Marshall Goree's golfing buddy called him from Miami on Tuesday and suggested the two play a round this week. They both laughed. Mr. Goree, 85, no longer plays golf, and his buddy is busy preparing for a much bigger event this weekend.
He's starting at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl.
Mr. Goree and Peyton Manning are more than just friends on the golf course. From his brown recliner at the Greenbriar Cove Morning Point Assisted Living Residence in Collegedale, Mr. Goree remembers former University of Tennessee punter Tommy Hutton continually failing in his attempts to date Ashley, Mr. Goree's granddaughter in Memphis.
But Mr. Hutton had a friend at Tennessee who played quarterback and probably had a better chance. And on St. Patrick's Day in 2001, Mr. Goree's granddaughter became Ashley Manning.
"Back when he was in school, Peyton was right on me when he found out I was a golfer and a football fan," said Mr. Goree, who was born on Missionary Ridge and graduated from McCallie. "He became a real close friend, real close. He was chasing after me all the time."
Mr. Goree will watch his grandson-in-law attempt to win his first Super Bowl when the Colts and Chicago Bears meet Sunday in Miami. He's turned down "about 40" party invitations so he can watch the game without interruption from his recliner at Greenbriar Cove. One of those invitations came from Mr. Manning and included a seat at the Super Bowl, but Mr. Goree struggles to walk and had to decline.
A note on Mr. Goree's desk reminds him of the channel, time and has "Go Colts!" written in big, black ink.
"He just wants to watch it in his room," Shari McQuistan, Greenbriar Cove executive director, said. "His interest in sports is really passionate."
Mr. Goree hopes to see Mr. Manning, whose wife owns a lake house in Chattanooga, next month when The Honors Course reopens.
"Oh, Lord, I could beat his pants off. I played Peyton and Tommy Hutton at the Memphis Country Club, and it ended up that they owed me $15,000," said Mr. Goree, who admitted he never got his money. "I got Peyton going, and he's a heck of a golfer now."
That's just another example of Mr. Manning's competitive nature, Mr. Goree said.
Mr. Manning took extra classes at Tennessee so he could catch up with Ashley, who was a year older and attended the University of Virginia. One day after introducing Ashley to his parents, Mr. Manning guaranteed he would marry her.
And Sunday in Miami, Mr. Manning can raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a Super Bowl champion if the Colts beat the Bears.
"I believe they can do it," Mr. Goree said. "It disgusts Peyton to go out there and not get any blocking. If they give him 10 seconds, he'll knock Chicago's pants off, and they'll be champions."
