Posted by ggriggs939 on July 19, 2008 at 10:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Who hit Esiaison and put him out of the game?
Whoever it was stood Boomer on his head and he didn't return to play.
I think the reason that Battle was fired is because he ran out of Dickey's players, and like Wyatt, couldn't recruit adequate replacements.

Posted by tngeoff on July 19, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Man. I forgot about Battle's Dad. That was terrible. Tommy West sells himself short. He had some GREAT plays against Randy White...the dirtiest player to ever play college football. That was a great game though. Great win. Tommy has done a great job coaching too. In my heart I have always hoped he'd "come home" to coach. He is a winner in every way! Tommy is a great guy also. Best of luck to him now and forever.

Posted by tngeoff on July 19, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

About Battle? If you don't understand that he got a PhD from screw U...you're dreaming. He was a great guy and a great coach. He had some down games...so did everybody who ever coached. Including our current coach.

"Two seasons later, Battle was fired, despite a 59-22-2 record. He remains the only coach in Tennessee history to coach at least seven seasons and never have a losing or .500 season."

"I'm still not real pleased about the way Tennessee fired Coach Battle; that sticks with you," West said. "They fired him because he couldn't beat Bear Bryant and Alabama, but if you look back, nobody was beating Alabama."

I guess some know more than Tommy West and plenty of others though. The real key? He didn't have the big money guys defending everything he said and did...like the diaper changers of today.

Posted by tngeoff on July 19, 2008 at 11:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The Big Money Athletic Supporters Dream

The Athletic Supporter dreams of the most beautiful scent in the world.

The Athletic Supporter knows it captivates the eye of the beholder with its elegantly formed shapes that appear as sensuous feminine lips, mesmerizing the admirer and beckoning him to come closer.

As this desire floods the observers very essence with deep passion, he is drawn into the intoxicatingly beautiful scent which then begins to excite the nostrils as it slowly makes its way to the brain.

As this hypnotic potion softly envelops the beholder, it sets off a virtual orgasm of sensory ecstasy.

As they contemplate the passion of their dreams and what it would be like if it were to become human...right here...right now, they can only think of one person for which the Athletic Supporter dream could even begin to be measured by and that is their wonderful, magnificent head football coach!

Posted by Hose68 on July 19, 2008 at 11:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Boomer played in the early 80's. UT faced him in the Tangerine/Citrus Bowl, not the Liberty Bowl.

Posted by hfbuckles on July 19, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This story brings many memories. I was in the stands that very cold night in Memphis. Everyone was talking about Randy White. After the game we all knew he was going to be one of the greats. The trip to Jacksonville for the 1973 Gator Bowl was an experience. We were in the early stages of the oil crisis, so my fellow travelers loaded five containers of gas in the trunk just to make sure we didn't get stuck on the road without fuel. As for the 1972 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, my father and I flew from Knoxvelle for the game in Houston. It was my first flight. Unfortunately, my father suffered a heart attack during the second quarter and died a few hours later in Houston. His last words to me : "Who won?" He died a happy man.

Posted by pop2vols on July 19, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Bill Battle was a good coach and a good person. it was sad about his dad. he had a good record at tn. he had a good team his last year but they were under so much pressure to win and the coaches were under so much pressure that they could not pull it out. i think he would have done well at tn. if he could have stayed.

Posted by ncvol17 on July 19, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Gosh, I was at that cold, cold, game. Randy White complained about the officiating and getting cheated after their loss. Never liked him nor his Cowboys afterwards.

No wonder AARP keeps calling me, that was a long time ago.

No tears for Battle, he made himself a multi millionaire many times over after he left coaching.

Posted by stlvol on July 19, 2008 at 12:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nafsloth: Holloway didn't have any receivers? Do the names Larry Seivers (who caught the game winner in the '74 Liberty Bowl from Randy Wallace) or Stanley Morgan ring a bell with you? You're an idiot.

Posted by pjhaddix on July 19, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I could never forget that frigidly cold game either. It was my freshman year, and my first bowl game trip with the band. We had a set time to practice on the field that morning, and the people before us (I'm picturing floats or something) were taking way too long, so we were just standing there freezing. (Those wool uniforms were blazing hot in the fall, but they weren't much help then.) Dr. Julian yelled at the people rather irrately (as he was good at doing) to get off the field so his band could get on. (Go Doc!) I, also, remember the condensation turning into icicles coming out of the end of my piccolo. Yep, not a typical Tennessee game weather-wise. Fun to win though.

