KLayneUT8
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- Joined
- Aug 13, 2007
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Let me tell you a story about a lil boy who found himself..Along time ago while I was still in my mother's stomach my father and her was on the way to the Orange and White game, during the commute to the land that Neyland built their was a slight fender bender, some would call this a scary incident, myself I call this the day the orange and white was drilled into me, I like that much better. As soon as I was able to walk ,maybe before I was took to game after game with my mom and dad. Im sure I was a confused kid wondering what 112,000 people were doing yelling and screaming and playing this catchy tune over and over again. This process continued for a couple years, then finally everything started clicking for me. I started to love the color orange.
I watched every game picking up on it slowly, now when I was 7 it hit me, for some reason 6'4 guy who could throw that football around like it was nothing was the greatest thing I ever seen, and I notice my dad felt the exact same way. I beleive in early 97 our Vols were playing Northwestern in a bowl game and I heard all the fans chanting in the background "1 more year 1 more year" I found myself chanting along, while my Dad had the biggest smile on his face, my dad then explained to me what exactly "1 more year" meant. I later found out that #16 was coming back for that one year, I remember bits and peices of that time period I saw the press conference and I saw this man named Peyton leading the band and a love affair had started. After he was drafted I decided to where his number 18 as my own through out any little league sport I ever played.
Now after Peyton had been drafted I continue to watch the Vols, and the same passion was there that continue to get stronger, that year I can remember watching every game of that season, I can remember being in a hotel room and my Dad screaming to the top of his lungs after we beat Syracuse (as we was in Indianapolis for Peyton's first game) I remember my dad recording every game on tape because it was John Ward's last year, I remember watching my hometown hero Eric Westmoreland run over people all year, especially that poor soul from Vandebilt, and I remember sitting in my living room and screaming with my dad as OUR Vols had won the National Championship, and of course John Ward saying "The National Champions are clad in BIG ORANGE". Since then my alliance to the orange and white has only grown stronger, I have a special part in my brain dedicated to names such as Erik Ainge, Cedrik Wilson, Casey Clausen, Al Wilson, Peyton, Raynoch Thompson, Eric Berry, Jamal Lewis, Shawn Bryson, I could go on and on, and plays such as the end around to Tinsley at Miami,Peyton's bootleg, Peyton to Nash against Georgia, Casey Clausen diving to the pylon against UGA, Tee to Peerless against Florida St. etc etc. Those times were great and fun.
Now on the wings of failed promises let downs of high expectations, slipping into irrelevancy, two coaches, being a Vol fan has not been the easiest, but yet I still stand along with many others proudly in my orange and white, waiting for the time to come, the time is now. It is now time for a new generation of Vols to instill their legacy in my head and Vol fans alike, names such as Bray, AJ Johnson, Maggit, CP, Dooley its their time to create a legacy, and that starts on Saturday night at 6pm inside Neyland Stadium against the Florida Gators, its time to let the college football world know we are back its time to kick some Florida Gator Ass....I will see you in section JJ on Satuday. VFL,VB,GBO, GO VOLS
I watched every game picking up on it slowly, now when I was 7 it hit me, for some reason 6'4 guy who could throw that football around like it was nothing was the greatest thing I ever seen, and I notice my dad felt the exact same way. I beleive in early 97 our Vols were playing Northwestern in a bowl game and I heard all the fans chanting in the background "1 more year 1 more year" I found myself chanting along, while my Dad had the biggest smile on his face, my dad then explained to me what exactly "1 more year" meant. I later found out that #16 was coming back for that one year, I remember bits and peices of that time period I saw the press conference and I saw this man named Peyton leading the band and a love affair had started. After he was drafted I decided to where his number 18 as my own through out any little league sport I ever played.
Now after Peyton had been drafted I continue to watch the Vols, and the same passion was there that continue to get stronger, that year I can remember watching every game of that season, I can remember being in a hotel room and my Dad screaming to the top of his lungs after we beat Syracuse (as we was in Indianapolis for Peyton's first game) I remember my dad recording every game on tape because it was John Ward's last year, I remember watching my hometown hero Eric Westmoreland run over people all year, especially that poor soul from Vandebilt, and I remember sitting in my living room and screaming with my dad as OUR Vols had won the National Championship, and of course John Ward saying "The National Champions are clad in BIG ORANGE". Since then my alliance to the orange and white has only grown stronger, I have a special part in my brain dedicated to names such as Erik Ainge, Cedrik Wilson, Casey Clausen, Al Wilson, Peyton, Raynoch Thompson, Eric Berry, Jamal Lewis, Shawn Bryson, I could go on and on, and plays such as the end around to Tinsley at Miami,Peyton's bootleg, Peyton to Nash against Georgia, Casey Clausen diving to the pylon against UGA, Tee to Peerless against Florida St. etc etc. Those times were great and fun.
Now on the wings of failed promises let downs of high expectations, slipping into irrelevancy, two coaches, being a Vol fan has not been the easiest, but yet I still stand along with many others proudly in my orange and white, waiting for the time to come, the time is now. It is now time for a new generation of Vols to instill their legacy in my head and Vol fans alike, names such as Bray, AJ Johnson, Maggit, CP, Dooley its their time to create a legacy, and that starts on Saturday night at 6pm inside Neyland Stadium against the Florida Gators, its time to let the college football world know we are back its time to kick some Florida Gator Ass....I will see you in section JJ on Satuday. VFL,VB,GBO, GO VOLS
