Hoops Preview: Lady Vols at Arkansas

Hoops Preview: Lady Vols at Arkansas

Posted on February 14, 2023

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee (18-9, 10-2 SEC) will be in Fayetteville Thursday to battle with Arkansas (19-8, 6-6 SEC) at 6:02 p.m. CT (7:02 p.m. ET) at Bud Walton Arena.

This will mark the 39th meeting between these programs, with UT holding a 33-5 series advantage after sweeping a pair of games a year ago, including an 86-83 overtime triumph in Knoxville on Jan. 31, 2022.

The Lady Vols enter the contest holding down third place in the SEC standings, while the Razorbacks are tied for seventh with Georgia.

Tennessee is coming off a dominant second-half showing at home vs. Vanderbilt on Sunday, winning 86-59 on the strength of a 28-8 third-quarter explosion and 20-13 finishing frame to outscore the Commodores, 48-21, over the final 20 minutes after the teams were deadlocked at 38 at the half. UT has won two of its past three games, but it will try to snap a two-game string of close away-contest losses suffered at then No. 3/3 LSU (76-68) on Jan. 30 and at Mississippi State (91-90 in 2OT) on Feb. 6.

Arkansas has won two of its past three matchups but dropped five of its past seven after falling at Vanderbilt (78-70) last Thursday before crushing Missouri on Sunday, 61-33, in Columbia.

Broadcast Information

  • Thursday night’s game will be televised on SEC Network, with Courtney Lyle (PxP) and Christy Thomaskutty (Analyst) on the call.
  • All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
  • The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice on the call and Andy Brock serving as studio host. 
  • A link to the live audio stream can be found on the Hoops Central page or the schedule on UTSports.com.
  • For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click on the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
  • Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
  • The Lady Vol Network broadcast also can be heard frequently on satellite radio via SiriusXM and the SXM App. This game, however, will not be available.

Lady Vols Solid In The Net Rankings

  • Tennessee is at No. 18 in the NCAA Women’s Basketball NET ratings as of Feb. 14. The system is used to determine projections for the NCAA Tournament, and UT is eyeing a record 41st bid.
  • UT is playing its 15th game vs. a NET top-50 team, including No. 2 UConn, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 Indiana, No. 12 Virginia Tech, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 20 Colorado, No. 22 Alabama, No. 25 UCLA, No. 28 Ole Miss, No. 35 Mississippi State (twice), No. 38 Arkansas, No. 39 Gonzaga and No. 44 Georgia.
  • Tennessee is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Toughest Schedule Report through Feb. 13 in cumulative opposition (510-235, .685) and also in past opposition (443-202, .687) entering the Arkansas game.

Lady Vol News & Notes

  • In UT’s last five games, Jillian Hollingshead has averaged 10.4 ppg. and 8.0 rpg. while shooting 55.9 pct., including career highs of 18 points and 12 boards vs. Mississippi State on Feb. 6 for her first collegiate double-double.
  • Rickea Jackson carded her 10th 20+ scoring effort of the campaign vs. Vandy, dropping 21 points. That’s seven in 12 SEC games.
  • Jordan Walker carded UT’s highest +/- rating of the year, logging an eye-popping +40 vs. Vanderbilt. In two seasons of box scores listing that stat, it ranks behind only Sara Puckett’s +43 vs. Chattanooga on Dec. 27, 2021.
  • After posting no double-digit scoring efforts before the winter break, Tess Darby now has seven since then, including six in SEC play. She is averaging 9.3 ppg. in league games.
  • With 18 points and nine rebounds vs. Vandy, Jordan Horston boosted her scoring average to 16.8 ppg. while shooting 45 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line over the past five contests.
  • Jasmine Powell is three shy of 1,000 career points. Powell has 997 between her time at Minnesota and UT. She will become the fifth member of the current squad to reach 1K.
  • With 420 dimes, Jordan Horston is nine from matching Kristen Clement (429) at No. 10 on UT’s career assists list.
  • Tennessee has risen to No. 10 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC in rebound margin, out-working foes 43.3 to 32.9 on the glass in 2022-23.

