voldawgforever
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2011
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I AM Tennessee
I am Tennessee. I am the 30 year old couple coming back to campus for
the first time with both little ones in tow. One wears her orange and
white cheerleader outfit; the other wears #16 even though hes too
young to understand why.
I am the 50 year old man who hoped no one saw tears in his eyes when
the T was formed by the band. I was too choked even to sing Rocky
Top. For a moment I felt foolish and then I didnt care. God, I love
this place.
I am the 60 year old woman meeting her freshman grand-daughter who is
now the 3rd generation of UT students in our family. Despite my age,
Id strap it on Saturday and hit someone if it werent for my gender
and this blasted arthritis.
I am Tennessee and I have always believed I was different. You can see
it when you look up into the stands. My orange is not the same as
Floridas or Auburns . But the differences go much deeper than my
colors.
Read my creed. What other school has one? I genuinely believe in these
things. To be a real Tennessee man or woman speaks of character, not
of geography.
All are welcome to walk though my gates, not just the wealthy or the elite.
Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been
family. Make no mistake, we loathe defeat, but even in defeat, we
would rather be a Tennessee Vol than anything else.
We are family and you are the sons of Heisman, the sons of Majors and
Neyland. You come from a long line of brothers who names include
White, Gault, Wilson, Manning, Shuler, Nash and Mahelona. It is a
great heritage.
So this Saturday, when the warm ups are over and the prayers and amen
spoken, when you hear my thunder growing in the stands above you, when
you stand in the tunnel and the smoke begins to form, listen for my
voice when you run onto my field. Behind the frenzy of the shakers and
deafening roar, I will tell you something in a whisper you may miss. I
will be telling you that you are my sons and I am proud of you for the
way you wear the orange and white. I am telling you that you are my
sons and I love you.
Tennessee is so much more than a state or a school or a team or a
degree. It is something that, once you have experienced it, will live
inside of you forever and become a part of what makes up who you are.
It is driving into town on a game day. You may have come from hundreds
of miles away and as you get closer and closer to the city limits, you
feel it rising inside of you. Other cars on the highway proudly
display their Orange and White flags or magnets or car tags, and you
honk and wave at them, because, for that one day, you are all on the
same team.
It is the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of
tailgating catching up with old friends, making new ones, and
invitations from perfect strangers to try their ribs or watch their
satellite TV showing all of the days important match-ups of course,
all being secondary to the one that will occur in the great cathedral
of Neyland Stadium later that day.
It is the Vol Walk where you might just see 300 pound men overcome
with emotion and weeping with pride, because you have come there to
cheer them on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one
or two of them, and you can see it in their eyes it is going to be
their day.
It is the students dressed in their best, because going to a Tennessee
game is like going to church for Tennessee people .you show the same
respect as you would if you were in Gods house. Those students remind
you of the days when you were walking in their shoes and Tennessee was
your home but then you realize, in many ways, it is still and always
will be HOME.
It is that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays Rocky
Top as the T is formed.
It is walking around on a foreign and sometimes hostile campus. You
are easily identified (Tennessee people always are) and the enemy
jeers and shouts things at you to mask their feelings of intimidation.
But just then you happen upon a friend you have never met before. You
know they are your friend by the colors they wear or the shaker in
their hand. You exchange a Go Vols and a confident grin, because
he/she knows what you know.
It is when your heart leaps with every touchdown, field goal, sack,
and interception because those are our boys. And win or lose, they
will always have our un-dying support. After all, it is those boys
that you are really there for and not a coach or a logo or a trustee
or a president.
It is the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious
over a worthy opponent that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if
it were your own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last
points yourself that feeling of wanting to scream Go Big Orange at
the top of your lungs and hug complete strangers and then there is the
ultimate high of defeating your most hated foes from across the state.
No words can describe what this feels like, but you know because you
have experienced it.
It is the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off of the
clock and you realize that all hope of a victory is gone. You feel
like crying and maybe you do then you hear the faint sounds of a cheer
that grows louder and louder .Its Great To Be A Tennessee Vol.
It is knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our
hectic lives, you can always come back to the Loveliest Place on the
River the place where you came from your home. It will probably look
a little different and there will be new names on the backs of the
jerseys, but deep down, no matter what, it is still the same. You
still love it as much as you always have, because Tennessee is as much
a part of you as your arms and your legs and the orange blood that
runs through your veins.
And, finally, it is the feeling you have right now as you read these
lines .the anticipation inside of you, because you know its almost
time .Its about to start all over again but then it really never goes
away, does it?
