There’s not a better view in college football. On one side of the stadium is the Tennessee River, where fans arrive by boat and tailgate hours before kickoff and hours after the game. On the other side is The Hill, the historic center of UT’s old campus. Rising above it all are the Smoky Mountains, a perfect scenic backdrop for a fall Saturday afternoon. Former UT broadcaster George Mooney navigated his small runabout down the river in 1962, spawning what is now called the Volunteer Navy. It all comes together moments before kickoff when the Vols run through the big T formed by the Pride of the Southland Band, perfectly packaging game day.


        It’s enormous. And it keeps getting bigger, even though it still trails Michigan Stadium in overall attendance: Neyland’s capacity is 104,079; Michigan Stadium is 107,501. But Neyland’s facility is unlike any in the nation. It rises straight up from the ground, towering over the playing field and intimidating opponents with its size. The stadium has undergone 16 renovations since the West stands were built in 1921, seating 3,200. The latest addition was 78 executive suites completed last September. Also included: One of the nation’s biggest video replay boards (44 X 28 feet).


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        Ah, the Tennessee fan. Obsessed and passionate; maniacal and frightening. Step into Neyland Stadium and feel the orange experience. The volume booms from the opening introductions and continues with each play. Tennessee fans have always been passionate to the point of paranoia. How could they not? Johnny Majors was beaten out by Paul Hornung for the Heisman Trophy in 1956, and Peyton Manning lost to Charles Woodson in 1997. As far as Vol fans are concerned, both were unforgivable blunders by Heisman voters. Better get used to Rocky Top, the unofficial fight song of the Vols. If you don’t know it, you will by the end of the day ­- from the constant crooning of 100,000 fans.


        Gen. Robert Neyland, the SEC and national titles, the checkerboard end zone, the smoke off the mountains. It’s all part of the lore of Tennessee football. You want history? How about being named after a group of 1,500 volunteers Gen. Andrew Jackson corralled and led to battle in the War of 1812? Thus, the name, Volunteers -- or Vols. That’s history. So is Smoky, the famed blue tick coon hound, who leads the Vols through the T at the beginning of the game and stays on the sideline as inspiration. Smoky VIII began his reign in 1995, and the Vols have won two SEC titles and one national championship since then.


        "Those people are crazy. They spit on you, curse at you, call you all kinds of names. Man, it’s loud, too. When they beat us (in 1998), they had the goal post (down) and they were running at people with it." ­ Florida defensive end Alex Brown.


        The capacity has increased every decade, from the original 3,200 seats to the most recent expansion last September, when 78 executive suites were added. The North Upper Deck expansion in 1996 pushed the capacity past 100,000, and began the attendance race with Michigan Stadium.


        Where do you begin? Considering the storied history of Tennessee football, you could pick one from any decade. But no game was more memorable than the 20-17 overtime victory over Florida in 1998. After five consecutive losses to the Gators and five near misses at SEC and national titles, the Vols broke through with the trifecta: A win over the Gators and the SEC and national titles. The Florida win was the key.

-- By Matt Hayes
The Sporting News