Looking Back At The Vandy Game

  • A 28-point third quarter effort propelled the Lady Vols to an 86-59 victory over Vanderbilt in UT’s Play4Kay game at Thompson-Boling Arena on Sunday afternoon.
  • Senior Rickea Jackson led Tennessee (18-9, 10-2 SEC) in scoring with 21 points on the day, while senior Jordan Horston narrowly missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Junior Tess Darby also had a productive outing with 14 points, and graduate Jordan Walker dished out a game-high eight assists and logged an eye-popping +40 plus/minus effort.
  • Vanderbilt (11-15, 2-10 SEC) was led by Marnelle Garraud who tallied 16 points. Sacha Washington and Ciaja Harbison were also in double figures with 12 and 11, respectively.

Dominating the Paint

  • The Lady Vols were sensational around the basket, out-rebounding the Commodores 51-25 on the day and outscoring them in the paint 48-14.
  • On the offensive glass, UT out-rebounded Vandy 15-4, turning that into 19 second-chance points while holding VU to a Lady Vol opponent season-low zero second-chance points in the contest.

Second-Half Horston

  • Jordan Horston was key in Tennessee’s explosive third quarter, scoring 10 of her 18 points during that period, and leading UT in scoring for the half with 12 points while adding five second-half rebounds.

Another Third-Frame Surge

  • Tennessee broke open a 38-38 tie at the half with a 28-8 explosion in the third quarter to forge a 66-46 lead after three frames.
  • UT shot 73.3 from the field (11-15), 100 percent on threes (2-2) and 100 percent on free throws (4-4) in the period while holding Vandy to 20-percent shooting from the field (3-15), zero percent on threes (0-3) and 50 percent (2-4) on free throws. 
  • Tennessee is averaging 21.7 points in the third period in SEC play and 22.4 over the last 18 games.

UT/UA Notes

  • Tennessee holds a 33-5 all-time record vs. Arkansas, including 16-2 in Knoxville, 15-3 in Fayetteville and 2-0 at neutral sites.
  • UT is 2-1 in overtime and 2-0 in the postseason vs. UA, meeting for the first time in SEC Tourney play in 2016. UT prevailed, 68-51, in the second round in Jacksonville, Fla., on March 3 that year.
  • No. 1/1 Tennessee and unranked Arkansas met in an NCAA Final Four semifinal game in Kansas City, Mo., on March 27, 1998, and the Lady Vols cruised past the Razorbacks, 86-58, en route to their perfect 39-0 season.
  • Then the starting point guard for UT, Kellie (Jolly) Harper tallied 11 points, five assists and three rebounds during 30 minutes in that contest.
  • Harper was 4-1 vs. the Razorbacks as a player.
  • As a head coach, Harper is 5-3 all-time vs. Arkansas. She won her last two meetings vs. the Razorbacks while at Missouri State, including 69-54 in Fayetteville on Dec. 2, 2015, and 64-62 in Springfield on Dec. 11, 2016.
  • This is the fourth meeting between Harper and Mike Neighbors as head coaches, with Harper standing 3-1 vs. UA as UT’s skipper.
  • Arkansas assistant Lacey Goldwire had the same role at Tennessee from 2019-21 before returning in 2021-22 to Mike Neighbors’ staff at Arkansas, where she worked from 2017-19 in his first two seasons as head coach in Fayetteville.

A Look At The Razorbacks

  • Arkansas has four scoring in double figures, including Erynn Barnum (16.4), Samara Spencer (14.0), Makayla Daniels (13.5) and Chrissy Carr (11.1).
  • The Razorbacks average eight made threes per game, led by 61 from Carr, 48 from Daniels and 44 from Spencer.
  • UA gets out-rebounded, 40.8 to 39.0 per game.

Arkansas’s Last Game

  • Arkansas dominated Missouri on Sunday, rolling to a 61-33 victory that set a UA record for fewest points allowed to an SEC opponent.
  • Chrissy Carr led the Razorbacks with 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, while Erynn Barnum added 14 and Makayla Daniels 11.
  • UA scored 24 points off 22 Mizzou turnovers and held MU to a 1-for-15 day beyond the arc.

Last Meeting Between UT, UA

  • Battling back from a 13-point deficit, the No. 7/5 Lady Vols defeated Arkansas 86-83 in overtime on Jan. 31, 2022, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
  • Tennessee (19-2, 8-1 SEC) found key offense from a number of contributors. Jordan Horston scored 24 points to lead the Big Orange, while Rae Burrell was clutch down the stretch, sinking 17 of her 21 points in the second half and overtime.
  • Tamari Key made a career-best eight free throws in a 14-point night, while Sara Puckett contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
  • Horston’s energy showed on both ends of the floor, as she also pulled down 11 rebounds and tallied 40 minutes on the floor, a career high. It was Horston’s 10th double-double of the year.
  • Amber Ramirez led UA with 29 points.

