kamoshika
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Came across this piece in the SI Vault a few days ago. Man, was he ever special:
It was late on the evening of Dec. 6, 1997, when the most important speech in the recent history of Tennessee football was delivered deep inside the Georgia Dome, an address that would shape the future of both the speaker and the program. With the Volunteers trailing Auburn 20-10 at halftime of the SEC championship game, the Tennessee coaches were going over X's and O's in the locker room as the players sat in silence, many of them with their heads bowed.
Suddenly, junior linebacker Al Wilson stood up, cleared his throat, and asked for everyone's attention. Speaking in a resounding baritone that could have shaken the concrete walls, Wilson explained how much this day meant to him. Soon his voice cracked, then he started to weep. Before long, he was getting in the faces of teammates he believed had underperformed in the first half, most notably quarterback Peyton Manning and linebacker Leonard Little, arguably the team's two best players.
High-Voltage Vol Whenever his less-experienced mates needed a jolt, they could count on Al Wilson's electrifying play and supercharged leadership to provide it - SI.com
It was late on the evening of Dec. 6, 1997, when the most important speech in the recent history of Tennessee football was delivered deep inside the Georgia Dome, an address that would shape the future of both the speaker and the program. With the Volunteers trailing Auburn 20-10 at halftime of the SEC championship game, the Tennessee coaches were going over X's and O's in the locker room as the players sat in silence, many of them with their heads bowed.
Suddenly, junior linebacker Al Wilson stood up, cleared his throat, and asked for everyone's attention. Speaking in a resounding baritone that could have shaken the concrete walls, Wilson explained how much this day meant to him. Soon his voice cracked, then he started to weep. Before long, he was getting in the faces of teammates he believed had underperformed in the first half, most notably quarterback Peyton Manning and linebacker Leonard Little, arguably the team's two best players.
High-Voltage Vol Whenever his less-experienced mates needed a jolt, they could count on Al Wilson's electrifying play and supercharged leadership to provide it - SI.com