Thanks for sharing hfbuckles. pj

Posted by BigOrangeVol on July 19, 2008 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nagslob-

“Real” Vol fans, The Artful Dodger, Emmon Love, Stanley Morgan, Larry Seivers, Haskel Stanback, Eddie Brown, Paul Careathers, Tommy West, Ricky Townsend, Andy Spiva, Neil Clabo, Conrad Graham, Jamie Rotella, Mickey Marvin, Bill Emendorfer, Tim Townes, Bill Rudder, John Wagster, David Allen, Charlie Anderson, David Campbell, Chip Howard, Nick Carmichael, Carl Johnson, Steve Chancey, Greg Jones, Kevin Davis, Dale Fair, Sonny Leach, Tim Fitchpatrick, Paul Johnson, Phillip Fulmer, Joe Gallagher, Ronnie Wheeler, Mike Gayles, Sammy Hair, Art Reynolds, Ricky Heath, Danny Jeffries, Ken Lambert, John Yarbrough, Jimmy Young, Hank Walter, Steve Poole, Ernie Ward, Mike Mauck, Brent Watson, Ronnie McCartney, Jim Watts, Jon Murdic, Eddie Wilson, Mike Overton, Carl Witherspoon, Larry Satterfield, Terry Moore, David Shaffer, Robert Pulliam, Claud Simonton, David Page and Mike Mohrman all called to say that you truly are an idiot.

Posted by TurboFan on July 19, 2008 at 2:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Larry Seivers couldn't run a 4.5 40, therefore, a "WJ", according to Naf. Never mind that he had great hands and leaping ability to save errant Holloway throws from being picks.

Battle was somewhat a victim of timing. If Majors' Pitt team had won the NC a year later, or not at all, Battle might have another chance. But, likely, it was inevitable.

Posted by TommyJack on July 19, 2008 at 3:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

pjhaddix 2:03: A cold piccolo has been the bane of many a man.

Posted by BAMABLOWS on July 19, 2008 at 3:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

tngeoff lol your a retard , funny but retarded

Posted by stroker on July 19, 2008 at 3:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Bill Battle is a great guy but his record speaks volumnes about his head coaching ability

1970 Bill Battle 11- 1 Sugar (W) Air Force, 34-13
1971 Bill Battle 10- 2 Liberty (W) Arkansas, 14-13
1972 Bill Battle 10- 2 BlueBonnet (W) L-S-U, 24-17
1973 Bill Battle 8- 4 Gator (L) Texas Tech, 28-19
1974 Bill Battle 7-3-2 Liberty (W) Maryland, 7-3
1975 Bill Battle 7- 5
1976 Bill Battle 6- 5

Posted by BigOrangeVol on July 19, 2008 at 3:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The rest were actually good players? You just posted that...

"TRUTH of the game is that Condredge was a one man team ! If he would have had a decent corps of receivers he would have won the Heisman ! Condredge was always playing against 11 players , ALONE !"

So which is it, good players or one-man team? Decent corps of receivers or not?

Seivers file:
All-America - 1975, 1976
All-SEC - 1975, 1976
SEC Athlete of the Year – 1977
Captain of the ’76 team
He and West both had over 100 yards against UCLA in ‘75
11 reception against Clemson in ‘76
51 reception season in ’76 (Top 15 all-time for UT)
Top 10 in season receiving yards for UT
More receptions and total yards than Carl Pickens, Rooster Hancock, Jeremaine Copeland, Alvin Harper, Donte Stallworth, and Richmond Flowers.
First Vol to have over 725 receiving yards in a season
Since 1954 only Stanley Morgan (23.2) has had a higher ypc; Seivers (20.5)
One of only 15 TWO time All-Americans that have played for UT in our history.

‘slob once again your “wasted jersey” opinion is worthless, unfounded and just plain ignorant. Did Priest and Seivers shove your head in a toilet at some point for acting like an idiot? What is the personal axe that you have to grind with them?

