Question for the older Vols?

[ArdentVol]

My first Vol heartbreak was the 1968 Orange bowl against Oklahoma. Karl Kremser, one of the first kickers that (the term they used was "soccer style kicker") missed a game winning, exciting, and noble come from behind attempt.. Now every kicker kicks that way, but it was an anomaly in those days. Then later we advanced to the barefoot kicker Ricky Townsend, who was pretty cool, running downfield on a kickoff with a shoe off. George Hunt was the last head on kicker I remember. Also, one of the most bad ass players ever was George Cafego. I think, if he played in the modern era, he would compare to Eric Berry. He was a guy that landed here from West Virginia and played on Neyland's '38 team (20 years before I was born). He was part of that historic team that SHUT OUT, every team during the regular season. That's right - they went to the Rose Bowl and up to that point, nobody had scored on them AT ALL.

During the Major's era, Cafego was the kicking coach. I worked as a waiter/dishwasher in Gibb's on the training table back in the mid-late '70s and Cafego would come in with the rest of the staff. I got to talk to Majors a couple of times, but Cafego was quiet. One of my biggest regrets was that I didn't approach him and strike up a conversation with him.

This is kinda bad, but I went to a Halloween party in Reese Hall with a bunch of the Gibbs waiters. One guy came as Cafego because ol' George was born with a sagging eye socket. Could have been from a football injury (makes more sense), but anyway the guy put some tape on his face to pull the skin down and that was his costume. One piece of tape. Kind of disrespectful, I'll admit, but after a keg of beer, we laughed and laughed.

OK, I googled the WWW and found a reference from a past thread talking about George's eye. This came from VOLNATION. Seems a Vandy guy blinded him in a pile.

Coach Cafego Speeches

It being Vandy week I've been attempting to find some audio of some Coach Cafego speeches on Vandy. So far I'm coming up empty. Anyone know where to find some?

www.volnation.com

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took an early Cafego class from my Dad (Class of 43). And I can remember Dad pointing to Cafego, as Dad drove down the Pike, and telling me that he was walking to practice. later, while hitchhiking home from Tyson making Cafego sightings, I dont reca[l where the coach lived, but t do remember in the 70s and early 80 spotting him walking while I was jogging in Sequoyah Hills.

Unfortunately, I never spoke to him

 

[ArdentVol]

Hey VolInVonore-I would enjoy meeting you at Navarros/Englewood one day for lunch and talk Tennessee football history. You go back a bit further than me. My first game was Bama 1960.

Cant remember my first game, but the Vols were running the single wing We even tried to run the single wing in backyard games

 

[biscuitbilly]

Cant remember my first game, but the Vols were running the single wing We even tried to run the single wing in backyard games

Their first season to run T formation was 1964 when Dickey came from Arkansas.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

The ice game was later in the 1950s. I don’t remember the year, but I was in school when it occurred. The temperature. Was in the high teens and there was about 8 inches of snow and ice on the field and ground. I remember after the game, a couple of guys were carrying an intoxicated woman on their shoulders and every step or two, she would raise he head up and yell “Go Big Blue”. I immediately decided I would never put myself in the same position of that drunk woman.

I believe that was the next home game against the blue bellies, i.e. 1952. Those two games epitomize the fact that, in decades past, the Tennessee-Kentucky game often was played in seriously nasty weather.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

It certainly didn't feature one of our best teams, but the 1974 come-from-behind victory over Clemson (29-28) is worth taking a look at. The winning 2-point conversion pass from the Artful Dodger to Larry Sievers was one of the most spectacular, jaw-dropping plays in Tennessee football history. See 1974 Clemson vs. Tennessee - Google Search

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Their first season to run T formation was 1964 when Dickey came from Arkansas.

