http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/columnists/tom-mattingly/?partner=RSSgovolsxtra.com Stories: Tom Mattinglyen-uscolumnists/tom-mattinglyhttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/mar/20/mattingly-nothing-got-past-byrds-coverage/?partner=RSSBen Byrd, right rear, in the Knoxville Journal sports department with Haywood Harris, from left, Russ Bebb and Raymond Edmunds. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:51:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-207683-733851columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Nothing got past Byrd's coverage govolsxtra.commattingly-nothing-got-past-byrds-coverageurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-207683-733851Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/mar/13/uts-sense-of-direction-is-open-to-debate/?partner=RSSWith spring football practice starting this week, the subject for today's history lesson is the importance of direction in sports, i.e., who's going which way on the field. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:27:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-206368-733844columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: UT's sense of direction is open to debate govolsxtra.comuts-sense-of-direction-is-open-to-debateurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-206368-733844Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/mar/06/mears-legacy-at-ut-will-never-die/?partner=RSSWhat March 6, 1967, gave to the Tennessee basketball program, March 6, 1978, took away. Both days belong to Ray Mears. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:55:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-205147-733837columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Mears' legacy at UT will never die govolsxtra.commears-legacy-at-ut-will-never-dieurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-205147-733837Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/feb/27/a-master-at-telling-uts-story/?partner=RSSThere's nothing better than reading a well-told story, particularly about sports. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:11:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-203922-733830columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Harris is a master at telling UT's story govolsxtra.coma-master-at-telling-uts-storyurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-203922-733830Change733830Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/feb/20/scary-injury-moments-part-of-ut-game/?partner=RSSThere are times the realities of life intrude on sports to the extent that the cheering stops, and fans become concerned about the welfare of the participants, especially when a player goes down and doesn't immediately get up. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:40:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-202719-733823columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Scary injury moments part of UT game govolsxtra.comscary-injury-moments-part-of-ut-gameurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-202719-733823Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/feb/13/instant-classic-uts-75-win-over-kentucky/?partner=RSSThere was a time in college basketball that even the biggest games were not on television. That stands in stark contrast to today when nearly every game is on somebody's network, oftentimes at all hours of the day or night. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:41:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-201511-733816columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Instant classic: UT's '75 win over Kentucky govolsxtra.cominstant-classic-uts-75-win-over-kentuckyurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-201511-733816Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/feb/06/vols-king-certainly-earned-claim-to-best/?partner=RSSBernard King was definitely something special, from his first stroll on the court against Wisconsin-Milwaukee in December 1974 to the time the music stopped in Baton Rouge in the first round of the 1977 NCAA tournament, an overtime loss against Syracuse. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:33:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-200269-733809columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: King certainly earned claim to best in SEC govolsxtra.comvols-king-certainly-earned-claim-to-besturn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-200269-733809Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/jan/30/uts-signing-day-has-history-all-its-own/?partner=RSSThere has always been something special about "National Signing Day," with the 2010 version coming up Wednesday. Visions of SEC and national championships are front and center in the hearts and minds of fans across the southland. Everybody's mind seems to be on football right in the middle of hoops season. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:12:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-199022-733802columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: UT's signing day has history all its own govolsxtra.comuts-signing-day-has-history-all-its-ownurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-199022-733802Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/jan/25/post-game-scenes-memorable-at-thompson-boling/?partner=RSSIn the vernacular of sport, there's something special about the locker room. It's part of the mythology of the games. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:30:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-197778-733797columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Post-game scenes memorable at Thompson-Boling govolsxtra.compost-game-scenes-memorable-at-thompson-bolingurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-197778-733797Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/jan/16/dooley-brings-southern-comfort-to-jilted-ut-fans/?partner=RSSThere is no doubt future University of Tennessee historians will include Jan. 12, 2010, as a momentous day in Vol football history. There have been very few days this significant. Everything happened so quickly, so "out of the box," as coaching changes go. