rockytophigh
Rod Wilks is my co-pilot
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2007
- Messages
- 2,802
- Likes
- 381
With all the fussing & fighting over Leach, Davis, Kelly, Kiffin, how much Fulmer sucks, etc. etc. etc. I thought I'd post some thoughts...
My dad just had a mass taken out of his neck on Friday. After the surgery the doctor told me it would be sent for a biopsy but that it didn't look good. My old man is a tough old bird, he coached for 43 years of his life. He is a country man, although he taught and coached in Nashville since 1966. He is old school as they come. He played semi-pro baseball 'til his mom got sick, did a video with Mickey Mantle on girl's softball, & has been accused of being able to walk through hell & half of Georgia without breaking a sweat. I stayed at the house with him to make sure he didn't hemorage Friday night. To my surprise he was up Saturday morning hating Vanderbilt with a passion. Colorful words were flying around the house and it was a hour to kickoff. Dry, crackling "dumb son of a *^#&%^" came out when Crompton threw the interception at the start of the game. But something was missing....oh yeah, momma. My mom passed two months ago and they were married for 51 years. She was an elementary school librarian (media specialist for you fancy folk) who sent both us kids through UTK. My mom detested Vanderbilt. She detested them more than Alabama or Florida. Momma was a Godly woman who didn't drink, cuss, or speak poorly of others.......unless they played for Vanderbilt. So as I sat there watching the game with my pissed off old man, I began thinking...win one for momma boys, win one for momma. I kinda believe they did.......
Then I began thinking this might be the last season of UT football I get to enjoy with dad. It's been a couple of years since he was able to go to a game with me since my season tix are 2nd level (he just can't walk that far anymore). During the game he asked me if I remember when I was a kid, him taking me to a Vanderbilt/Tennessee game when we were losing, I started crying? I told him I did, (I really didn't) and he proceeded to recollect on how UT came back and won at the end and there had never been a happier little boy in the world. Watching him tell the story I'd say there's never been a happier old man talking about good times with his son.
A trip to Knoxville for a football game was a special thing for a little boy. I think maybe I got to go to a home game every other year. I remember thinking "he must really love me to go through all of this." I remember eating at Cracker Barrel...all the other cars being covered in orange stickers, flags, & pom poms...the thumbs up from the UT fans in other cars...my dad threatening to put his foot in my ass if I asked one more time "are we close yet"...my dad laughing at Tennessee State Troopers pulling over opposing team's fans...I remember eating 8 hot dogs and one game & my old man being amazed (& screw Mike Hamilton for changing those wonderful hot dogs to the crap we have now)...I remember walking out with my hand in my dad's for the first time and seeing Neyland stadium (heaven surely must look the same)...
Then I went to school at UT. I remember very little...just kidding. I remember getting laid at orientation....how emense the campus seemed at the time. The strip, wow the strip. I remember Ivy's, the Last Lap, the Library, the Annex, Jason's, the Longbranch, Flamingo's, the Underground, Patrick Sullivan's, the Boiler Room, the Electric Ballroom and the Old College Inn. I remember the lights that they would turn on if the KPD would enter so underage drinkers could push their drinks away. I remember shooting a 3 liter of pepsi off North Carrick's roof with a 3 man slingshot. I remember getting written up for following the trick or treaters at halloween into South Carrick. I had a room on the 6th floor of Carrick that was right next to South Carrick....I remember if you unscrewed the electrical outlet cover you could see in the girl's room. I remember getting busted for having a keg party in a dorm room. I remember streaking across the Presidential Courtyard....vaguely...& yes, it was cold out. I remember registering for classes being an all day affair....& I well remember the Big Orange Screw.
I remember my first football season as a student. Being a lifelong Vols fan I was so excited. I remember we snuck tequila and orange juice into my first game in 1988. To this day I have never drank tequila & orange juice again. That drink sucks...almost as bad as our team did. Oh how I remember being so mad that our football teamed sucked. We lost our first 6 games that year. Yep, my mighty Tennessee Vols lost the first 6. I felt just like I did at the Vandy game years before with my dad. But you know what....we won the rest and started something special that year. We won SEC titles in 1989 & 1990. I was there when Fulmer took over for Johnny Majors. I remember the bumper stickers that said Go Johnny Go & Take Devoe (Don Devoe was our basketball coach at the time & many wanted him gone as much as Majors). I remember winning under Fulmer and the campus being buzzed about the possibility of a new level of UT football....a level that hadn't been seen in Knoxville for decades. The rest is history.
