Your first trip to Neyland??

[Old Man Orange]

1964 UT vs Chatt. TN won 10 -6.

My lasting memory from that game, as a red blooded teenage male, had nothing to do with the game but all the coed's in their white bobby brooks blouses after a brief shower before the game.

 

[Oldvoldad]

Posting this because on September 13th (UGA game), I get the privilege of taking my wife to her first-ever game at Neyland. Before anyone asks, we've been married 23 years, but she doesn't fan like I do. That having been said, after taking her to the Arkansas game last year (which didn't go our way) and her making fun of how pitiful their home crowd was......I finally talked her into going to a game with me at the true cathedral of college football. I wanted her to experience Neyland at "full rock", so getting tickets to one of the directional schools was out of the question. I've already warned her that "it's going to be LOUD", and she's okay with that. Pretty excited for her to experience what I've experienced many times over the course of my fandom.

I know the question's been asked before "what was your first game at Neyland", this one's a little different. Let's talk about your thoughts when you walked into Neyland for the first time ever. I can clearly remember thinking "this is the biggest stadium I've ever seen" and "I will never hear anything as loud as this" (that last one.....let's just say I've been to a Slipknot concert and was very near the speakers, but it's really daggone close).

1985. Last game vs Vandy. Needed the win to get to the Sugar Bowl. Car broke down on I75 near Loudon Tn. Walked a couple miles to the next exit, called a tow truck. Hitch hiked our way to the game from there with no idea how we were going to get back to Loudon. Got the win and spotted people we knew exiting the stadium. Pure luck! Well before cell phones! Got back to the car as the mechanic was finishing up. Drove back to Knoxville to party the rest of the night. I can remember like it was yesterday. Oh.......not making this up. The mechanic's name was Elvis.

 

[UT97Vol]

Nov 18, 1989. In my first game, I got the chance to witness the greatest single game rushing performance in Vols history. I made my parents get there early so I could go in right after the gates opened. Tom Petty's Free Fallin was playing multiple times during the lull. Then the T opened and Chuck Webb unleashed himself on the Ole Miss defense.

After 35 carries and 294 yards later, Webb set the single season rushing record at UT which still stands today over 35 years later. Added two rushing TD's to boot.

 

[89 VOLS grad]

Posting this because on September 13th (UGA game), I get the privilege of taking my wife to her first-ever game at Neyland. Before anyone asks, we've been married 23 years, but she doesn't fan like I do. That having been said, after taking her to the Arkansas game last year (which didn't go our way) and her making fun of how pitiful their home crowd was......I finally talked her into going to a game with me at the true cathedral of college football. I wanted her to experience Neyland at "full rock", so getting tickets to one of the directional schools was out of the question. I've already warned her that "it's going to be LOUD", and she's okay with that. Pretty excited for her to experience what I've experienced many times over the course of my fandom.

I know the question's been asked before "what was your first game at Neyland", this one's a little different. Let's talk about your thoughts when you walked into Neyland for the first time ever. I can clearly remember thinking "this is the biggest stadium I've ever seen" and "I will never hear anything as loud as this" (that last one.....let's just say I've been to a Slipknot concert and was very near the speakers, but it's really daggone close).

11/10/1984 homecoming vs Memphis State, Johnny Jones ran all over them to lead the Vols to a 41-9 victory. They allowed umbrellas at the time. It was pouring down ran. My high school friend that was a RA set me up with a petite and hot chick that had an umbrella and liquor for us to put in our cokes. I decided that day I was no longer somewhat of a Vandy fan (grew up in Nashville) due to the great atmosphere! I also decided I would attend the University of Tennessee the following fall that day! GO VOLS!!!

 

[89 VOLS grad]

1964 UT vs Chatt. TN won 10 -6.

My lasting memory from that game, as a red blooded teenage male, had nothing to do with the game but all the coed's in their white bobby brooks blouses after a brief shower before the game.

In my opinion, this has all others beat by a long shot due to the wet blouse contest. I would have loved to be there in person to witness that game. But, I wasn't born until a couple of years later. I wish you had a lot of good pictures to post!

 

[ATC_VOL]

2001 Vanderbilt. Sheer size of the stadium and number of people there stand out. It was great seeing all of the little things you miss on TV like the players interacting with each other after plays and watching the band perform. Loved it and still do.

 

[exotic_vols]

2005 home opener against UAB, the start of a long and painful journey up until recently...

 

[PEPPERJAX]

There were other trips to Neyland before this one but the 1991 home game against Vandy is where clearer memories begin for me at 8 years old when it comes to the football Vols. All of the other games attended before that are a little spotty. I remember looking up at the scoreboard and UT was laying it to them 45-0. I asked my dad who we were playing. He said this is a crappy team from Nashville called Vanderbilt that we beat every year.

 

[ftsandersvol]

Not sure of my age or year ('69 or '70?), but I was just a wee lad when one afternoon me and some childhood buddies got into Neyland Stadium and ran around on the field. I remember how my shoes just absolutely gripped the AstroTurf and me thinking no wonder these guys can make the moves/cuts they do.

 

[volunator]

1979 Auburn at Tennessee. Vols win 35-17.

 

[Frozevol]

November 1964 vs Kentucky. Dickey’s first season. Tickets must have been really cheap because my dad took the whole family- there were eight of us! I was 6 yrs old. I don’t remember much except they had hot dogs. We lost the game 12-7. Didn’t lose to them again until 1976…my freshman year at UT. The first game I remember was 1968 vs GA. The infamous Tartan Turf game. I went to just about every home game after that until I was in high school and discovered girls. The games were much less rowdy in those days. Women were in heels and men wore coats and ties. Things started changing in the 80s and it seems it gets louder every year, though I rarely go to games anymore.