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:38:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-196588-733788columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Dooley brings southern comfort to jilted UT fans govolsxtra.comdooley-brings-southern-comfort-to-jilted-ut-fansurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-196588-733788Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/jan/09/shuler-made-it-in-washington-on-second-try/?partner=RSSIn the context of Tennessee football history, consider the impact of Jan. 9, 1994, when Vol quarterback Heath Shuler held a media conference. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:50:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-195266-733781columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Shuler made it in Washington on second try govolsxtra.comshuler-made-it-in-washington-on-second-tryurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-195266-733781Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/jan/03/vol-historian-perspectives-past-24-hours/?partner=RSSInteresting article by Mike Griffith about Jonathan Crompton, whose fortunes under center for the Vols this season had a Lazarus-like revival, going from being perpetually vilified in 2008 through the early part of 2009 to near cult hero status from the Georgia game on. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 03 Jan 2010 14:32:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-194130-733775columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKNOXVILLEThe Vol Historian: Perspectives on the past 24 hoursgovolsxtra.comvol-historian-perspectives-past-24-hoursurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-194130-733775Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/dec/26/real-ut-fans-dont-let-distance-get-them-down/?partner=RSSIt's amazing how this loyalty manifests itself, occasionally from unexpected places. Back in the 1990s, there was a young man named Mark Ostermeyer from Akron, Iowa, a small town located on the Iowa-Nebraska border. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:40:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-192926-733767columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Real UT fans don't let distance get them down govolsxtra.comreal-ut-fans-dont-let-distance-get-them-downurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-192926-733767Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/dec/19/widby-stood-alone-as-man-for-all-seasons/?partner=RSSGive former Vol Ron Widby style points for versatility. The young man from Knoxville's Fulton High School could kick the football with authority and knock home a jumper from the wing with equal dexterity. He wasn't bad at golf or baseball, either. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:11:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-191797-733760columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Widby stood alone as man for all seasons govolsxtra.comwidby-stood-alone-as-man-for-all-seasonsurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-191797-733760Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/dec/12/late-1950s-early-60s-no-bowl-of-fun-for-vols/?partner=RSSFrom 1958 through 1964, there were no bowl games for Tennessee. Not a one. That's what follows records of 4-6, 5-4-1, 6-2-2, 6-4, 4-6, 5-5, and 4-5-1. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:34:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-190475-733753columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Late 1950s, early '60s no bowl of fun for Vols govolsxtra.comlate-1950s-early-60s-no-bowl-of-fun-for-volsurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-190475-733753Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/dec/05/nelson-never-lost-recollection-of-dec-7/?partner=RSSThere is a distinct tendency for Americans to remember with near-mathematical precision where they were when major world events took place. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:52:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-189096-733746columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Lindsey Nelson never lost recollection of Dec. 7 govolsxtra.comnelson-never-lost-recollection-of-dec-7urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-189096-733746Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/nov/28/tongue-tied-about-ut-vandy-in-1974/?partner=RSSThe experts say tie games are not memorable, to the point the powers-that-be at the NCAA abolished the tie as a legitimate ending to a game 13 years ago. Now the collegians play overtime, the game awarded to the last man standing. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:05:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-187891-733739columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Tongue tied about UT-Vandy in 1974 govolsxtra.comtongue-tied-about-ut-vandy-in-1974urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-187891-733739Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/nov/21/catching-up-with-record-breaker-mills/?partner=RSSJohnny Mills set the single-game receiving record with 225 yards against Kentucky in 1967 . tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:57:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-186690-733732columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Catching up with record-breaker Mills govolsxtra.comcatching-up-with-record-breaker-millsurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-186690-733732Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/nov/14/vols-learned-to-live-on-the-edge-in-1987/?partner=RSSTennessee quarterback Jeff Francis tosses a pass to fullback William Howard against Mississippi State in 1987, a 38-10 Vols' win in Starkville. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:42:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-185266-733725columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Vols learned to live on the edge in 1987 govolsxtra.comvols-learned-to-live-on-the-edge-in-1987urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-185266-733725Change0Usablehttp://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2009/nov/08/turnaround-of-1967-a-cause-to-celebrate/?partner=RSSWhen Tennessee defeated Florida 34-32 on Dec. 1, 2001, in Gainesville, there was a tumultuous celebration, albeit hastily arranged, at Tom Black Track just after the team charter touched down at McGhee-Tyson Airport. tjmshm@comcast.net (Tom Mattingly)Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-183968-733719columnists/tom-mattinglyTom MattinglyKnoxville, TNMattingly: Turnaround of 1967 a cause to celebrate govolsxtra.comturnaround-of-1967-a-cause-to-celebrateurn:publicid:www.govolsxtra.com:news-Story-183968-733719Change733719Usable