We'll get back boys. We will dominate again. I ain't forgot the words to Rocky Top. And it's still GREAT to be a Tennessee Vol. This hire, this time, this coming season, I'm thinking win won for the old man boys, win one for the old man.....
thanks for reading my rant
My dad just had a mass taken out of his neck on Friday. After the surgery the doctor told me it would be sent for a biopsy but that it didn't look good. My old man is a tough old bird, he coached for 43 years of his life. He is a country man, although he taught and coached in Nashville since 1966. He is old school as they come. He played semi-pro baseball 'til his mom got sick, did a video with Mickey Mantle on girl's softball, & has been accused of being able to walk through hell & half of Georgia without breaking a sweat. I stayed at the house with him to make sure he didn't hemorage Friday night. To my surprise he was up Saturday morning hating Vanderbilt with a passion. Colorful words were flying around the house and it was a hour to kickoff. Dry, crackling "dumb son of a *^#&%^" came out when Crompton threw the interception at the start of the game. But something was missing....oh yeah, momma. My mom passed two months ago and they were married for 51 years. She was an elementary school librarian (media specialist for you fancy folk) who sent both us kids through UTK. My mom detested Vanderbilt. She detested them more than Alabama or Florida. Momma was a Godly woman who didn't drink, cuss, or speak poorly of others.......unless they played for Vanderbilt. So as I sat there watching the game with my pissed off old man, I began thinking...win one for momma boys, win one for momma. I kinda believe they did.......
Then I began thinking this might be the last season of UT football I get to enjoy with dad. It's been a couple of years since he was able to go to a game with me since my season tix are 2nd level (he just can't walk that far anymore). During the game he asked me if I remember when I was a kid, him taking me to a Vanderbilt/Tennessee game when we were losing, I started crying? I told him I did, (I really didn't) and he proceeded to recollect on how UT came back and won at the end and there had never been a happier little boy in the world. Watching him tell the story I'd say there's never been a happier old man talking about good times with his son.
A trip to Knoxville for a football game was a special thing for a little boy. I think maybe I got to go to a home game every other year. I remember thinking "he must really love me to go through all of this." I remember eating at Cracker Barrel...all the other cars being covered in orange stickers, flags, & pom poms...the thumbs up from the UT fans in other cars...my dad threatening to put his foot in my ass if I asked one more time "are we close yet"...my dad laughing at Tennessee State Troopers pulling over opposing team's fans...I remember eating 8 hot dogs and one game & my old man being amazed (& screw Mike Hamilton for changing those wonderful hot dogs to the crap we have now)...I remember walking out with my hand in my dad's for the first time and seeing Neyland stadium (heaven surely must look the same)...
Then I went to school at UT. I remember very little...just kidding. I remember getting laid at orientation....how emense the campus seemed at the time. The strip, wow the strip. I remember Ivy's, the Last Lap, the Library, the Annex, Jason's, the Longbranch, Flamingo's, the Underground, Patrick Sullivan's, the Boiler Room, the Electric Ballroom and the Old College Inn. I remember the lights that they would turn on if the KPD would enter so underage drinkers could push their drinks away. I remember shooting a 3 liter of pepsi off North Carrick's roof with a 3 man slingshot. I remember getting written up for following the trick or treaters at halloween into South Carrick. I had a room on the 6th floor of Carrick that was right next to South Carrick....I remember if you unscrewed the electrical outlet cover you could see in the girl's room. I remember getting busted for having a keg party in a dorm room. I remember streaking across the Presidential Courtyard....vaguely...& yes, it was cold out. I remember registering for classes being an all day affair....& I well remember the Big Orange Screw.
I remember my first football season as a student. Being a lifelong Vols fan I was so excited. I remember we snuck tequila and orange juice into my first game in 1988. To this day I have never drank tequila & orange juice again. That drink sucks...almost as bad as our team did. Oh how I remember being so mad that our football teamed sucked. We lost our first 6 games that year. Yep, my mighty Tennessee Vols lost the first 6. I felt just like I did at the Vandy game years before with my dad. But you know what....we won the rest and started something special that year. We won SEC titles in 1989 & 1990. I was there when Fulmer took over for Johnny Majors. I remember the bumper stickers that said Go Johnny Go & Take Devoe (Don Devoe was our basketball coach at the time & many wanted him gone as much as Majors). I remember winning under Fulmer and the campus being buzzed about the possibility of a new level of UT football....a level that hadn't been seen in Knoxville for decades. The rest is history.
We'll get back boys. We will dominate again. I ain't forgot the words to Rocky Top. And it's still GREAT to be a Tennessee Vol. This hire, this time, this coming season, I'm thinking win won for the old man boys, win one for the old man.....
thanks for reading my rant