Last Time We Played In Fayetteville

  • No. 7/9 Tennessee picked up a hard-fought win on the road on Jan. 2, 2022, taking down the Razorbacks, 70-63, at Bud Walton Arena.
  • Tennessee (13-1, 2-0 SEC) had five players in double figures, with Tamari Key leading the team with 17 and Alexus Dye recording a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Walker finished with 13, while Jordan Horston had 12 and Keyen Green chipped in 11.
  • Amber Ramirez was the leading scorer for Arkansas (10-4, 0-1 SEC) with 26, while Makayla Daniels added 11.

Upcoming Games

  • There are only two more regular season Lady Vol home games.
  • Tennessee’s next home contest will be the Senior Day matchup vs. Auburn at noon on Sunday.
  • UT seniors will be saluted during pregame festivities.
  • The Weekend Family 4 Pack Deal will be available, with four tickets & four $10 concession vouchers starting at $72 (plus tax/fees).

-UT Athletics

Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics
Hoops Preview: #10 Tennessee vs. #1 Alabama

Hoops Preview: #10 Tennessee vs. #1 Alabama

Posted on February 14, 2023

Tenth-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball prepares for another top-10 matchup this week, as No. 1 Alabama comes to Knoxville for a top-10 showdown Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET inside Thompson-Boling Arena. 

Fans can catch Wednesday’s game on ESPN2 and online or on any mobile device through WatchESPN. WatchESPN can be accessed through the ESPN App, or online at espn.com/watch. Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst) and Alyssa Lang (reporter) will have the call.

Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.

Tennessee (19-6, 8-4 SEC) is coming off a second consecutive one-point loss, as the Vols fell to Missouri at the buzzer Saturday, 86-85. Despite the loss, Tyreke Key starred in the second half, scoring 21 of his 23 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Wednesday marks just the third top-10 matchup in the 36-year history of Thompson-Boling Arena and second this season. Earlier this season on Jan. 28, No. 4 Tennessee defeated No. 10 Texas, 82-71, while on March 2, 2019, No. 7 Tennessee defeated No. 4 Kentucky, 71-52. Tennessee has a current home win streak of five games against AP top-10 opponents.

For Wednesday’s game, fans are asked to visit CheckerTBA.com to find out what color to wear for this year’s Checker TBA game.

Up next, Tennessee heads north to Lexington for its second matchup of the season with rival Kentucky this Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

THE SERIES
• Tennessee trails the all-time series with Alabama, 70-82, dating to 1914. This is one of only two SEC series in which UT does not hold the advantage.
• When the series is contested in Knoxville, Tennessee owns a 47-23 advantage.
• Alabama has won each of the last three meetings overall.
• Strangely, in the four meetings over the last three seasons, neither The Vols nor the Tide has ever posted more assists than turnovers.
• Alabama is the eighth different program to face the Vols while ranked No. 1, joining Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio State, Memphis, Kansas and Gonzaga.
• The Vols have won five straight home games vs. AP top-10 teams.
• Tennessee is seeking its ninth regular-season win over a top-five foe under head coach Rick Barnes, and its 10th overall. See note below.
• Barnes was an assistant coach at Alabama for the 1985-86 season. See note below.

SCOUTING REPORT
• The Vols occupy the No. 3 spot in the NCAA’s NET ratings after holding steady at No. 2 from Jan. 3 through Feb. 8.
• Tennessee has five all-time wins over teams ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. The Vols are 1-1 vs. top-ranked teams at Thompson-Boling Arena, with a win over Kansas (2010) and a loss to Kentucky (2015).
• During SEC play, Tennessee leads the league in scoring defense (58.6 ppg), free-throw percentage (.762), assists per game (16.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.41).
• Over the last two games, Tyreke Key is giving the Vols 17.5 points off the bench while shooting .538 from 3-point range.
• Zakai Zeigler has four points/assists double-doubles this season, which rank second in program history for a career—Rodney Woods had five points/assists double-doubles from 1972-75.
• In their last 28 games against SEC opponents, the Vols are 23-5 with wins over every league opponent except Alabama (no meetings).
• UT ranks fourth nationally in average home attendance (18,479)—one of three SEC teams in the top four.