It is mindboggling to think that Tennessee went from the single wing in 1963 to the most efficient passing offense in the country in 1966, when Dewey Warren led the nation in that stat. Dewey later went on to play an instrumental role in installing BYU's passing offense.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Listening to George Mooney on my transistor call the 1964 LSU Tigers and their Chinese Bandits take on the Vols which resulted in a 3 to 3 tie!

Many will regard it as heresy, but Mooney actually was a more polished announcer than John Ward. On the other hand, John had such a gift for painting a colorful, verbal picture of action on the field. Today's broadcasters, who did not cut their proverbial eyeteeth in radio broadcasting, simply can't replicate that oratorical talent.

 

[87&91ALUM]

My father was stationed with USAF and dependents in Torrejon AFB Spain in the late 1960s. When we returned to the states, the first UT game I remember watching was the 1971 Penn State and Tennessee games where Bobby Majors rocked! The biggest games I have attended were the Sugar Bowl defeat of Miami and Testeverde (sp?) in New Orleans and..... beating Bama at UT after 11 years 1982 and sitting behind Bear Bryant to watch that game. I was a student at the time and remember the goal posts headed out of the stadium and somebody cutting them up in the student dorms. Now....National Champion Baseball Vols 2024...GBO VFL! Majors, Bobby « Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

 

[Savannahbayvol]

I believe that was the next home game against the blue bellies, i.e. 1952. Those two games epitomize the fact that, in decades past, the Tennessee-Kentucky game often was played in seriously nasty weather.

The Big Ice game was 1950. Believe it or not in those pre-Interstate highway days my father and 3 uncles drove up from Chattanooga.

One of my uncles told me he went to the University of Chattanooga(now UTC) Thanksgiving game 2 days before and wore a short sleeved shirt. 48 hours later it was 0 degrees.

A few weeks before that I went to my first game, Alabama, at age 3. Vaguely remember being in the stadium but nothing about the game. We won 14-9.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

I believe that was the next home game against the blue bellies, i.e. 1952. Those two games epitomize the fact that, in decades past, the Tennessee-Kentucky game often was played in seriously nasty weather.

I was in school 1956- 1961. I still believe it was I was there. At my age, it is possible I disremembered the date, I moved to Atlanta in July 1961.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

I was in school 1956- 1961. I still believe it was I was there. At my age, it is possible I disremembered the date, I moved to Atlanta in July 1961.

'tis entirely possible that there was another one during that era as well. We discussed this topic in an earlier thread. I don't know if all the links I provided in that post are still active, but it clearly indicates that "An unusual-for-November six-inch snowfall took place [before the 1950 game], and temperatures would fall to 18 degrees by game time. Such weather in Knoxville was not unusual between about Christmas and late February, but it certainly was in late November."

The 1952 storm apparently hit Knoxville much harder. "The snow in 1952 was a record 18.2 inches in 25 hours. The previous high recorded was 15.1 inches way back in 1886." See When was the last Tennessee football game played in the snow? and John Shearer: The Tennessee/Kentucky Rivalry Dates Back To 1950.

The 1929 Kentucky game also "was played in bitterly cold temperatures [at Lexington] during a blinding snowstorm." That game finished with a 6-6 tie. I recall a videotaped interview with, I believe, Hugh Faust, who stated that, following a play which resulted in what we believed was a touchdown, our kicker was sent in to attempt the extra point. They scraped the snow away and discovered that the ball was short of the goal line. Neyland sent the regular tailback back out and we proceeded to score. In those days, once a player came out of the lineup, he couldn't substitute back in during that quarter (as best I recall the details of this narrative), so a backup kicker was sent in to attempt the PAT. Unfortunately, he failed to convert and, according to Faust, if he was the source of this story, we lost a potential Rose Bowl bid that year because we failed to finish with a perfect record.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

The 1952 storm was unbel. At 7:30 AM, I was on my way to school in Rogersville It was raining cat and dogs. The rain changed to snow just about 8AM. By noon the was almost a foot of snow on the ground. Snow flakes were as large as silver dollars and the snow was so heavy one could not see the other side of z two-lane road. That night, there was 24 inches on the ground..we had a detached garage and when the snow started melting during the sunny days, huge icicles 2 feet wide and 8 inches were formed from the eave of the garage to the ground.
During the mid-late 50s, we had a large snow almost every year. The 58 snow was very cold and icy. The streets in Knoxville had several inches of ice and snow and traffic was almost impossible. I remember three or four of us would help push ambulances up the steer to the hospital. In many ways, I miss those snowy Winters. They were a lot of for us kids.

