation having just beat traditional power Penn State.
- Tennessee came out in their all orange uniforms. Nice!
- The Tide jumped out early and it took a 52 yard TD from Alan Cockrell to Willie Gault to bring the Vols to life.
- Chuck Coleman’s 34 yard touchdown run put the Vols up 14 with 7:21 to play in the game.
- Alabama wasn’t done. Only down seven points, they had a fourth down pass into the endzone with 17 seconds remaining in the game but it was intercepted by Mike Terry.
- The fans would rush the field and the goal posts would come down.
- Cockrell finished 18-29 for 192 yards and two touchdowns while Chuck Coleman rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown. That week UPI named Johnny Majors the coach of the week and Alan Cockrell the Southeast Player of the Week.
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After listening to Tennessee Football on radio all of my life, I had a friend ask me to go to this game with him. It was my FIRST time to ever SEE a Vols game and be at Neyland Stadium. The day was perfect fall weather and we really had no idea that Tennessee would even be in this game, let alone WIN! I’ll never forget seeing the fans rush the field and tear down the goal posts! Needless to say, I was hooked. It was a day I will NEVER forget!
This game was my Freshman year at UT. I was a loudmouth freshman who, after learning that UT hadn’t beaten Alabama in 11 years, guaranteed a win. I remember the last sequence most of all. After the 3rd down pass (the one Terry intercepted) the crowd started screaming “we beat Bama! We beat Bama!”
Being in section GG I didn’t see the interception. I was screaming “They still have 4th down !!!” I looked up at the scoreboard just soon enough to see the little football go from the Alabama side to the Tennessee side. I screamed “We intercepted it !! Oh My God !!!”
I did not tear the goalposts at that game, but I did after the UT win over Bo Jackson and Auburn in 1985. In fact, in that game, I was actually in the end zone on the final play. That was cool, too.
Great story Doug. Thanks for sharing.