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Tennessee vs The Maxims vs Alabama - 1982
a/n: This is the first in a series of looks back at great Vol games from the last 50 years or so. I aim to get them done around the middle of the month.
DATE: 16 October 1982
PLACE: Neyland Stadium
ATTENDANCE: 95,342
FINAL SCORE: UT 35 ALABAMA 28
Battered Vol Syndrome is very real. We Vol faithful have been battered and disappointed so many times over the last 15 seasons that is very difficult to have a positive outlook.
How bad have things gotten, you ask?
Consider this: HeadVol Bill Battle was relieved of command after the 1976 season amidst a cloud of criticism and recrimination. It was so bad that some anonymous person sent a moving van to Coach Battle's HOUSE after a disappointing loss,
Over his seven years at the helm Coach Battle compiled a record of 59–22–2, that is a .723 win percentage. He never had a losing season. For the sake of comparison, his 59 victories outnumber those amassed over eight seasons by Butch Jones, Jeremy Pruitt AND Josh Heupel (to date) COMBINED.
Battle never returned to coaching. Not to worry, though, instead he founded the Collegiate Licensing Company, signed up every college program that sold merchandise and reaped $millions. From 1983 on, every time a Vol fan bought something with the UT logo or colors that bore the license tag or label, Battle got paid. He later said getting fired by UT was the best thing that ever happened to him. He also served as AD at Alabama from 2013 to 2017.
Be that as it may, in 1977, Johnny came marching home. Your Humble Scribe was in Stokely Athletics Center for the Kentucky game that night when John Majors was introduced as the Vols' new head coach. To this day that remains the loudest venue I've ever been exposed to and that includes rock concerts, tornadoes, the '98 Florida win, and Army live-fire exercises.
After his first five seasons, the bloom had somewhat come off the rose. One literally didn't know which team was going to show up. On some Saturdays, the Vols looked like they could whip the Steelers, the next game it seemed they had all just met for the first time in the tunnel. In 1979, CharterVol was editorial cartoonist for the Daily Beacon and drew a cartoon of a terrified Vol fan on a roller coaster with a grimacing Coach Majors. The caption: “Helluva ride, John! Can we get off now?”
He spoke for many of us.
Legendary Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and his Alabama Crimson Tide became Majors' White Whale. No matter what the Vols did, they just couldn't beat Bama. By 1982, the streak stood at 11 straight losses. But, then, nobody else did much better. Over those same 11 seasons, the Tide lost only FOUR conference games.
On the third Saturday that October, the Vols' record was 2-2-1 with losses to Duke and Auburn, wins against Iowa State and Washington State and a tie with LSU in Baton Rouge. Alabama came to Neyland Stadium sporting a 5-0 record, a #2 national ranking and were two-touchdown favorites. Just the Saturday before, the Tide demolished the eventual National Champion Penn State Nittany Lions 41-21. Nobody gave the Vols much of a chance.
In his somewhat prematurely titled memoirs, You Can Go Home Again, Coach Majors wrote, “winners are used to winning and losers to losing and… there always will be that little seed of uncertainty running around somewhere in the back of our mind.”
It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Knoxville. Our Beloved Vols took the field in all-orange. Alabama was in all white. The Vols went Old School and none of the jerseys had names on them.
That “little seed of uncertainty” was planted in the back of the Tide's collective mind when, on the first play from scrimmage, Mike “Stop;” Cofer swiped the ball away from Alabama quarterback Walter Lewis and Mike Casteel fell on it at the Tide 11. The offense stalled but then Fuad Reveiz nailed the first of his four field goals and UT led 3-0.
Alabama was up at halftime 21-13. The Vols stormed out in the 3rd period scoring 14 unanswered points on a pair of touchdown passes by Alan Cockrell and led 27-21 going into the final canto. Tennessee added a touchdown in the 4 th quarter on a dandy run by Chuck Coleman, who ended the day with 139 yards. A 2-point conversion put the Vols up 35-21. Alabama promptly drove down the field to score on a run by Linnie Patrick pulling to within 7 points at 35-28. The Vol offense stalled and a shanked punt by the normally reliable Jimmy Colquitt set up the Tide with excellent field position with less than two minutes in the game. Alabama made its way toward the end zone. With 17 ticks left, Bill Bates and Lee Jenkins combined to tip a Lewis pass up in the air whence linebacker Mike Terry came down with it. To paraphrase John Ward from a game sixteen years later, pandemonium … reigned.
Placed in honored glory on the wall in CharterVol's den is a piece of the goal post from that day,
*******
Historians, as a breed, are much given to lists. Ergo, I am eschewing the usual recounting of an historical vignette to offer my Top Ten book list for military history. Call this the apocryphal “if stranded on a desert island” list.
Before someone starts oinking, I will stipulate that several of these are multi-volume sets. Deal with it.
And so, in no particular order …
SunTzu, The Art of War
Zen and the art of strategy. I try to read this little book at least once each year. I always learn something new. I have at least four different translations. A absolute must for success in war, business, politics or any other pursuit. Repeat: AN ABSOLUTE MUST.
David G. Chandler, The Campaigns of Napoleon
Should you develop an interest in ol’ Boney this is the only book you’ll really need. After my original copy burned in ‘81, I spent the next 10 or so years trying to replace it. I finally found a copy for $65.00 and considered it a bargain - it’s that good.