 

[ArdentVol]

'tis entirely possible that there was another one during that era as well. We discussed this topic in an earlier thread. I don't know if all the links I provided in that post are still active, but it clearly indicates that "An unusual-for-November six-inch snowfall took place [before the 1950 game], and temperatures would fall to 18 degrees by game time. Such weather in Knoxville was not unusual between about Christmas and late February, but it certainly was in late November."

The 1952 storm apparently hit Knoxville much harder. "The snow in 1952 was a record 18.2 inches in 25 hours. The previous high recorded was 15.1 inches way back in 1886." See When was the last Tennessee football game played in the snow? and John Shearer: The Tennessee/Kentucky Rivalry Dates Back To 1950.

The 1929 Kentucky game also "was played in bitterly cold temperatures [at Lexington] during a blinding snowstorm." That game finished with a 6-6 tie. I recall a videotaped interview with, I believe, Hugh Faust, who stated that, following a play which resulted in what we believed was a touchdown, our kicker was sent in to attempt the extra point. They scraped the snow away and discovered that the ball was short of the goal line. Neyland sent the regular tailback back out and we proceeded to score. In those days, once a player came out of the lineup, he couldn't substitute back in during that quarter (as best I recall the details of this narrative), so a backup kicker was sent in to attempt the PAT. Unfortunately, he failed to convert and, according to Faust, if he was the source of this story, we lost a potential Rose Bowl bid that year because we failed to finish with a perfect record.

think it was the 1952 storm that led to my grandfather serious injury that led to his death. I was an infant in Frederick, Md., and I think there are photos of him visiting there. My memory of him is being bed-ridden with a great wit

 

[WiseOlVol]

And this was the greatest coaches show of all time. Majors was fired up.

Hubert Simpson rushed for 117 yards and scored four touchdowns as he led Tennessee to a 40‐18 upset of Notre Dame.

 

[WiseOlVol]

For the great 45-3 slaughter of the Reptilian Horde in 1990, see .

Enjoyed the video. Thanks for posting.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

The 1952 storm was unbel. At 7:30 AM, I was on my way to school in Rogersville It was raining cat and dogs. The rain changed to snow just about 8AM. By noon the was almost a foot of snow on the ground. Snow flakes were as large as silver dollars and the snow was so heavy one could not see the other side of z two-lane road. That night, there was 24 inches on the ground..we had a detached garage and when the snow started melting during the sunny days, huge icicles 2 feet wide and 8 inches were formed from the eave of the garage to the ground.
During the mid-late 50s, we had a large snow almost every year. The 58 snow was very cold and icy. The streets in Knoxville had several inches of ice and snow and traffic was almost impossible. I remember three or four of us would help push ambulances up the steer to the hospital. In many ways, I miss those snowy Winters. They were a lot of for us kids.

Yep, according to this webpage, Knoxville's annual record for snowfall is 56.7" for the winter of 1959-60. See Knoxville Climate Page.

Incidentally, have you ever experienced thundersnow? I have twice, once in the "1993 Storm of the Century," which happened a few days before St. Patrick's Day and officially dumped 15 inches of snow on Knoxville and 56 inches on Mt. LeConte. 30 Years Later: Remembering the Blizzard of '93. Since moving out here to Montana, we had a brief bout of thunder snow as we left the Wind River Range in Wyoming.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Enjoyed the video. Thanks for posting.