Posted by oasis3 on July 19, 2008 at 4:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

tngeoff- I don't know what world you were living in during the Bill Battle tenure. Battle was a great guy but his record got worse every year and so did his teams. Pointing out his overall record is absurd. He took over a program at the top of the SEC and led it to the bottom. He was retained 2 years too long and most people around during that time knew it. Had he been let go at the end of 1974, the UT football program would not have taken so long to recover. He still had a lot of talent his last 2 years, but by the time he was fired the well was dry. Not one time did have a better team than the year before.

Posted by kbart4033 on July 19, 2008 at 4:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Tommy West and Bill Battle are 2 of my all-time
favorites. West was a tough kid who would fight you all night long. I believe he has cleaned up a
UMemphis program, and I hope he can win enough
to have a long and prosperous career. My memories
of Battle started when he was an assistant and
would stop by on Friday at my youth league football
practices (we were the Flatrock Vols!) and roll up
his pants legs, turn his UT hat around backwards
and get out on field and offer tips to our special teams. He had a great time, and he certainly provided great memories for our kids!
Had he been able to pick his own staff--instead
of inheriting the one he got, I believe he
would have had a tremendous run at UT. How ironic
that this classy guy could now buy and sell
the not-so-classy boosters who ran him off!

Posted by jawbreaker on July 19, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Two things: (1)froze my rear-end off at this game; and (2), Battle should have punted against Georgia on 4th down.

Posted by tngeoff on July 19, 2008 at 5:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

bluetick0710.

Thank you.

Posted by tngeoff on July 19, 2008 at 5:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

kbart4033.

Amen to that! I think some forget the incredible b-s Bill put up with his last few years. The moving van didn't come the last year and when it did he was doing fine...especially by the most recent standards established by Hamilton. I'd love to see anybody be successful in that hostile environment. But he was and is CLASS all the way!

Posted by bobbarbilly on July 19, 2008 at 6:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Larry Seivers was a lot like Howard Twilly of Tulsa and the Miami Dolphins.
Coach Battle probably was a great guy. Maybe too great to be a head coach but he inherited a loaded team from Coach Dickey and all he had to do was pull the trigger. As Dickey's players graduated, so did the Vols won/loss record.

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 19, 2008 at 8:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nafslov - You can't name one Vol WR who had better hands than Larry Seivers. I know. I'm old and seen em all.

I'm now convinced that you are either a racist or just stirring up crap for fun.

Posted by 55Vol on July 19, 2008 at 9:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nafslov..you are a tick turd

Posted by bobbarbilly on July 19, 2008 at 9:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nafslov, you are noticably absent tonight by the lack of discouraging words on the page. It is a full moon so I guess you must be out howling with the rest of the mutts.

Posted by jcvet on July 19, 2008 at 10:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

ggriggs939, How old are you? Esiason played against TN in the early 80's when he was put out in the Peach bowl.

Posted by budrhon on July 19, 2008 at 10:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Watching the Bill Battle show when I was kid was what made me UT fan,along with watching Condredge Holloway. As for West his job in Memphis is about as good of a job as anyone can do. UM is just never been a traditional powerhouse in football. Difficult to recruit when you have all of the SEC schools around.

Posted by TurboFan on July 19, 2008 at 11:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Naf is alright. I don't think he is a racist or a bigot in any way. I just don't think he has an appreciation for aspects of the game beyond running fast.

Posted by FWBVol on July 20, 2008 at 12:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I was a freshman at UT in the fall of 1976. I'll never forget some of the great statements Bill Battle made in his own defense...statements that Fulmer bashers and the rest of us should remember from time to time.

Battle said, "If the guy that bets $10 and loses every time Tennessee didn't make the point spread knew half as much about his business as I (Battle) know about mine, he'd be on Wall Street and not Gay Street."

And as the day he resigned, "Class is when they run you out of town to make it look like you are leading the parade."

Bill Battle was a class act as a coach, and remains a class act to this day. Tennessee did him a big favor by firing him as he made a fortune with his company that licenses college merchandise.

Posted by tngeoff on July 20, 2008 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

FWBVol.

Good post.

budrhon.

He did have a great show. I loved some of his expressions...like "He really knoocked the soup out of him!"