THE NATION’S BEST DEFENSE
• For the 12th straight week, the Volunteers own the best adjusted defensive efficiency in the country per KenPom, allowing only 86.6 points per 100 possessions.
• Tennessee owns Division I’s best 3-point defense (.242) along with the nation’s second-best field-goal percentage defense (.355) and third-best scoring defense (56.3 ppg).
• 11 times this season, the Vols have held their opponents to 50 points or less.
• Only four teams have reached the 70-point mark against these Vols.
• Only six opposing players have scored 20 or more points against the Vols this season.
• Tennessee has trailed at the break only five times this season and is outscoring its opponents 34.2 ppg to 25.9 ppg in first-half action (+8.3 ppg).

ABOUT ALABAMA
• Alabama (22-3, 12-0 SEC) has won 13 of its last 14 games—with the lone blemish coming at Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 28.
• In addition to a perfect record in SEC play so far this season, the Crimson Tide own non-conference wins over Houston, Michigan State, North Carolina and Memphis. Top-ranked Alabama’s only losses this season have come to UConn (Nov. 25), Gonzaga (Dec. 17) and Oklahoma (Jan. 28). The Tide are currently ranked No. 2 in the NET, one spot in front of Tennessee.
• Projected top-5 NBA Draft pick and National Player of the Year candidate Brandon Miller is Alabama’s leader in scoring (18.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg) and is shooting .427 from 3-point range this season. The freshman is averaging a league-leading 19.0 ppg in SEC play, while his 7.8 rpg in SEC play rank fourth in the conference.
• Junior guard Mark Sears, in his first season at Alabama after transferring from Ohio, has been a breakout player for the Tide this season—starting every game and ranking second on the team with 14.0 ppg in 30.8 mpg.
• In his fourth season at the helm of Alabama’s program, head coach Nate Oats has compiled an 83-39 (.680) record with the Crimson Tide.
• Tennessee Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White hired Oats to his first collegiate head coaching job. After serving on Bobby Hurley’s staff at Buffalo as an assistant from 2013-15, Oats was named the Bulls’ interim and then permanent head coach by White after Hurley left to take the head coaching position at Arizona State. Oats then served as the head coach at Buffalo for four seasons before becoming the head coach at Alabama.

LAST CLASH WITH ALABAMA
• Despite being down two starters, 14th-ranked Tennessee battled before falling on the road to No. 19 Alabama, 73-68, on Dec. 29, 2021.
• Olivier Nkamhoua led the Vols in scoring and rebounding with 15 points and nine boards. Santiago Vescovi had 13 points and six rebounds.
•  Making his first career start, freshman guard Zakai Zeigler scored 11 points and had four assists.
•  Noah Gurley led Alabama with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
•  Tennessee was without two of its season-long starters—freshman guard Kennedy Chandler and super senior forward John Fulkerson.
•  Facing its largest deficit of the second half at 63-57 with just over six minutes remaining, Alabama strung together a 10-2 run—capped off by a Jaden Shackelford layup that gave the Tide a 67-65 lead with 1:02 remaining.
•  Tennessee quickly responded with a 3-pointer from Nkamhoua with 50 seconds remaining to regain the lead at 68-67, but Alabama fired back once more with a deep three from Keon Ellis to pull in front, 70-68.
•  After the Vols missed a 3-point attempt on the other end and Alabama’s JD Davison went 1-for-2 at the line, Zeigler missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer.

BARNES WAS A ‘BAMA ASSISTANT
• Rick Barnes spent the 1985-86 season as an assistant coach at Alabama under Wimp Sanderson. It was Barnes’ first taste of “major” college basketball.
• The Crimson Tide went 24-9 (13-5 SEC) that year and finished third in the conference. Bama earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Xavier and Illinois before falling to Southeast No. 1 seed Kentucky in the Sweet Sixteen.
• That Alabama team featured 15-year NBA veteran Derrick McKey, eventual Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried, five-year NBA veteran Jim Farmer and seven-year NBA veteran Buck Johnson (team’s top scorer).
• After Barnes’ lone season in Tuscaloosa, he moved on to Ohio State to work as an assistant coach under Gary Williams.
• As a head coach, Barnes is 9-11 against schools at which he once worked (he’s 3-5 vs. Alabama, 1-2 vs. Ohio State, 2-0 vs. Providence, 0-1 vs. Clemson, 1-1 vs. Texas, 2-2 vs. Tennessee).