Von Reeves' long touchdown pass was the prettiest and most perfect option pass I have ever seen.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Hubert Simpson rushed for 117 yards and scored four touchdowns as he led Tennessee to a 40‐18 upset of Notre Dame.

Thanks for reminding me about that one. For highlights, see . And for that unforgettable, come-from-behind victory at Notre Dame in 1991, see .

 

[Volosaurus rex]

My father was stationed with USAF and dependents in Torrejon AFB Spain in the late 1960s. When we returned to the states, the first UT game I remember watching was the 1971 Penn State and Tennessee games where Bobby Majors rocked! The biggest games I have attended were the Sugar Bowl defeat of Miami and Testeverde (sp?) in New Orleans and..... beating Bama at UT after 11 years 1982 and sitting behind Bear Bryant to watch that game. I was a student at the time and remember the goal posts headed out of the stadium and somebody cutting them up in the student dorms. Now....National Champion Baseball Vols 2024...GBO VFL! Majors, Bobby « Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Bobby had a phenomenal game, returning "two kickoffs [for] 113 yards and two punts [for] eighty-two yards, including one for a touchdown. Jackie Walker also had a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown and Conrad Graham scored on a 76-yard fumble return. See .

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Yep, according to this webpage, Knoxville's annual record for snowfall is 56.7" for the winter of 1959-60. See Knoxville Climate Page.

Incidentally, have you ever experienced thundersnow? I have twice, once in the "1993 Storm of the Century," which happened a few days before St. Patrick's Day and officially dumped 15 inches of snow on Knoxville and 56 inches on Mt. LeConte. 30 Years Later: Remembering the Blizzard of '93. Since moving out here to Montana, we had a brief bout of thunder snow as we left the Wind River Range in Wyoming.

Yes, but it is uncommon.

 

[Tnwoodsman]

Some I remember.
I listened to the 1956 Tn-Ga Tech game on the radio. Both were highly ranked, and Tn won 6-0.
I was there for the 1958 game when we lost to Chattanooga 14-7.
I watched the 1958? game against Auburn. If I remember correctly, we did not get a single first down. 1958 was a very bad year.

 

[Savannahbayvol]

Some I remember.
I listened to the 1956 Tn-Ga Tech game on the radio. Both were highly ranked, and Tn won 6-0.
I was there for the 1958 game when we lost to Chattanooga 14-7.
I watched the 1958? game against Auburn. If I remember correctly, we did not get a single first down. 1958 was a very bad year.

Yet hard to believe they beat Bear in his first year at Alabama and John Vaught at Ole Miss.

 

[ArdentVol]

Bobby had a phenomenal game, returning "two kickoffs [for] 113 yards and two punts [for] eighty-two yards, including one for a touchdown. Jackie Walker also had a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown and Conrad Graham scored on a 76-yard fumble return. See .

Dont forget\

 

[ArdentVol]

For highlights of our 1959 victory over then-undefeated and defending national champion LSU, see .

the Dyer-gram of that game

Bill Dyer drew Knoxville for 40 years

There was a time in Knoxville when Bill Dyer cartoons were everywhere. From shortly after starting at the Knoxville News-Sentinel in 1935 until his death in 1976, Dyer was drawing just about every aspect of life in the area.

archive.knoxnews.com

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Many will regard it as heresy, but Mooney actually was a more polished announcer than John Ward. On the other hand, John had such a gift for painting a colorful, verbal picture of action on the field. Today's broadcasters, who did not cut their proverbial eyeteeth in radio broadcasting, simply can't replicate that oratorical talent.

I listened to almost every Tennessee game Mooney called. I was young, but never impressed with him as our announcer. Often he failed to identify the accurate distance of each play. My father would draw his own “Bill Dyer” Dyer Gram and often had to erase previous plays to correct Mooneys inaccurate calls. He seldom had that problem with Nelson or Ward.