In 1982 UT played back to back at LSU

[CrazyUncleVol]

and hosted Alabama. They tied LSU 24-24 & defeated #2 Alabama 35-28. UT was unranked. The talent discrepancy had to be huge. Tennessee won on heart & determination just as they will have to today. I'm old enough to have some memory of that day in 1982. It was a bright, sunny autumn day. Feels similar. Just saying. Go damn Vols!

 

[BowlBrother85]

I was only 9, but I remember listening to John Ward's call on the radio. Even though Alabama was ranked #2 at the time, it wasn't televised. That '82 team was weird. Lost the next week to a terrible Georgia Tech team. Played like utter crap.

 

[CrazyUncleVol]

82 team lost to Duke to open the season lol. Idk if Spurrier was there yet.

 

[CrazyUncleVol]

Lost to Vanderbilt that year too. Damn.

 

[esarmstrong]

82 team lost to Duke to open the season lol. Idk if Spurrier was there yet.

Spurrier was at Duke that season.

 

[VOLnMiami]

and hosted Alabama. They tied LSU 24-24 & defeated #2 Alabama 35-28. UT was unranked. The talent discrepancy had to be huge. Tennessee won on heart & determination just as they will have to today. I'm old enough to have some memory of that day in 1982. It was a bright, sunny autumn day. Feels similar. Just saying. Go damn Vols!

And then lost to Georgia Tech the following week.

 

[BowlBrother85]

Lost to Vanderbilt that year too. Damn.

Had Reggie White, Reggie McKenzie and Bill Bates ... but were still atrocious on defense. Couldn't stop anybody.

Fwiw, in the late 90's, I worked with Mike Terry at Traveler's Insurance in Knoxville. He was the DB who got an interception on the last play of the game.

 

[txbo]

I was sitting in the stands at Neyland that day with my brother. That was the last time we watched a Vols/Bama game together......until today. I pick him up at 1:00. Feels like '82.

 

[TAF]

WAS There...

 

[ENGRVOL]

Goes to show you how much the bama game means to this fanbase where you can have a season losing to vandy, ga tech, and duke but the thing most vol fans think of with the 82 season is Majors being carried by his players to shake hands with the bear.

 

[sami]

and hosted Alabama. They tied LSU 24-24 & defeated #2 Alabama 35-28. UT was unranked. The talent discrepancy had to be huge. Tennessee won on heart & determination just as they will have to today. I'm old enough to have some memory of that day in 1982. It was a bright, sunny autumn day. Feels similar. Just saying. Go damn Vols!

I was there, attending UT at the time. No, the talent discrepancy wasn't huge, as we had future NFL players like Reggie White, Willie Gault, Mike Cofer, Bill Bates, Reggie McKenzie, and Fuad Reveiz, among others. That was a very talented team, but in my time at UT Majors did less with more as much as any coach I can think of. But he gave us that glorious day, and for that alone I'm grateful. Greatest sporting event I was ever at.

 

[Jeff Clark]

It's a good thing Tennessee doesn't play Georgia Tech next week

 

[sami]

Goes to show you how much the bama game means to this fanbase where you can have a season losing to vandy, ga tech, and duke but the thing most vol fans think of with the 82 season is Majors being carried by his players to shake hands with the bear.

When I think of that game, the main memories are the Vols coming through the T in orange/orange, and the fumble on the first play - I've never heard Neyland as loud, before or since. I never saw Majors carried to midfield, as I was too involved in helping tear down the goal post and carrying it out of Neyland.

 

[wmcovol]

82 team lost to Duke to open the season lol. Idk if Spurrier was there yet.

I think he was OC.

Many thought the 82 Bama may have been Bears best team up to that point in the season. They had just beat Penn St 42-21 & ranked #2. Tennessee, with Willie Gault, Mike Miller & Darryl Wilson, exposed a speed deficiency in Bama’s secondary that day with Gault & Miller making big passing plays. Then, later in the 4th Qtr, Tennessee became able to run the ball with draw plays.

 

[Jeff Clark]

I think he was OC.

Yeah Steve Spurrier was the Duke OC from 1980-1982 then left to coach the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL.