UT Legend Gus Manning is Friday's Guest
UTsports.com hosts a live one-hour chat with a member of the Tennessee football family every home football Friday from 1-2 p.m. ET. This Friday's guest is UT legend and longtime athletics department staffer Gus Manning.
Manning is the athletic department's closest internal link to legendary head football coach Gen. Robert R. Neyland, as Neyland hired Manning in 1951 as Tennessee's sports information director. A Knoxville, Tenn., native, Manning served as Neyland's right-hand man for years, filling the role of administrative assistant, assistant athletics director, associate athletics director and eventually senior associate athletics director. He now serves as a consultant to current athletics director Mike Hamilton.
Manning reached a milestone in 2003 by attending his 600th consecutive Tennessee football game. The streak reached 608 games later in the season before an ankle injury caused him to miss the Vols' game at Kentucky.
Recently, Manning and his longtime associate, fellow UT retiree Haywood Harris, co-authored the books Six Seasons Remembered, The National Championship Years of Tennessee Football, and Once A Vol, Always a Vol. The duo also hosts the weekly radio show "The Locker Room"-which is the longest continuous-running sports radio show in the America-each college football season.
Manning has been inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame and the Knoxville Football Officials Association Hall of Fame. He also serves on several sports-related committees, including some affiliated with the Southeastern Conference.
Manning graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1950, and his knowledge of Volunteers athletics is unrivaled. His days on Rocky Top have produced countless stories-from driving down the interstate with baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio to sharing dinner in Chicago with Doug Atkins and the Chicago Bears to collaborating with broadcasting legend Lindsey Nelson to create the Vol Network.
Big Orange fans from around the world are encouraged to log on to UTsports.com and submit questions, which may be submitted in advance of Friday's live session or through the duration of the chat. Due to time constraints, it may not be possible to answer all questions. All submissions require the accompaniment of the submitter's name, city and state.
Dr. Rob Hardin is the moderator for UT's Live Football Chats. Hardin is an associate professor in the Sport Management program at Tennessee. He teaches and conducts research in the areas of collegiate athletics and sport communication. He also assists the Sports Information Office with game-day operations.
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Rob Hardin: Hello everyone. Gus has arrived at Stokely Athletics Center. He is grabbing a cup of coffee, and we will be ready to start at 1 p.m. |
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| Jim Eakin (Flat Creek, Tennessee): Gus,
I'm curious if you have a recommendation for a GOOD cigar I can afford. |
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Gus Manning: I never really smoked any of them. I usually just chewed on them. I liked the aroma of a Cuban cigar the best. My favorite cigars have always been those that are free. |
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| Tony (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.): What is favorite memory of Coach Neyland? |
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Gus Manning: He was a genius, an organizer and a winner. He was always well prepared for everything and not just football. He was a great guy to work for because you always knew where you stood with him. I can't pick just one memory about him. |
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| Blowing Rock, NC: Who in your mind was the greatest Single Wing tailback? |
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Gus Manning: I think Hank Lauricella was the best. He could do it all. He could run, pass and kick. He was a great quick-kicker.
He had a good quick-kick over in Chapel Hill one time. All the writers covering the Ryder Cup were there. None of those writers had seen him play before. That gave him a lot of national recognition. |
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| Frank (Jackson, TN): Do you have any update on your cohort Haywood Harris? |
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Gus Manning: For those of you don't know, Haywood had a little health scare last week.
He is resting at home and will miss Saturday's game. It is the first ime he has missed a home game since 1960. He is getting a liltte restless. He wants to do the PA in the press box but the doctors told him to take a rest. He did do the Locker Room Show this week.
He is going back to the doctor this week and hopes to be back for the Alabama game. |
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Rob Hardin: For those of who you are interested, the Locker Room airs on WIVK (FM 107.7) on Saturday before Vol Network coverage begins. The Locker Room is the longest running sports radio show in the country. It has been on the air so long Gus can't remember when it started. It has been on the air for more than 50 years. |
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| Terry (Knoxville): Where can I get a good egg salad sandwich in Knoxville? |
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Gus Manning: Long's Drug Store on Kingston Pike. Ruth makes the best egg salad you can get! |
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| David G. (Powell): Who was a better field goal kicker, Gen. Neyland or Scrappy Moore? |
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Gus Manning: Scrappy Moore and this is how I know.
After the 1957 Gator Bowl, Gen. Neyland and all of his guests visited my press hospitality room in the hotel which was on Jacksonville Beach. We won the ballgame 3-0 over Texas A&M. It was Bear Bryant's last game there.
Sammy Burklow kicked the field goal that won the game. After the game, there was a banquet and Gen. Neyland was given a gatorskin football. We took it back to the hotel. The General and all of his cohorts came back to the hotel. The General asked Scrappy to show the crowd how Tennessee won the game. Scrappy kicked the ball into a mirror which completely demolished it. They all had a big laugh. After a few more, libations, the General asked him again to show how we won the game. This time he kicked it through a bay window, and the ball went out on the beach. I went out and retrieved the ball and hid it so there would be no more kicking.
