What's the First Game You Remember?

[I_Bleed_Orange77]

The Miracle at South Bend. That was the day I fell in love with Tennessee football. I believe I was about 14, probably still my favorite game (other than the national championship game).

 

[Crash1984]

Growing up I was raised in an environment where no one cared about football or really any other sport for that matter. As a result I did not care about it either most of the time. I would watch some of the Superbowl every once in a while but that was it. As a result I thought a lot of the things I saw such as people going around with orange flags on their car was beyond silly.

Back in 1998 things changed a bit. Tennessee had beaten Florida and it seemed like it was all anyone was talking about. Did I watch it? No I went to Cleveland Speedway that night. The next weekend I was at a get together at someone's house and they had two football games going. The first one was Alabama and Arkansas on television and on the Radio they had the Tennessee vs Houston game. After watching some of the Alabama vs Arkansas game I realized that "Hey this football stuff is pretty good". As a result I started making it a point to catch an occasional game on television but really did not pay any attention to the teams.

As 1998 went on I kind of kept up with how Tennessee done and became more intrigued with this team but never bothered to watch a game. Reason being that the previous year I had taken a liking to racing and it was "always" going to be my sport to watch and since they always had a Busch or Truck race on Saturday I was watching this. By the time it ended I was usually doing something else and never thought to try to find the Tennessee game. Finally came one Saturday when NASCAR was over with and there was no other racing so I decided to watch the Tennessee game. That happened to be the Arkansas game.

 

[orange addict]

My first game was when I was ten years old. It was against Duke in 1989. I've been hooked ever since. Found out years later that Steve Spurrier was the coach for Duke in that game. My first game was a win over HBC.

 

[45orange]

First game I saw was Tennessee defeat Maryland in 1956

 

[Enki_Amenra]

Duke @ Tennessee 1988 26-31 Spurrier wins..


My first game in Knoxville. 12 years old. I remember my dad complaining about Shazzon Bradley missing tackles..

That explains a lot! Haha, just kidding Wylo, thanks for the post.

 

[robby487]

The 1st game I ever saw was in 1964 I think. In Memphis they played one game every year. My Jr. high coach took me and I have been a Vol fan since.

 

[114VOL]

1965 UCLA game

 

[114VOL]

Chuck Webb (RB) - Offensive MVP
Carl Pickens (WR) - Defensive MVP

Both ranked in top-10.

Andy Kelly's bootleg and then pass to Anthony Miller was a thing of beauty.

It was Anthony Morgan. Anthony Miller was already playing for the Chargers

 

[TNRazor]

I think it was 1979 Hubert Simpson ran like crazy and we destroyed Notre Dame.

 

[72 KPT VOL]

1965 home opener against Army, an impressive shutout victory; and the season started the big turnaround under Doug Dickey with a top 10 ranking and only one lose by one point (and two ties). First big game in Neyland was the 1966 Bama game, a heartbreaking one point loss in the pouring rain after leading much of game and missing a FG attempt from inside the 5 at the buzzer. Orange has been in my blood ever since.

 

[Tacoma Vol]

Gosh, all you guys are so young. My first memory was the 17 - 17 tie with Georgia back in the 60s. I recall this game was on television in Memphis. My step father was from Georgia and my mother was from Chattanooga. They argued through the whole game. Of course, I was on Mom's side. Next day, I remember all the kids in the neighborhood talking about Tennessee. We played football all day pretending to be Tennessee. Good times.

 

[TOUCHDOWN!!TN]

Man, first game I attended was like yesterday, but it was 1968 vs. UCLA. My best friend was a UT freshman, I'm still in high school(DBHS)got me tickets to the game but couldn't get me the homecoming concert ticket. Back then not many football games on tv but we still thought it was great to see the VOLS at every opportunity and listening to them on the transistor radio was the norm and a blast.
My favorite tv team back then was UCLA, I can still see those light blue and gold unis that showed on Dads big console tv but wow they looked good. Not so much in person, they were old, dirty and the pads showing really made them look second class compared to the O&W. VOLS WON That beauitful fall day. Been my team forever, my blood does run ORANGE.
Oh made it to the '69 homecoming game, the good guys won, got to see Curt Watson score coming straight at me into the S end zone with his patented "stiff leg" moves. Wow, what at ride!!!
I Did get to see '69 HC concert... Janis Joplin Big Brother and the holding Co.
GO VOLS!

 

[gvol]

1967 GA Tech. Remember parking at the old Millers parking garage and walking over...that's now the sunsphere and Holiday Inn. Awesome time, have to admit, it was pretty cool when they drove the old car out. But, Orange-blooded from that moment on. This year, here we go again.

 

[LordBolton]

First game I went to was when we beat Auburn in 85. Still searching for the one to beat that ever since.

 

[i2amavol]

'67 - '69 range. We were playing Bama, and I was listening on the radio. The crowd was going wild. Beautiful Fall afternoon.

 

[jarnol32]

The sugar bowl when Tennessee beat Uva 23-22. My dad made me go to bed at halftime because I had school the next morning, I was in 1st grade.

 

[GAVol]

1980 opener against UGA. I was 7. We blew a lead and everybody found out who Herschel Walker was.

 

[280vol]

I don't know the first game i remembered but i do remember when I realized i was a UT fan . We moved from Mass. to Kingsport when i was 8, which was 1963. So i started following and eventually pulling for UT. Of course not many games were on TV back then, but listened to most all games with our beloved John Ward. Moving forward to '69 when i guess i would have been 14.

Archie who game............ can't remember if this game was on TV but never-less did not stay home to watch or listen. I assumed that it would be an easy win.

So when I got home and find out they lost 0-38 i was shocked and devastated.

That is the exact moment that i can point to that i knew i was a Vol fan for life.

Without saying it has been a roller coaster ever since.

 

[ncvol17]

The 1965 Bluebonnet Bowl vs. Tulsa, very vaguely. The 1966 Gator Bowl vs. a Syracuse team, led by Larry Csonka and Floyd Little, more clearly. The '67 season was the first that we listened by radio from beginning to end.

Attended Bluebonnet bowl, Bert Jones vs Condredge. Think it was 72. LSU vs UT. I was in HS on a family trip.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Sept. 29th, 1945 against Weak Forest. However, I do not recall the final score. At that time, it only concern I has wast winning the game, witch they easily did.

 

[Wylo]

That explains a lot! Haha, just kidding Wylo, thanks for the post.

Lol. I thought maybe that would get said. I didn't embrace the Nega until 2001.. Actually that SEC title game is probably what started it.

Didn't fully bloom until the late Fulmer years, though. I did not create but I did visit FirePhilfulmer.com... lol

The rest is history

 

[OldandStillaVol]

1964 LSU at Baton Rouge, 3-3 tie. Game was on tv which was a big deal back then. We had a couple of goal line stands.

 

[Boston Vol]

1989 ucla

 

[Hamptonvolfan]

1958 VOLS upset by Chattanooga and the riot after the game.

 

[LTVol]

First game I remember anything about was Ole Miss 1964. I walked out of my elementary school on a friday afternoon anticpating a walk home when my dad pulled up in our 55 plymouth Belvedere with my mom and two sisters inside and announced, hop in, we're going to Knoxville we're going to see the Tennessee football game tomorrow. I could barely contain my excitement. I don't recall much about the game except the orange UT pennants my dad bought my sister and me, and oh yes, we lost to Ole Miss, a team that went undefeated that year. The team's loss didn't diminish the thrill of going to Neyland with my family and proudly waving my orange pennant. From that day forward I was totally hooked on Tennessee football, and the thrill of Football Time on Tennessee has never diminished.