Must Watch New Feature with John Ward

#26
#26
logiman said:
Thanks, BigSteve!

The very last one against Clemson remains one of my all-time favorite plays. I was just a small boy and was at that game with my late mother. I just could not believe that play. It will always have a special place in my heart.

Holloway and Seivers became my heroes on that day.
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I was there, too. That game against Clemson in 1974 was a real nail biter.
 
#27
#27
There are probably thousands of stories that fans could cite about John Ward. I will never forget sitting in a car on a beautiful November afternoon in 1970 listening to a nail bitter against South Carolina in Columbia. It was the kind of game you would have to turn the radio off and then back on again, then turn it off again, and then back on again. Thank God we turned it back on to hear Tennessee win in the last seconds.

I only hope that John Ward has a true understanding of what he has meant to people here today and those gone on before. The term "Legend" does not do him justice. And it is really sad in some ways to listen to the Youtube sessions and realize that some of our greatest moments were in the past. But thanks to him they are immortalized forever.

John's greatest talent may have been broadcasting basketball. Listening to a sketchy WNOX 990 in the late 70's living in Alabama was also a treat. It was great to hear the roar of Stokley in Central Alabama.

Thankfully, for his era we have these recordings to share with later generations. God Bless You John Ward, for you have been a blessing to many. Amen!
 
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#28
#28
I'm so afraid when I see his name it will be news he has passed. That will be a sad day for the tennessee family. He is a legend and master of his craft
 
#29
#29
It's also funny. Kessling is okay but after our ears were spoiled by John ward it's bound to make the next guy be inferior.
 
#30
#30
I actually got cold chills watching that video. John Ward will never be duplicated or imitated. I met him in Ingles one night and he was so gracious to me. I didn't even think to use my cellphone to get a pic taken with him. Doh!!! Growing up in the 60s and 70s gave me the opportunity to hear John a lot. What great memories!! He and Pat Summitt are two real Tennessee Treasures!
 
#31
#31
chuckb1448 said:
I Sorely miss John Ward. If the younger guys here could know how good he was. I have a hard time explaining my thoughts here, when he was the "Voice" it seemed we all were closer.. a Team. Now we fuss at each other and bicker over stats. Ward was and Is.. a Legend.
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John Ward was part and parcel UT football for so many years, there are no words to explain how much he is missed......an important and special part of my life was spent listening to John Ward & Bill Anderson call Tennessee football games that became part of my very being...
Go Vols
 
#32
#32
chuckb1448 said:
I Sorely miss John Ward. If the younger guys here could know how good he was. I have a hard time explaining my thoughts here, when he was the "Voice" it seemed we all were closer.. a Team. Now we fuss at each other and bicker over stats. Ward was and Is.. a Legend.
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Amen.
 
#33
#33
On game days he always stopped by band practice for a few minutes on his way to the stadium. He would just discretely stand or sit off to the side for a while, watching practice and probably gathering his thoughts before he would head on. It was an absolute thrill for me to speak with him on a couple of occasions when he was there before practice started, moments I will never forget. Like many others, my family would turn down the TV and turn up the radio to watch the games. He was so gracious to me when I would speak to him and tell him how much he meant to me.
 
#35
#35
Truly an outstanding individual as well as announcer. He will never be rivaled as the football game play by play announcer at the University of Tennessee but in my humble opinion, he was an even better basketball announcer. No one could describe a basketball game the way John Ward could. I swear I felt like I was watching when I listened to Tennessee Basketball away games on the radio. He had such an uncanny ability to paint a picture of the action of a basketball game that I really felt like I could see it in my mind. If you haven't heard "Touchdown Tennessee" by Kenney Chesney, your life is missing a little something.
 
#36
#36
Thanks. I'll watch that later.

John Ward just brought everything alive. I'll never forget his football broadcasts as a kid from NAY-land Stadium, and when I got to UT his
BBall broadcasts were even better. I'll never forget his call when the Vols knocked off Kentucky in Lexington and Bernard hit a 15 footer
falling down to send it to OT. Met the man once, he was also a consumate gentleman, somebody I've admired and respected all
my life.
 
#37
#37
As some have already posted, we always turned down the TV and turned up the radio to listen to JW's broadcast if we were unable to attend a game. When my company promoted me and relocated me to Dallas, TX, I would call my best friend up and he would put the phone close to the radio so I could hear John calling the game. This was before the internet. Long distance charges applied, but WTH, it was John Ward. After I was promoted again and relocated to So Cal, the internet, still fairly new, allowed me to listen to John via the internet. I never got to hear his final broadcast because 4 great friends and I were in the stands cheering and screaming our lungs out during that game. Beautiful night in AZ under an orange moon. The Voice will never be forgotten or replaced. Every time I read, "It's Football Time In Tennessee", I hear it in John's voice. Thanks for posting this.
 
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#38
#38
vol445 said:
It's also funny. Kessling is okay but after our ears were spoiled by John ward it's bound to make the next guy be inferior.
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that is why there is so many negative comments about Kessling,we were spoiled rotten by the Legend John Ward,those are some huge shoes to fill
 
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#39
#39
governmentmule said:
that is why there is so many negative comments about Kessling,we were spoiled rotten by the Legend John Ward,those are some huge shoes to fill
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I dont think you are very intelligent... but yes, we were absolutely spoiled by JW.

Kesling is not that bad, he's better than Musberger for cryin out loud.
 
#40
#40
Makes a man of 50+ years have a tear in his eye...thanks for that. I sure do miss him and the Tennessee Football of the past. I know I'll get that feeling when I walk into Neyland tomorrow...and I'll hear John Ward's voice saying "It's FOOTBALL Time in TENNESSEE!!!"

GOAT!
 
#41
#41
I really didn't get to hear much John Ward as I didn't really start getting into Tennessee football until 1995 (I was 7 years old) and to this day I can still hear "TOUCHDOWN ON PLAY NUMBER ONE" from the Alabama game that year. John Ward really is the greatest of all time and it pains me that now generations of young Tennessee fans never got to hear him call a game live. The was so much color in his words, especially just before kickoff when he described the environment of Neyland Stadium and the opening of the T, nobody can ever describe that scene like John could. He made you feel like you were there.

For 4 seasons, I would always ask my dad to turn down the tv and let's listen to John and Bill.
 
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