5 Things I Love About Being A Tennessee Vols Fan

Share This Post

The 2017 Tennessee Football season begins shortly. Kick off is Sept. 4th against Georgia Tech at 7PM in the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s been a while since we’ve seen some orange and white on the football field, so here is a reminder of some of the things we love about being Vols fans.

1) History and Traditions

The Vols’ first season was in 1891. That was only 26 years after the end of the Civil War. The Vols have six national titles, are 10th in all time win-loss record, and are one of two programs to never lose more than seven games in a season (Ohio state is the other). No other college football program has traditions like Tennessee, either. We have the Vol Navy, checkerboard end zones, and the Vol Walk. We have the greatest band in all of football, The Pride of The Southland Band, which forms a beautiful power T before every game. The more recent tradition of checkerboarding the stands once a year has been a brilliant move. We also can’t forget that Rocky Top is the greatest college football fight song of all time. Tennessee’s traditions are simply the greatest in all of football and no one comes close.

2) Neyland Stadium

Neyland Stadium is the 5th largest stadium in the country. Tennessee has won a record 464 games in their current home stadium, more than any other team in college football. Let’s also not forget that Neyland Stadium is one of the few places in the country that still has classic urinal troughs. Sure, it needs some updating, but it’s one of the most intimidating stadiums in football. The screams of the fans can cause you temporary brain damage, and we have one of the best home field advantages in football. Nothing like being there on a Saturday with 102,455 of your best friends while you all sing Rocky Top.

3) Smokey

This is probably one that most Vols fans wouldn’t pick, but I love our adorable mascot. Mascots are really repetitive in college football. Tennessee went outside the box and picked a bad ass Bluetick Coonhound for our mascot in 1953. What’s not to love about Bluetick Hounds? They have the best howl out of all the dog breeds, they don’t look like they got their face smashed in with a shovel, and they can smell cold trails and hunt you down. Not to mention Coonhounds are actually native to Tennessee. Smokey is easily the most unique and best mascot in all of college football.

4) Orange and White (and Grey?)

There is no mistaking the Tennessee orange and white. It’s bright, it’s in your face, and you cannot miss it, even if you’re blind. It has changed shades throughout the years, but I think our current shade of orange is by far the best. Home Depot even offers a UT Orange paint. I don’t think any other team can claim that Home Depot has their school’s colors in paint. We have kept our uniforms mostly traditional throughout the years with the exception of the checkerboard accents and of course the Smokey Grey uniforms. The Smokey Grey isn’t as extreme as Oregon’s uniforms, but it’s the best alternate in college football. There’s just something about that Orange, White and sometimes Grey that gets me pumped up on Saturdays.

5) Knoxville, TN

Full disclosure, I’m not from Knoxville. I’m from Nashville, and heck I didn’t even attend the University of Tennessee. I attended a much smaller school that isn’t even in the FBS. The reason I’m a UT fan is because my dad was UT fan, his dad was, and even my great-grandfather was a UT fan. It’s a family tradition, just like alcoholism, cancer, or heart-disease.

Knoxville is a great town, and it has a lot of history to it. I love going there, even if it isn’t for a football game. It was the original capitol of Tennessee, it is home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Oak Ridge National Laboratory is just outside of Knoxville. I love downtown Knoxville, it’s clean, easy to navigate, and the panhandlers aren’t seen that often. Did I mention that former WWE wrestler Kane is running for mayor of Knoxville. What could make your town more badass than having the Undertaker’s brother as your mayor?

Smokey covers the Tennessee Volunteers for the SoBros Network. He loves a good backpacking trip, but hates taking a shit in the woods. Follow on Twitter: @SoBroSmokey

Shop our store on Redbubble. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get updates and learn from the best

More To Explore