TOP-10 TAKEDOWNS
• Tennessee has won six of its last seven games against AP top-10 opponents. The lone loss was this season’s 75-70 setback at No. 9 Arizona on Dec. 17.
• The Vols beat No. 10 Texas on Jan. 28 and No. 3 Kansas in November. Last season, Tennessee beat teams ranked Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6.

RACKING UP TOP-FIVE WINS
• Tennessee has defeated nine AP top-five foes during the Rick Barnes era.

DATE                      OPPONENT         SITE                   SCORE
Jan. 24, 2017         #4 Kentucky           Knoxville              W, 82-80
Dec. 9, 2018          #1 Gonzaga           Phoenix               W, 76-73
March 2, 2019       #4 Kentucky           Knoxville              W, 71-52
March 16, 2019     #4 Kentucky           Nashville              W, 82-78
Feb. 15, 2022       #4 Kentucky            Knoxville              W, 76-63
Feb. 26, 2022       #3 Auburn               Knoxville              W, 67-62
March 12, 2022    #5 Kentucky            Tampa                 W, 69-62
Oct. 28, 2022       #2 Gonzaga (exh.)  Frisco                  W, 99-80
Nov. 25, 2022       #3 Kansas               Bahamas             W, 64-50

SCHEDULE INTENSIFYING
• Six of Tennessee’s final seven regular-season games are against the teams that surround UT at the top of the SEC standings.
• Those six teams combine to boast an average NET rating of No. 31.

TEAM                  SEC       NET        KENPOM    RESULT
Missouri               6th         45           48                L, 86-85
Alabama               1st         2             2                 Feb. 15
at Kentucky          5th         46           44                Feb. 18
at Texas A&M       2nd        33           33                Feb. 21
South Carolina     12th       253         231              Feb. 25
Arkansas               7th        23           23                Feb. 28
at Auburn              4th        35           28                March 4

ELITE ATTENDANCE
• For each of the last three non-COVID-impacted seasons, Tennessee finished in the top five nationally in average home attendance. The Vols currently rank fourth in the nation with an average of 18,479 fans through 13 games at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• The Vols have ranked among the top 20 in men’s college basketball attendance for 17 consecutive years, including 10 seasons ranked in the top five nationally.
• Tennessee’s total number of season tickets sold this year (14,387) exceeded last year’s average home attendance of all but 13 Division I programs. In other words, before selling any single-game tickets, the Vols were likely assured of finishing near the top 15 nationally in average home attendance this year.

2022-23 AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE LEADERS
1. Kentucky             19,780
2. North Carolina     19,578
3. Arkansas             19,020
4. Tennessee           18,479
5. Syracuse              17,907

-UT Athletics

Vols G Zakai Zeigler / Credit: UT Athletics
The Chicks Coming to Knoxville this Summer

The Chicks Coming to Knoxville this Summer

Posted on February 14, 2023

Grammy Award winning group The Chicks announcing their world tour this year with a stop at Thompson Boling Arena on July 29th.

Maren Morris, Ben Harper and Wild Rivers are set to join as support on select dates. Wild River scheduled to join them on stage in Knoxville.

Tickets go on sale in the U.S. for most dates this Thursday with remaining date sales on February 24th.

For more information, please visit https://www.ticketmaster.com/.    

The Chicks Coming to Knoxville this Summer

The Chicks Coming to Knoxville this Summer

Posted on February 14, 2023

Grammy Award winning group The Chicks announcing their world tour this year with a stop at Thompson Boling Arena on July 29th.

Maren Morris, Ben Harper and Wild Rivers are set to join as support on select dates. Wild River scheduled to join them on stage in Knoxville.

Tickets go on sale in the U.S. for most dates this Thursday with remaining date sales on February 24th.

A Cocke County Jail Inmate Hospitalized Following Escape Attempt

A Cocke County Jail Inmate Hospitalized Following Escape Attempt

Posted on February 14, 2023
Photo courtesy of WVLT

A Cocke County Jail inmate is airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center after he attempted to escape.

Cocke County Sheriff C.J. Ball says 33 year-old Michael Smith was in Sessions Court with six other inmates and got up from the bench “numerous times” to get a tissue yesterday (Monday) afternoon and jumped out the open window.

He fell two stories and landed on his back. He got up and started to run but stopped when he saw a police officer. He did not suffer serious injuries.

