KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Shields-Watkins Field in Neyland Stadium is one of the oldest college football venues in the country. But it is not the first home of the Vols at the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville.
"Wait Field was built in 1908 and was where the football team played until 1920," said athletic director Phillip Fulmer. "I love the history. I love that our DNA comes from this very spot here."
Wait Field was built by students where you'll now find the Walters Life Sciences Building, near the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Phillip Fulmer Way.
Friday morning the school unveiled a historical marker to honor the first athletic field on campus.
"You have to realize, before Wait Field there was nowhere on campus if you wanted to play baseball, have a football game, have band practice, or hold ROTC drills. You had to go at least two miles from campus to Baldwin Field. Putting an on-campus field benefited the entire student body," said athletic department historian Bud Ford.
Wait Field was named for chemistry professor Charles Edmund Wait. He served on the faculty from 1888 until his death in 1923. Wait served as president of the university's athletic association and fired up fan support for the Vols.
When the first football game was held on campus, 2,000 fans saw Tennessee defeat the University of North Carolina 12-0 in October 1908.
The University of Tennessee adopted its school colors of orange and white in 1889. But in the early years of Vols football, the team was not the big orange.
"Their uniforms back then were black. The orange uniform did not come about until 1922," said Ford.
Wait Field also was not regulation size.
"The field was just a little bit short. And at one end of it, it did have a little bit of a bank," said Ford.
Wait Field is where Tennessee won its first conference championship in 1914. The field is where students developed the passion that led to future decisions that fostered success in Big Orange Country.
"One of the captains of the team that played on this field was Nathan Dougherty. Nathan Daugherty would go on to hire General Neyland, and the rest is history," said Fulmer.
History is at the forefront as the University of Tennessee celebrates its 225th anniversary. The Wait Field marker is the third installed on campus. Other historical markers are in the works for other significant sites.
When countless fans and students walk past the marker for Wait Field in the future, there will always be a sign to indicate the site's proud past.
"It'll be something our children and grandchildren will understand and appreciate as they come to see this marker," said Fulmer.