I am Tennessee. I am the 30 year old couple coming back to campus for
the first time with both little ones in tow. One wears her orange and
white cheerleader outfit; the other wears #16 even though hes too
young to understand why.
I am the 50 year old man who hoped no one saw tears in his eyes when
the T was formed by the band. I was too choked even to sing Rocky
Top. For a moment I felt foolish and then I didnt care. God, I love
this place.
I am the 60 year old woman meeting her freshman grand-daughter who is
now the 3rd generation of UT students in our family. Despite my age,
Id strap it on Saturday and hit someone if it werent for my gender
and this blasted arthritis.
I am Tennessee and I have always believed I was different. You can see
it when you look up into the stands. My orange is not the same as
Floridas or Auburns . But the differences go much deeper than my
colors.
Read my creed. What other school has one? I genuinely believe in these
things. To be a real Tennessee man or woman speaks of character, not
of geography.
All are welcome to walk though my gates, not just the wealthy or the elite.
Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been
family. Make no mistake, we loathe defeat, but even in defeat, we
would rather be a Tennessee Vol than anything else.
We are family and you are the sons of Heisman, the sons of Majors and
Neyland. You come from a long line of brothers who names include
White, Gault, Wilson, Manning, Shuler, Nash and Mahelona. It is a
great heritage.
So this Saturday, when the warm ups are over and the prayers and amen
spoken, when you hear my thunder growing in the stands above you, when
you stand in the tunnel and the smoke begins to form, listen for my
voice when you run onto my field. Behind the frenzy of the shakers and
deafening roar, I will tell you something in a whisper you may miss. I
will be telling you that you are my sons and I am proud of you for the
way you wear the orange and white. I am telling you that you are my
sons and I love you.
Tennessee is so much more than a state or a school or a team or a
degree. It is something that, once you have experienced it, will live
inside of you forever and become a part of what makes up who you are.
It is driving into town on a game day. You may have come from hundreds
of miles away and as you get closer and closer to the city limits, you
feel it rising inside of you. Other cars on the highway proudly
display their Orange and White flags or magnets or car tags, and you
honk and wave at them, because, for that one day, you are all on the
same team.
It is the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of
tailgating catching up with old friends, making new ones, and
invitations from perfect strangers to try their ribs or watch their
satellite TV showing all of the days important match-ups of course,
all being secondary to the one that will occur in the great cathedral
of Neyland Stadium later that day.
It is the Vol Walk where you might just see 300 pound men overcome
with emotion and weeping with pride, because you have come there to
cheer them on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one
or two of them, and you can see it in their eyes it is going to be
their day.
It is the students dressed in their best, because going to a Tennessee
game is like going to church for Tennessee people .you show the same
respect as you would if you were in Gods house. Those students remind
you of the days when you were walking in their shoes and Tennessee was
your home but then you realize, in many ways, it is still and always
will be HOME.
It is that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays Rocky
Top as the T is formed.
It is walking around on a foreign and sometimes hostile campus. You
are easily identified (Tennessee people always are) and the enemy
jeers and shouts things at you to mask their feelings of intimidation.
But just then you happen upon a friend you have never met before. You
know they are your friend by the colors they wear or the shaker in
their hand. You exchange a Go Vols and a confident grin, because
he/she knows what you know.
It is when your heart leaps with every touchdown, field goal, sack,
and interception because those are our boys. And win or lose, they
will always have our un-dying support. After all, it is those boys
that you are really there for and not a coach or a logo or a trustee
or a president.
It is the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious
over a worthy opponent that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if
it were your own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last
points yourself that feeling of wanting to scream Go Big Orange at
the top of your lungs and hug complete strangers and then there is the
ultimate high of defeating your most hated foes from across the state.
No words can describe what this feels like, but you know because you
have experienced it.
It is the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off of the
clock and you realize that all hope of a victory is gone. You feel
like crying and maybe you do then you hear the faint sounds of a cheer
that grows louder and louder .Its Great To Be A Tennessee Vol.
It is knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our
hectic lives, you can always come back to the Loveliest Place on the
River the place where you came from your home. It will probably look
a little different and there will be new names on the backs of the
jerseys, but deep down, no matter what, it is still the same. You
still love it as much as you always have, because Tennessee is as much
a part of you as your arms and your legs and the orange blood that
runs through your veins.
And, finally, it is the feeling you have right now as you read these
lines .the anticipation inside of you, because you know its almost
time .Its about to start all over again but then it really never goes
away, does it?