 

[WestTennesseeFox]

2004 was first time to Knoxville.

Positives - It was loud in a real, authentic way. Kyle Field is forced. DKR is more of a wine and cheese type crowd. I've been to funerals louder than Ann Arbor. Athens and Tuscaloosa don't compare. The only thing that even comes close to an authentic volume is a night game in Baton Rouge.

Negatives - Climbing the steps to the upper deck while 7 months pregnant. Never again. The stadium needed some TLC, especially the areas facing the river. The interior guts of the stadium was way too obsolete for the crowd size. I heard the Horseshoe is the same way.

 

[adam.vol]

1992 Florida rain game

Mine too. In the Downpour!

I believe Neyland Stadium was the tallest structure I had ever been in at the time and I was terrified that they were going to send it crumbling down with all the shouting and stomping.

There was a catwalk on the outside of the lower bowl that couldn’t have been more than 8 ft wide. That also scared the crap out of me, thinking some drunk was going to send me into it or over it.

The seats were so steep. I was happy to sit down because standing on the bleachers to see over everyone scared me, too. I didn’t really get comfortable watching games from high up until I was big enough to notice the lack of legroom.

I was in awe of so many people sitting so far away, at eye level and above. I couldn’t believe how loud it was and how much people cared.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

2004 was first time to Knoxville.

Positives - It was loud in a real, authentic way. Kyle Field is forced. DKR is more of a wine and cheese type crowd. I've been to funerals louder than Ann Arbor. Athens and Tuscaloosa don't compare. The only thing that even comes close is a night game in Baton Rouge.

Negatives - Climbing the steps to the upper deck while 7 months pregnant. Never again. The stadium needed some TLC, especially the areas facing the river. The interior guts of the stadium was way too obsolete for the crowd size. I heard the Horseshoe is the same way.

You picked a great game for a first trip to Neyland. I remember that game like it was yesterday. Sat with my dad on the forty yard line about 30 rows up.

 

[rVOLr]

1998 UT vs Fla…it was crazy

 

[Hacksaw]

1983 as a freshman. Throughout the day, I watched from my dorm room window as the excitement grew and the fans came flooding onto campus. When I walked into Neyland, grabbing a shaker as I made my way to the student section, I looked around at the spectacle. I had been to many NFL games by that time, including the NFC Championship game a year earlier between the Cowboys and the Redskins. This was different.

I had been a casual Tennessee fan all my life. But that first game in Neyland changed me. All I can say is, if you've never been, GO! You'll never regret it.

 

[Hacksaw]

2004 was first time to Knoxville.

Positives - It was loud in a real, authentic way. Kyle Field is forced. DKR is more of a wine and cheese type crowd. I've been to funerals louder than Ann Arbor. Athens and Tuscaloosa don't compare. The only thing that even comes close to an authentic volume is a night game in Baton Rouge.

Negatives - Climbing the steps to the upper deck while 7 months pregnant. Never again. The stadium needed some TLC, especially the areas facing the river. The interior guts of the stadium was way too obsolete for the crowd size. I heard the Horseshoe is the same way.

Having been mostly to NFL stadiums with chairback seats with armrests, I was struck by the bench seating and how close together the seat numbers were.

 

[PreacherVol2]

2002 Rutgers. Rutgers ran the opening kickoff back for a TD. In a funny twist of fate, that was Greg Schiano's second season at there.

That was my first game too. My church got my wife and me tickets. I came back to my Georgia congregation and told them, “Y’all haven’t heard anything until you hear 100,000 people singing Rocky Top!” Vols went on to win! Have been back several times! Nothing like it!

 

[OffTackleVol]

We fumbled late about to score.
Should have won that one.
I was at the 45 about 35 rows up

Yep, Glenn Ford fumbled at the one yard line and went directly, deep into Coach Majors's doghouse. Should have won that game; Georgia won 2-3 games that way on their way to the National Championship.

 

[volpadre]

1977 opener vs Cal Bears. Sat in the green bleachers. Majors first game as coach, didn’t go our way but I was still hooked.

 

[VOLdo Raine]

Mine was an Ole Miss game around 1975-77 time frame. It was a Knights of Columbus trip for the boys in our church. I was young and not all that into football, so I spent a lot of time looking for toilet paper to throw when we scored. And we scored a lot, and won!

I don’t remember attending another game until 1987, but don’t remember which ones I attended- they were lesser games. I did make it to the 1990 loss to Notre Dame and the loss to bama that year. The only other “noteworthy“ game I attended at Neyland was the infamous Ole Miss “mustard bottle” game.

 

[JcVol865]

2002 vs Miami

 

[ATC_VOL]

Double post

 

[05_never_again]

If memory serves they went up 14-0 pretty quick before we got our **** together.

My oldest sister came to that game with me. The only other game she'd been to was the bizarre Memphis loss with that utterly stacked team and Peyton.

I told her never again, she's bad luck. Lol

I wanted to look up the box score myself...we were down 14-7 at halftime! I actually didn't remember that at all.

Tennessee 35-14 Rutgers (Sep 28, 2002) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the Tennessee Volunteers vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights NCAAF game, final score 35-14, from September 28, 2002 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

I had no frame of reference since it was my first game, but I remember people around us talking about how dead the crowd was. It seemed loud to me but I'm sure it was dead - that was the first game after the infamous 8 fumble nightmare against UF.

 

[SuzyVol]

1968 Tennessee vs. Alabama. Sat in the north end-zone bleachers. Alabama drove to about the 20-yard line on the north end of the field and attempted a field goal on the last play of the game. Jimmy Weatherford blocked it. VOLS won 10-9.