TBI Issues a Silver Alert for a Missing Sevierville Man

TBI Issues a Silver Alert for a Missing Sevierville Man

Posted on February 14, 2023

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issuing a Silver Alert on behalf of the Sevierville Police Department.

74 year-old Carl Palmer has a condition that may impair his ability to return safely without assistance. He may be driving in a green Ford Taurus with a TN tag and a missing passenger side window.

You are asked to call Sevierville Police or 1-800-TBI-FIND if you have any information.

Tennessee Athletics Mourns Passing of Gus Manning; In Memoriam Photos and Video

Tennessee Athletics Mourns Passing of Gus Manning; In Memoriam Photos and Video

Posted on February 13, 2023

In Memoriam: Gus Manning Photos  |  Video: Gus Manning Remembers Gen. Neyland

Updated with funeral arrangements

Tennessee Athletics has lost the last remaining administrative link with direct ties to Gen. Robert R. Neyland, as the beloved Charles A. “Gus” Manning passed away Sunday in his hometown of Knoxville. He was 99.

Manning, who retired in 2000 after close to 50 years of full-time service to UT, maintained an office in Thompson-Boling Arena until 2017 and held the title of Consultant Athletics Director until his passing. He served eight ADs and 11 head football coaches during his career at UT.

The impact Manning made on the evolution of Tennessee Athletics’ internal operations—much of which was done behind the scenes and away from the spotlight—was no less significant than the contributions of iconic names such as Neyland, Nathan W. Dougherty, Joan Cronan, Doug Dickey and Pat Summitt.

“This is a tremendous loss,” longtime friend and former Tennessee football coach and administrator Phillip Fulmer said. “We’ve lost a major piece of Tennessee history. Gus Manning is an icon. His personality and humor made him a pleasure to be around. And his historical knowledge about all that makes Tennessee Athletics special was second-to-none. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Manning’s legacy extends beyond Rocky Top to the entire Southeastern Conference, throughout which he earned a reputation as a sharp administrator and a symbol of East Tennessee charm and hospitality. He was a longtime fixture at SEC functions and championship events and provided trusted counsel to several league commissioners.

“Gus Manning leaves behind a legacy that not only touched the University of Tennessee, but also the entire Southeastern Conference,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “Gus was involved in every area of Tennessee Athletics over the decades with his array of responsibilities and developed relationships throughout the SEC that made him an icon, not only on Rocky Top but throughout the Conference. He was a fixture for many years at the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament and a regular presence at other events. Condolences to his family, the University of Tennessee and his many, many friends across the SEC and the country.”

Former SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer was a close friend to Manning.

“Gus was and will always be a remarkable brick in the foundation of the proud history and rich tradition of Tennessee Athletics, from the days of Gen. Neyland to the present,” Kramer said. “His warm smile and friendly greeting touched everyone who ever entered Neyland Stadium and the other sports venues on campus.

“While that famous Cushman vehicle he used to drive around campus is permanently parked, his life will always be a most memorable part of the heritage of Rocky Top, or wherever the Big Orange flag may wave. All of us who were privileged to know him as a longtime loyal friend will consider that friendship a rare treasure.”

Manning was hospitalized in 2017 and subsequently moved to a rehab center and then a skilled nursing facility that summer. The 2017 Tennessee football home-opener against Indiana State on Sept. 9 ended Manning’s streak of consecutive home games attended at 455 and was the last game he ever saw in person.

Manning attended an incredible 608 consecutive Tennessee football games—home, away and neutral-site contests—until an accident while en route to see the Vols play at Kentucky in November 2003 caused him to return to Knoxville and miss that UT victory.

From 1960-2016, Manning co-hosted “The Locker Room” radio show which aired on The Vol Network on UT football gamedays and is the longest, continuous-running sports radio show in the country. He first co-hosted the show with Haywood Harris, and later with Bud Ford after Harris’ passing in 2010. Harris (1961) and Ford (1966) both were hired on Manning’s recommendation as full-time members of the UT Sports Information Department (now known as Athletic Media Relations), and both were later inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame.

Manning and Harris also co-authored two books on the history of Tennessee football: Six Seasons Remembered: The National Championship Years of Tennessee Football (published in 2004) and Once a Vol, Always a Vol!: The Proud Men of the Volunteer Nation (published in 2006).

