Did anyone attend the first night game in Neyland?

[VOLINVONORE]

I was still a "seed", but some of you on here are old enough to have gone.

I did! It was a real delight.

 

[puddin1403]

Basically Bob Woodruff, AD at the time, was trying to get Penn St to Knoxville for a second game. Joe Pa said no because it was too hot in Septmeber. I think finally Joe Pa agreed to come to Knoxville, but only if the game was at night. This was around April or May of 1972. He did not think that Tenn would have lights in time. Bob Woodruff agreed to the condition. Then Bob Woodruff begged, borrowed , and stole (metaphor), and opening of the season, Neyland had lights. Penn St had to come down, and the rest, as they say, is history.

There is a good video on youtube about all this. Member waking up one morning and watching it. Lemme see if i can find it and ill post.

 

[I4Vols]

First date with the girl I married. Still together. I look up often and thank the Big Guy upstairs that we won that game... lose and I might not be posting this?

BTW, she loves football and really understands the game. Lucky dude I am.

 

[MagnoliaVol]

I was a UT student and there for that first game at night. It was surreal. Joe Paterno was Penn State's coach then and looked the same as he did today. Penn State had John Capelletti, who would win the Heisman the following year plus a very good QB named Hufnagel who almost lead them back.

I forget if I had a date for the game or what she looked like, but with the passing years memories of those gals, with their bee-hive hairdo's, tend to blur...... with the help of the post game kegs that we used to put away celebrating a Vol victory back then (naturally we did the same to console after a loss also).

Beehives and sideburns

 

[ftsandersvol]

1972...I think I was out streaking that night.

 

[kcvols1]

If anyone has connections at the Vol Network, tell them to produce more of these.

Podcast GOLD.

GREAT resource for our younger fans.

“You tell Gus Manning he still owes me a home game!”

- Joe Paterno 1996

 

[Marquis]

My dad was there. I was a puppy, not ready for that. Dad was an advertising guy around east Tennessee at the time, knew John Ward before he was "Voice of the Vols". Got his tickets through radio connections. I went to many a game as a kid with tickets from the Tennessee Broadcasting Association.

 

[UTvol1fn]

My pops was there. He was a freshman then.

 

[Frozevol]

I was at both of the PSU games. I was 13-14. I remember the 1971 game very well as we dominated. I also remember that the television crews had set cameras up that were cantilevered off of the upper deck. It looked really sketchy as our seats were below them. I recall that we fully expected to win because PSU hadn’t played any good teams from our perspective. I don’t remember much from the night game in 72 though. Again, we fully expected to win but it was a much closer game.