College Football GameDay Experience #8 (Knoxville)

The countdown continues for College GameDay experiences. At number ten it was Iowa City and at nine was Madison. I continue with an SEC Conference gem that is one of the biggest stadiums in the country. The well known fight song "Rocky Top" can be heard throughout the stadium and tailgating can take place by boat. At number eight, it's gameday in Knoxville at Tennessee's Neyland Stadium.

8. GameDay in Knoxville- Tennessee Volunteers (Neyland Stadium)

Volunteer football has been at best mediocre these past few years, but the Volunteer Nation aka "Big Orange" still lives and dies with their football team. The Knoxville Gameday experience was honestly one of the most pleasant experiences I have ever had. Especially being a visiting fan at the time. I'm not sure if the Volunteer fans are nicer these days, because they are not as good as they were in the 90's with Manning or early 2000s, but the fans were amazing. You would think going down to the south that fans would be arrogant and nasty. No, that's just LSU fans, who by the way are some of the dumbest and disrespectful fans I have ever met. The Southern hospitality was all I could have hoped for it to be. The fans were all so nice and wonderful to interact with. Near the end of the game when the Ducks were blowing the Vols out after that incredible 72 yard touchdown run by LaMichael James,  these very nice fans next to us, season ticket holders for years, offered to drive us back to our car. We  were randomly parked off of Neyland Drive and pretty far away from the stadium. This showed what class these Volunteer fans had. By the way, parking for Neyland Stadium was a nightmare. Get there early, because all the parking is for people with parking passes only. 

The tailgating experience at Tennessee is interesting. You are down by the Tennessee River where there are bars to go to such as Calhoun's, a restaurant I was not able to get into because it was so crowded. But it is recommended to everyone who goes to Knoxville. It is located on the Tennessee River near the stadium and is supposably a great place to go before a Vol game. One of the restaurants I strongly recommend that is a little out of the way is this little place called Litton's. I heard about it through Todd Blackledge's "Taste of the Town" on ESPN. The burger's were awesome, the pies were amazing, and the people who worked in there saw we were opposing fans and made sure we had the best experience possible. You need to check this place out if you ever visit Knoxville.

The tailgating and Knoxville GameDay experience continues with the Vol Navy, which consists of hundreds of boats that are parked by the stadium on the Tennessee River. This is one of the most interesting parts about gameday, the only other place I know of that does this is Washington. I was there this past year, Washington's tailgating by boat doesn't even hold a candle to Tennessee's. Lastly, one of the main hot spots for tailgating is Circle Park. That is where we tailgated at. Also, many tailgate very close next to the basketball arena Thompson-Bowling Arena. 

On the field

The traditions at Tennessee are a must see for every fan. First, make sure you see the Vol Walk. The Vol walk is when the players all enter Neyland Stadium. Fans are lined up on both sides as the players walk through. Second, you need to make sure you get there for the pregame so you can see the the marching band perform "Rocky Top" and the biggest tradition that you must see is when the players enter the field through the "T" formation. Neyland Stadium is rockin' at that point and that's when you realize just how loud 102,455 people can be.

Game Attended in Knoxville:
9/11/10  CFB Oregon 48, Tennessee 13

Ducks vs Vols

Vol Walk

Running through the "T" 

-Catch next weeks gameday experience when I announce College Gameday Experience number seven.