“No doubt Gus Manning was a true legend—not only at Tennessee but also throughout the Southeastern Conference and national athletic circles,” Ford, now Tennessee Athletics’ official historian, said. “He was a principal figure in the growth of Tennessee Athletics as we know it today.

“For me personally, Gus was bigger than life and responsible for me being hired at UT. I had the great privilege to witness his ability as an administrator firsthand and spent many hours traveling with him to Tennessee sporting events all across the South. His recall of Gen. Neyland and stories of UT football and basketball games was amazing. I will always be grateful to have had a career opportunity at UT and to be mentored by two great men in Gus Manning and Haywood Harris.”

Manning also hired, mentored and shaped the careers of several other longtime Tennessee staffers such as recently retired Associate Athletics Directors David Elliott, Contract Coordinator David Woodall, Event Management Director Bill Whitesell, Football Director of Equipment & Apparel Roger Frazier, Assistant Ticket Manager Danny Burnley and longtime Thompson-Boling Arena Manager Tim Reese.

“If there’s been anyone who has embodied the slogan ‘I will give my all for Tennessee today,’ it was Gus,” Elliott said. “He held so many important roles over the years, and he never sought any credit for the work he did. He just wanted Tennessee to be the best it could be. I’m proud to have worked with him and to have had him as a friend.”

Born in Knoxville on July 8, 1923, Manning first started attending UT games at Shields-Watkins Field in the 1930s. He graduated from Knoxville’s Rule High School in 1943 before enlisting in the Marine Corps and serving three years in the Pacific during World War II.

Neyland—who, in addition to serving as head football coach also served three stints as AD and occupied that post until his passing in 1962—remembered Manning as a T-formation quarterback at Rule High and hired him as a practice-field guard in 1946 upon.

Already a young war veteran, Manning enrolled as a student at UT in 1947 and walked on to the football team. He earned a varsity letter with the baseball Vols in 1948 and graduated from the university in 1950.

Manning was promoted to Director of Sports Publicity in 1951 (making him the athletic department’s first male, non-coach, full-time employee), and from there he quickly ascended to become Neyland’s top aide as his duties steadily expanded to include oversight of the ticket office, business office, event management, facilities and more.

A two-page memo from Neyland to Manning following yet another Manning promotion in 1960 outlined the following “direct responsibilities”:

  • Ticketing
  • Security
  • Gameday traffic and parking
  • Band and cheerleaders
  • Visiting locker room
  • Programs and concessions
  • Public address and scoreboard
  • Halftime festivities
  • Stadium cleanup
  • Stadium and fieldhouse seating
  • Ushers and janitorial staff
  • Faculty advisor
  • Track, baseball diamond and tennis courts maintenance
  • Broadcasts originating from stadium
  • Sunday TV program during football season
  • Stadium store (East and South Stadium Hall dining facility)
  • Practice-field maintenance and groundskeepers
  • Public relations program
  • Speakers for high school banquets, civic clubs, etc.
  • Purchasing, receiving and accounting for athletics
  • Team travel
  • And finally: “Accept and carry out any extra duties assigned by the Athletic Director, as he sees fit.”

Manning’s job titles through the years ranged from administrative assistant, to assistant, associate and senior associate athletics director. He was named 1989 Business Manager of the Year by the College Athletic Business Managers Association.

After officially retiring from full-time service in 2000, Manning negotiated an advisory role with compensation to include one meal per day at the athletics dining facility, use of his famous, mid-1990s model Cushman vehicle—in which he amazingly logged more than 15,000 miles and an annual salary of $1. The arrangement, first agreed upon by Director of Athletics Doug Dickey, was honored by every Tennessee AD since.

Manning served as president of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame from 1987-89 and was honored as an inductee in 1994. He is also a member of the TSSAA Football Officials Hall of Fame and received the organization’s 50-Year Award in 2002. Manning also was a member of the inaugural class of the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame in 2006.

He joined the selection committee of the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 and was twice honored by that organization—earning special recognition in 1998 and receiving the Pat Summitt Ignite Greatness Award in 2018. He also received a service award from the UT Letterman’s T-Club in 2015.

In 2019, he was inducted into the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame.

On June 22, 2015, Gate 16 at Neyland Stadium was officially named “The Gus Manning Gate” thanks to a gift in his honor by Peyton and Ashley Manning (no relation).

