University of Tennessee Athletics
DENTON'S PUBLIC ADDRESS STRING BEST IN TENNESSEE
September 02, 2005 | Football
Sept. 2, 2005
Research by B.B. Blanton, Sewanee Sports Information
Story by Nathan Kirkham, University of Tennessee Sports Information
The streak lives on Saturday.
Bobby Denton takes up the microphone as Neyland Stadium's public address announcer for the 247th consecutive home game in a streak dating back to 1967. That's going on 39 seasons for those of you counting. Denton's string leads all collegiate PA announcers in the state. MTSU's Larry Tolbert ranks second with 181 consecutive home games strung over 35 years under his belt.
After wading through throngs of Tennesseans paying homage to the last days of summer and raising an optimistic toast to a fruitful fall, Denton will take leave of the mass of humanity. He'll board the elevator and zip up to level five of Neyland Stadium's Tom Elam Press Box. Chomping on an everpresent cigar, like Red Auerbach by the Tennessee River, he'll retrace the familiar footsteps to the public address booth and climb down to his perch offering a panoramic view of the festivities unfolding below.
For the next three and a half hours, give or take a few television commercial breaks, Denton will serve as ringmaster for a show any East Tennessean worth his salt will proclaim as the greatest on Earth, with all due apologies to Mr. Barnum.
The bands, tackles, touchdowns and pageantry take center stage as Denton narrates the grandest autumn drama in all of Appalachia.
From hall of famer Lindsey Nelson in the early years to later luminaries like John Ward and Bob Kesling, Tennesseans have enjoyed great radio play-by-play announcers. While UT fans reserve a healthy dose of affection for the radio Voice of the Vols, there's something special about the stadium PA announcer. If you're enjoying current Voice of the Vols Bob Kesling, chances are you are unfortunate enough to be missing out on the game in person, perhaps following the action while traveling along the byways of the state.
However, if you hear Bobby Denton, you know you've got good seats right in the middle of the state's grandest show.
His love for Tennessee football began early on. As early as the national championship season of 1951, the enterprising grade schooler was selling Cokes in the stadium to gain free entry to see his beloved Volunteers.
His start in the PA business was in front of a bit smaller crowd at the Maryville Drag Strip. While he and his high school friends were regular competitors at the drag strip, Denton took a fortuitous step toward his future career when he was pressured to fill in for the absent PA announcer. He was asked to return the following week and honed the style that would eventually lead to a 16-year gig as announcer at Talladega.
Denton began his long and successful career at WIVK in 1961 playing rock and roll of all things. He also supported WIVK's respected news operation early on, serving as part of the broadcast team that relayed the tragic news of Pres. John F. Kennedy's assassination in November 1963 to East Tennesseans. Thankfully, most of his days at WIVK were much happier. Denton wore many hats at the station--announcer, music director, program director, operations manager, sales manager and, finally, general manager. His guidance over the decades helped turn WIVK into one of the most dominant radio stations in the nation.
His Volunteer spirit found its way into his life's profession, as well.
"Bobby's popularity as a PA announcer has been well established," Haywood Harris, historian for Tennessee's athletics department, said. "What a lot of people don't realize is how valuable he has been in making Knoxville such a generous city when it comes to disaster aid and community betterment. Knoxville has pitched in largely because they knew Bobby would see it to fruition."
Now 64, Denton lives in Naples, Fla., most of the year but returns home to Knoxville for football season.
While much has changed for Denton since those early days of selling concessions, in a way he's still hawking Cokes to get into the games for free. One of his two signature announcements, familiar to anyone who has attended a game in the House that Neyland Built, regards concessions -- "Please pay these prices and please pay no more." I'm not certain concessionaires have had a great deal of trouble with people insisting on paying extra for Coke and Touchdown Franks, but Denton offers wise counsel nonetheless.
However, it's Denton's delivery of "It's football time in Tennessee" that increases the heart rate and spikes euphoria among the orange-blooded partisans. Denton's trademark extension of the last syllable of "Tennessee" only intensifies the chillbump factor. Like the sights and smells of football in the fall, it's one of those sensory memories seared into the consciousness long after you hear it at your inaugural game. Even as the years roll past like the mighty Tennessee River, you never forget the first time you hear "It's football time in Tennessee" booming across the frenzied crowd of Volunteers.
His oft-imitated delivery of that famous line has been repeated time and again. Sometimes it's repeated by families gathered around televisions in tension-filled living rooms awaiting a coin flip. You can bet the line has been used to kick off thousands of ragtag football games in backyards from Mountain City to Memphis. And it's always delivered like Denton does it.
You don't mess with perfection.
On Saturday, Tennessee fans and our guests from Birmingham, Ala., will be lucky enough to hear that perfection for the 247th consecutive home game. Beginning his 39th season in a streak dating back to 1967, Bobby Denton will proclaim the news to salve a football-starved soul.
It is indeed football time in Tennessee.
| Current Consecutive Home Games Announced (Top-10 Tennessee Collegiate PA Announcers) Through 2004 season | ||
| 1. | Bobby Denton, Tennessee (1967-2004, 38 years) | 246 |
| 2. | Larry Tolbert, MTSU (1970-2004, 35 years) | 181 |
| 3. | Tim Barrington, Tennessee-Martin (1977-2004, 28 years) | 153 |
| 4. | Ernie Allen, Tennessee State (1985-2004, 20 years) | 100 |
| 5. | Dave Gelinas, Sewanee (1986-2004, 19 years) | 90 |
| 6. | Philip Gibbons, Tennessee Tech (1990-2004, 15 years) | 88 |
| 7. | Steve Willard, Austin Peay (1993-2004, 12 years) | 58 |
| 8. | Chuck Roberts, Memphis (1998-2004, 7 years) | 42 |
| 9t. | Brady Palmer, Cumberland (2001-2004, 4 years) | 20 |
| 9t. | Alden Starnes, Carson-Newman (2001-2004, 4 years) | 20 |
