(WBIR) "Greatest" lists are meant to be shared, debated, reworked. We won't attempt to create the definitive list of the greatest games ever played at Neyland. That's for true scholars and UT fans.
There are some games, however, that have taken on their own legend. Here's a selection. You may have been to a few of these yourself.
-Oct. 13, 1929: The first home game at Shields-Watkins Field against Alabama. By tradition, the annual game is known as "the Third Saturday in October." UT won 6-0.
-Oct. 21, 1939: UT trounces Alabama, 21-0. Robert Neyland's 1939 team was legendary, refusing to let any opponent score on it during the regular season.
-Nov. 7, 1959: UT beats Billy Cannon and LSU, 14-13. Fans in Knoxville and in Baton Rouge still talk about this game. LSU came into Knoxville ranked No. 1. LSU was seeking its second consecutive national championship. The Vols wouldn't let it happen. The most famous play: UT stopped Billy Cannon's two-point attempt at the goal line with the final moments ticking away.
-Dec. 4, 1971: Tennessee 31 Penn St 11. Bobby Majors humbled Penn State with his dynamic punt returns. Penn State had a 15-game winning streak going when it came into Neyland Stadium. One Penn State sports writer described Knoxville as a "a city with a football crowd that makes Beaver Stadium look like a Quaker meeting."
-Nov. 10, 1979: UT beats Notre Dame, 40-18
-Oct. 16, 1982: UT beats No. 2 No. Alabama, 35-28. Down came the goalposts.
-Sept. 28, 1985: UT beats No. 1 Auburn and Bo Jackson, 38-20.
-Sept. 19, 1998: Tennessee beats Florida and Coach Steve Spurrier in OT, 20-17. A delirious crowd paraded a goal post down Cumberland Avenue. A sure sign that UT was headed for great things that season. Truly one of the great home games in UT history.
-Nov. 14, 1998: Tennessee 28, Arkansas 24. Arkansas quickly put UT down 21-0. It rained. The Vols rallied. And then Arkansas QB Clint Stoerner fumbled with less than two minutes to play. Another great landmark in UT's championship season.
-Oct. 8, 2002: Tennessee beats Arkansas after six overtimes, 41-38.
-Sept. 18, 2004: The largest crowd ever recorded at Neyland Stadium - 109,061 - saw UT beat Florida, 30-28.
-Oct. 19, 2013: Tennessee beats South Carolina and Coach Steve Spurrier in a thriller, 23-21. After a drought of stirring victories, this one felt good.