“My thoughts and prayers are with Gus’s son, Sammy, and the entire family,” Peyton Manning said. “I was honored to call Gus Manning my friend. No one has served the University of Tennessee better than Gus. He was the ultimate Volunteer, and he will be missed dearly. What a life! May he rest in peace.”

Arrangements are being handled by Rose Funeral Home/Mann’s Heritage Chapel. A funeral mass will be conducted Monday, Feb. 20, at 10 a.m. ET at The Cathedral of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (711 S. Northshore Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919). The family will receive friends after the mass in the Cathedral hall. The family plans a private burial.

-UT Athletics

Gus Manning / Credit: UT Athletics
Jimmy’s blog: Tennessee loses a legend in Gus Manning

Jimmy’s blog: Tennessee loses a legend in Gus Manning

Posted on February 13, 2023

By Jimmy Hyams

As I visited with Gus Manning years ago at the Little Creek nursing home off Northshore Drive, I asked him a simple question.

“How did you get the name, Gus?’’

He said he was named after Saint Augustus. He was raised a Catholic.

I told him I also was raised a Catholic and served for many years as an altar boy.

Gus said he served as an altar for many years – until he got fired.

“How do you get fired as an altar boy?’’ I wondered.

Gus explained. During a service, he was supposed to ring the chimes. He rang the big bells, the loud bells, the bells that usually dismiss you from Mass.

A Nun fired him, he said.

“My Mother never got over that,’’ he said.

We both broke out in laughter.

I rarely visited Gus Manning when we didn’t have a hearty laugh.

Unfortunately, we have shared our last laugh together.

Gus died Sunday night, Super Bowl night. He was 99. He was born July 8, 1923.

He was a legend in Tennessee athletics. He served as a sports information director, administrative assistant to the athletic director, ticket manager and jack-of-all trades. He worked for Gen. Robert Neyland through Doug Dickey, from 1951 to 2000.

He once attended 608 consecutive Tennessee football games, from 1951 to 2003. The streak ended when he suffered an ankle injury the week of a road game at Kentucky. He attended home football games from 1946-2017.

I had the honor, the privilege of sitting next to Manning at home Tennessee football games for years. I think UT’s sports information staff knew the relationship we had and the respect I had for Gus.

“Just about anything you could think of, Gus was the go-to guy during that time for a number of years,’’ Bud Ford, a longtime UT sports information director and close friend of Manning, said in an interview with The Torchbearer in 2020.

“He was at the center of nearly everything that happened in the athletics department, and there was nobody more respected.’’

Manning, a native of Knoxville, attended Rule High School, where he was voted Best All-Around Athlete. He was a walk-on for the UT football team and lettered in baseball.

He served in the Marine Corps during World War II. He graduated from UT in 1950 and was hired as the SID by Neyland. He worked with 11 football coaches and eight athletic directors.

When he was admitted to the Little Creek facility, I was able to make almost weekly visits, since it was a mile from my house. I usually went in the afternoon, so we could watch a sporting event together.

The visits became less frequent due to Covid and me moving to East Knoxville.

His room was adorned by pictures of former Tennessee coaches and athletes and colleagues, and, of course, cheerleaders.

We talked about sports. We talked about life. His memory was remarkable. He could not only tell you every cut Johnny Butler made on a famous run against Alabama, but he kept up with current UT events as well.

He once told me how Johnny Majors scolded him for allowing Paul Horning to win the 1956 Heisman Trophy while Horning played on a 2-8 Notre Dame team and Tennessee was a contender for the national championship.

“I had to work like hell to get you second,’’ Manning told Majors.

Manning also reminded Majors than Horning always bought Gus a mint julip at the Kentucky Derby.

Often times at Little Creek, other guests would frequent while I was visiting Gus. There was no shortage of friends and family and admirers. And you could hardly find a place to park when Little Creek held a birthday party for Gus Manning.

Gus always thanked his visitors and demanded they sign his guest book, a book that was filled with names of well-known figures.

The last time I went to see Gus was Jan. 30.

It was mid-morning. He was asleep. I tried to wake him. Couldn’t do it. I felt guilty for tapping him on his shoulder multiple times. A nurse came by. She couldn’t wake him either.

I decided to leave him at rest.

Two weeks later, he is at rest with other UT legends like Haywood Harris, John Ward and Bill Anderson.

I will always cherish the time I spent with Gus Manning. The laughs. The stories. The bonding. The friendship.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Country News

Weather

  • Forecast
  • Currents
  • Planner