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 20, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

jcvet - almost correct - at least you got the time frame corrected. Boomer was knocked out in the early 80's in the Citrus Bowl. Reggie White knocked him out in the first half and then Maryland put in Frank WRicht (Sp?) and we were all saying what the hay? We couldn't believe that Maryland had TWO QB's that good. We barely won the game. Frank went on to play in the NFL. I was at the game and even talked with Reggie White's family before the game.

Posted by jcvet on July 20, 2008 at 11:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Peach, Citrus, Tangerine, Bluebonnet...what's the diff? But you are right.. Don't know why I typed in Peach. Horrible memories I guess.

Posted by richvol on July 20, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Johnny Mills had hands just as good as Seivers. Both were slow but somehow managed to get open. If either could get a single hand on the ball they caught it.

Posted by jcvet on July 20, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I was only 14 but I do remember Randy White tossing TN linemen around like used tires.

Posted by FWBVol on July 20, 2008 at 3:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Comparing Larry Seviers to Stanley Morgan is like comparing Don Sutton to Bob Gibson in baseball. In the case with Sutton and Gibson, both were Hall of Famers with different sets of tools. Sutton wasn't overpowering, but he mixed speeds and kept batters off balanced. Gibson had all kinds of stuff and was meaner than a cross eyed rattle snake. Each played within his talents and was very successful.

The passing game in the 1970s hadn't evolved into what it it has become today. Morgan might have been the best all around offensive threat UT has ever had. Remember, he not only played wide receiver, but often lined up as a running back. Stanley Steamer had unbelievable speed. If I remember correctly, Morgan won the 60-yard dash in intramural track in a time that would have won the NCAA championship that year. He was the second great sprinter, behind Richmond Flowers to play football at Tennessee.

Seivers, for all of his talent, was only about a 4.6 guy in the 40, but he was 6-foot-4 and had a beast of a vertical jump, pluse he had some of the best hands in the history of college football. The catch he made against Auburn in 75 with three or four guys around him remains one of the greatest efforts in Volunteer history.

Seivers was drafted in the fourth round (I think), but injured his shoulder and never had a real shot at doing anything in the NFL.

In college, as a wide receiver, Larry Seivers was "greater" than Stanley Morgan, but that's because of the system they were in. Morgan's NFL career speaks for itself.

I've seen most of the receivers come through Wide Receiver U and if I had to pick one guy to make the tough catch in traffic it would be Seivers. If had to take one guy to burn a defense with speed, Morgan would be on a very short list of guys I'd consider along with Gault, Hancock and Price.

Posted by TommyJack on July 20, 2008 at 4:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)

And STILL #1, nafslov.

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 20, 2008 at 5 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Unlike you nafslov, I don't pick em or not pickem because of their color. Al Wilson to this day remains my favorite Vol player but I'm a little partial to defense - linebackers & Defensive Line. I liked Reggie White and Leonard Little. I also liked Reynolds, Kiner, and Walker, Dale Jones, etc. Dale Carter was special too. There are too many to list here, but those were some of my favorites. Bobbie Majors and Larry Seviers were my favorite players on offense when I was growing up. Stanley Morgan was awesome too.

Posted by FWBVol on July 20, 2008 at 6:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nafslov equals all opinion and no substance when trying to rate various players. Several of us have given numbers to support Priest, Seivers and others, and not one of us have ditched any other Volunteer.

Seivers remains the only two-time All-America wide receiver for UT, while Morgan still holds the career record for all purpose (kick/punt return, receiving and rushing yards).

Both were great Vols and anyone who says otherwise is clueless.

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 20, 2008 at 7:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Agree FWBVol.

Posted by Colliervol on July 20, 2008 at 9:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I see Nafslov is bent on adding to his legacy of ridiculous comments and I really didn't think that was possible. (I thought he had filled the septic tank to the top and there was no more room but I guess I was wrong.) Pitiful. He has really taken busybody's place as he King of Nonsensical Posts. We haven't bestowed that honor on anybody since 2006 but I think it's time.

FWBVol, dead on.

Posted by bobbarbilly on July 20, 2008 at 9:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

General, Bobby Majors was a favorite of mine also. Something seems to have gotten lost in the last few years of coaching punt returns. In a lot of cases it now seems to be a contest to see how many seconds the return man can stay on his feet as opposed to how much yardage he can gain.
Curt Watson " The Crossville Comet was another good one.

