Victory Lane

The Battle of Bristol has been talked about for years. The actual date has been on my calendar since October 2013. The University of Tennessee Volunteer vs. Virginia Tech Hokies is more than setting the record for the largest crowd to attend a college football game. This game is a border war to set the record straight over who owns the color orange in the VA/TN tri-city area.

It has been 79 years since the last time Tennessee and Virginia Tech have matched up in a regular-season game. The Vols won 27-0 to shut out Virginia Tech on October 1937. The two teams have met in a pair of bowl games since that game. Tennessee leads the overall series 6-3.

Let me be honest. Not being a Hokie fan while growing up in southwest Virginia is not easy. Being a University of Tennessee fan in southwest Virginia was even more difficult. Before the Vick/Beamer era I could name three families (the Bush’s minus Big Bush, the Conner’s and the Bernard’s) who were true VT fans. Once Vick and Beamer put Tech on the map EVERYONE including the media suddenly became a Tech fan. I was allowed to be friends with Tech fans, but I would have been grounded if I ever said “Go Hokies”. Hokie fans are proud and show their pride at all times. The over abundance for all things VT is equivalent to sports fan diarrhea; you just can’t make it stop.

When the Battle at Bristol tickets went on sale my awesome twin brother scored front row seats for the half-mile experience. It took months of planning to set up all the details with our UT buddies; the Davidson’s. We are used to booking hotels and ordering the family pack from Calhoun’s and tailgating on the river. This trip required RV’s, trailers, camping lots, too much food and not enough air conditioning.

Besides feeling like I was away at camp (with alcohol), Bristol put on a first class show. Somehow UT and Tech fans could tailgate and watch a game where no one ended up getting a mug shot. Speaking of mug shots. As soon I saw Michael Vick on the big screen, all I could think about was keep Vick away from Smokey.

Everything about the game experience was over the top. The confetti, the fireworks, Lee Greenwood singing God Bless the USA, Jennifer Nettles’s stunning National Anthem performance, the trophy presentation, and the crowd of 156,990 was all over the top. But playing a regular season college football game on a race rack is an over the top experience. Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium holds about 102,000 fans and Tech’s Lane Stadium holds around 66,000 so it was as if both teams had their normal fans all fit in one venue.

Every single Vols fan stood and honored former VT head coach, Frank Beamer when he was recognized on the field. It showed a lot of class and respect for the man who built their program. The patriotism Bristol displayed made a statement to world of sports. On the day before the 15th anniversary of September 11th, 156,990 fans stood for the prayer, the National Anthem and the fly-over. The stadium was covered in red, white and blue and erupted in U-S-A chants. It was a reminder that while we are divided on the football field, we all are team USA!

Tennessee beat Virginia Tech 45-24 by overcoming an early 14-0 Tech lead in the first quarter. The Hokie’s are used to playing in Lane Stadium, but now Tennessee proves again that the Vols own Victory Lane!