Bruce Catton, Mr. Lincoln’s Army; The Glory Road; and A Stillness at Appomattox (AKA: The Army of the Potomac Trilogy)
Catton was the Dean of Civil War historians for years and this trilogy on the Union Army of the Potomac shows why. A number of my history profs at UT took shots at him I think for three reasons: 1) he was an excellent historian, 2) an excellent writer and 3) he made a lot of money doing it.
Charles B. MacDonald, Company Commander
Charlie “Mac” MacDonald was the dean of American WWII historians for years. He led an infantry company during the Battle of the Bulge and wrote this memoir, one of the best ever.
P. R. Reid, Escape From Colditz
(If stranded on that desert island with only one book, this would be it!)
The Germans had wonderful idea: take prisoners who had attempted more than one escape and put them in an old castle in the middle of Germany.
RADM Eugene Fluckey, Thunder Below!
Gene Fluckey commanded the submarine USS Barb against Japan. He was repeatedly commended for aggressive actions to the extent that given a choice between a return visit by Fluckey and the Barb or Godzilla the Japanese would say “Bring on the Lizard!”
Elton E. Mackin. Suddenly We Didn’t Want to Die
Another Marine reporting, Sir. He served his time in Hell. If you read no other book on WWI, read this one.
Joe Galloway and MG Harold Moore, We Were Soldiers Once and Young
Hal Moore commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry (Airmobile) during the 1965 battle for the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam. This was the first major battle between the US Army and the NVA (North Vietnamese Army). The descriptions are so vivid you’ll find yourself sweating and checking for VC snipers in your back yard. The book on Vietnam combat. A must read.
James D. Hornfischer, Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
On October 25, 1944 three American destroyers and one destroyer-escort screening a small task force of escort carriers charged into the teeth of a Japanese force mustering FOUR battleships, SEVEN cruisers and 12-13 destroyers. The Japanese were so non-plussed by the audacity of this attack that and attendant air attacks from the escort carriers that they withdrew.
And, of course …
Shelby Foote, The Civil War: A Narrative (Three volumes)
From the Prologue featuring Jefferson Davis rising in the Well of the Senate to take his leave as Mississippi left the Union to his final summation: “So there,” this a masterclass on writing. This is history as it should be written. I often will grab a volume and, with eyes closed, open it and point to a paragraph, read it and marvel at its perfection and at the talent of the man.
Bonus!!!! (Shameless self-promotion alert!!!)
Pat Gang, It Was A Two Egg Mission
The true story of Knoxvillian Bill Foley and the men of the B-17 “Lucky Lady” which went down on a mission to Bordeaux, France, on 5 January 1944. Foley and four of the other crewmen escaped to neutral Spain after many close calls and adventures.
********
So, how did the Vols do against The Maxims?
1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
Alabama allowed Tennessee to get their heads in the game early on. Worse, they never managed to put the Vols away despite dominating the game statistically. Four Tide turnovers and 60 yards in penalties did the rest.
2. Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way … SCORE!
Indeed. Three of Tennessee's scores came off Alabama miscues.
3. If at first the game – or the breaks – go against you, don't let up … PUT ON MORE STEAM!
Tennessee had plenty of opportunities to pack it in but always managed to come back from whatever Alabama threw at them. Tennessee fans could be forgiven for drawing parallels to the movie “Rocky III” which premiered that year. As it was in the film's finale, after taking haymakers from the Tide, the Vols would pick themselves up and taunt, “Ain't so bad!”
4. Protect our kickers, our quarterback, our lead and our ballgame.
John Majors was recruited by The Gen'rul and the Maxims were engraved in his soul.
5. Ball! Oskie! Cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle … THIS IS THE WINNING EDGE.
From the opening fumble recovery to Mike Terry's interception in the end zone, the Vols kept this Maxim in the forefront of their minds.
6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.
Fuad Reviez kicked four field goals. They were, in the end, the difference in the game.
7. Carry the fight to Alabama and keep it there for sixty minutes,
It was a war from beginning to end and that made the triumph that much sweeter.
Coach Majors' players carried him across the field to meet with Bear Bryant after the game.
Tennessee ended the season with a lackluster 6-5-1 record capped by a 28-22 loss to Iowa in the Peach Bowl.
However!
This victory gave succeeding Vol teams increasing confidence leading to the 1985 SEC Championship year capped by that magic night in the Sugar Bowl.
This game meant even more to your Scribe as I was working at a Knoxville apartment complex where a number of players from this 1982 team lived. I still recall Bill Bates looking me up to say goodbye as he was leaving for Dallas having signed a free-agent contract with the Cowboys. I recall thinking, “Meh. He'll be back.” In 1984, Bill Bates was named to the NFL All-Pro team. He retired from the 'Pokes after a 15-year career with three Super Bowl Rings. Shows what I know.
Among the many Vol legends on that field, two merit particular mention. Tennessee had a stalwart defense. Anchoring the defensive line were the defensive ends. First, there was #93, Mike “Stop” Cofer who went on to play ten years with the Lions. Big Mike was honored as a Vol “Legend of the Game” in 2013.
As was stated when I first posted this video, if Reba Cofer's sentiment at the end doesn't just rip out your heart and stomp that sucker flat, turn in your Vol Card.
The other defensive end was #92, a young man named Reginald White. You will find a bronze bust of Reggie in Canton, Ohio.
Both Reggie and Big Mike have passed from our sight, but, to those of us privileged to have seen them play, they are still there every time the Vols race onto Shields-Watkins Field. As John Ward put it, they belong to the ages.
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