Posted by BillVol on July 20, 2008 at 10:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

BOV, helluva post!

Posted by BigOrangeVol on July 21, 2008 at 1:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Nilo "Hands of Stone" Silvan could absolutely burn on Punt Returns but Bobby and Eddie Brown were fantastic to watch. Willie could be explosive but Terry Fair was always dependable and consistent. I'll go with Fair!

Kickoff Returns would be Dale Carter, Willie and P Squared. Bobby ran 'em one year and was a beast! Just like Nilo, Leonard Scott could be a burner but couldn't catch a cold as a WR. I always worried that Peerless and Dale were going to get hurt though. What game was it where the guy tried to break Dale's leg in the pile and he got up infuriated ready to kill? I'll go with Dale and Willie as my Dream Team KO Return guys and save Peerless as one of my wideouts.

Posted by BigOrangeVol on July 21, 2008 at 1:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BTW, forget his concentration, clutch catches and unbelievable hands...I challenge anyone to dispute that Larry was anything other than a very humble and appreciative true team player who would give credit to anyone but himself. He is a homer from Clinton and his love for the VOLS is unquestionable!

I think that he is working for a food sales company now but I could be mistaken.

I believe that his son, Charlie, is a TE or LB at Tech playing for Watson in Cookeville.

Posted by vol_1998 on July 21, 2008 at 2:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Some of you have very poor memories indeed including Ole Tommy.

Battles last 4 years at UT his teams went 28-17-2 with an SEC record of 10-13-1 as opposed to his 1st 3 of 31-5 and 12-5. A loss and tie to Vandy and a loss to Kentucky with only 2 bowl trips.

Over his last 4 years the teams got progressively worse and the coaching was marginal at best. The 77 team was weak on talent for 1st year coach Majors and would have been even weaker had Battle stayed.

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 21, 2008 at 3:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

vol_1998 - Battle lived off Dickey's great recruits and did well with them. Battle's biggest problem was that he couldn't recruit. By the time Majors took over, the program was in shambles.

Posted by General_Watermelon on July 21, 2008 at 3:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Battle always said he did not call that punter sneak on 4th and 13? on our 28 against GA in Neyland Stadium? I don't know the truth - only that it was the biggest bone-headed play in the history of UT football.

Posted by bigfan502 on July 21, 2008 at 8:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

An objective judgement on the great talent Doug Dickey brought to Tennessee just prior to suddenly leaving for Florida..We will never know, but Dickey's was in the process, I think, in making the Vols a super college football power for years to come...he had an incredible knack for luring top talent to Tennessee..this might have continued year after if Dickey had stayed..could you just imagine?

Posted by hueypilot on July 22, 2008 at 1:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Battle called the fake punt and later said it was because we couldn't stop them which was true, because the upback (Bill Rudder maybe???)), when they were lined up awaiting the snap, turned around two or three times to the punter as if to ask him "Are you kidding me?"
Randy White's performance in that game was the most dominant performance in a game by a defender I have ever seen. White chased down Stanley Morgan in that game. And later in his career, that snow game experience helped Tommy when he caught a long pass in the snow (freezing rain, what's the diff) against Vandy the following year.

Posted by volintexas on July 22, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Oasis, I am not sure what world you were living in either. Battle was 28 years old when he was named head coach, which is incredible. He was clearly viewed as one of the bright young coaches at the time (which he was). Battle also had to deal with a challenge that no other UT coach had dealt with before: integration. UT's in state recruiting base, post integration, simply is not as rich as many SEC schools, but Battle was able to steal a gem from under the nose of Bear Bryant and Shug Jordan by signing the Artful Dodger. Moreover, he was less than 20 years removed from the General's last national title, and too many people were clinging to the glory days and not dealing with the reality of integration. For those people that say that Battle wasn't a good coach and just lived off Dickey's talents, please note that Wide Receiver U officially started under Coach Battle's watch with the likes of Stanley Morgan and Larry Seivers. Recall also that the quissling traitor Doug Dickey, who abandoned us on the eve of the 69 Gator Bowl to coach for Florida, our opponent in said game, was run out of Florida for winning no Championships on his watch. The quissling Dickey was just spared the indignation of some trailer trash sending a moving van to his house.