About early January, we got the bill from the hotel with a lot of breakage on my room. The General called me to his office and told me to shut the door. He informed me there was considerable breakage in the room and wanted to know what the hell that was all about.
When I informed the General the damage occurred when Scrappy was kicking all of the field goals, he said there was not a damn thing wrong with that and signed off on the bill. |
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| Earl (Camden): How did the Locker Room Show get started? |
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Gus Manning: All of the shows at the time were talking about Tennessee. Haywood and I decided we would talk about the opponents. So, we started interviewing all the opposing Sports Information Directors. |
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| Bud from Knoxville, Tenn.: What's your favorite UT Baseball memory? |
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Gus Manning: Watching Todd Helton hit that home run in the 1995 NCAA Regional that sent us to the College World Series. |
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| Jon Baker (Long Beach, CA): Who is the best all-around athlete Tennessee has had? |
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Gus Manning: Burt Rechichar. He could do everything requested of him. He could block, run, return punts and play pass defense. He could just do it all.
He was also a good baseball player. He played in the outfield on the team here. He was on the team that went to the 1951 College World Series. |
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| Alex K., Charlotte,NC: With the election nearing, who was your favorite president? |
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Gus Manning: John F. Kennedy. He had leadership ability and provided us with a new start. |
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| Kevin A. (Clarksville): Where did you grow up and how did you get to work for Neyland? |
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Gus Manning: I am a native Knoxvillian. I worked in concessions as a teenager so I could see Tennessee play football and basketball.
John Barnhill was interested in giving me a scholarship when I was playing high school football at Rule High School. I was the first T-Formation quarterback in this area. The General was not interested in T-Formation quarterbacks. I was working in the Sports Publicity Office for Tucker Musser. I got to know the General and then they offered me a job in Sports Publicity.
Harvey Robinson was my big supporter. He was the backfield coach for Neyland. |
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| Darrin S. (Johnson City): What's been the wildest prank you've seen on campus? |
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Gus Manning: The panty raids at the girls' dormitories back in the 1950s. They did not happen too often but when they did they created a lot of excitement on campus.
The girls would throw their panties out of the windows to keep the guys from coming in. The guys would come in anyway. The girls were instigators many times. |
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| Josh Wasden (Highland Home, Alabama): I'm a huge Tennessee fan. I was born in East Ridge, but now reside just below Montgomery, Alabama. Living down here sure isn't easy while being in the middle of Tide fans and Auburn fans. But I still hold true to the orange and white. My question is what moment in your volunteer life did you know for sure you were a volunteer? |
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Gus Manning: I knew it when I was working over here in concessions as a teenager. |
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| Gute (Tellico Plains): Were Bowden Wyatt and Bear Bryant good friends? |
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Rob Hardin: Sorry. The previous question's answer is posted above it. |
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| Jim B. (Augusta, GA): Have you checked your lineage to see if you and Peyton are related? |
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Gus Manning: We are not related. He is a Cajun. I am an East Tennessee hillbilly, but we are good friends. |
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| Terry (Boston): Do you have any idea how many football and basketball games you have seen since you started working at UT? |
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Gus Manning: Too many.
I have not missed a home football game since 1946. I have missed one road football game since 1946. It was the 2003 Kentucky game. I was in Lexington but hurt my ankle. The team doctor told me to go to the hospital though.
I have missed some basketball games. I did not travel with the basketball team. |
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| Chase (Knoxville): What was the funniest memory you have of Coach Neyland? |
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Gus Manning: We went over to kill the pigeons in Neyland Stadium. Everybody brought their shotguns to work. We did not know commencement was taking place that day at the stadium. We started shooting out of his office window which was under section R and Q. It sounded like World War III was going on. We were pretty embarrased by that. The General loved to bird hunt. |
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| Oliver Douglas (Dalton, Georgia): You've rubbed shoulders with some of the top sports figures in the nation. Who are some of the few that stand out? |
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Gus Manning: Joe DiMaggio.
Happy Chandler, who was the commissioner of baseball.
Rocky Marciano, who was the heavyweight boxing champion.
President John F. Kennedy. I sat on the stage with him when he delivered a campaign speech at Vanderbilt Stadium. Haywood did not attend that speech.
Bob Hope, Elvis and hundreds of other entertainers who have performed on campus. |
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Rob Hardin: We have time for a few more questions. |
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| Adam Youngquist: Gus, with your celebrity status in the UT athletics program, why do you sit with the students at basketball games? Don't get me wrong, we love it, but it seems like you could get a better seat near center court or something. |
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Gus Manning: I am a perennial student. My job is to keep them off the floor. It is a non-paying job! |
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| Brad Gordon (Hendersonville,Nc): Do you see a change in the way the players hearts and passion for football have changed since the beginning of your career? |
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Gus Manning: The guys are bigger, stronger and faster than the players today but are no tougher than the players we had when I first started working here.
Gen. Neyland used to let the players put on 16 ounce gloves and box if they got into a fight in practice. Practice would stop and everybody would watch.
Players were more dedicated back then. |
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| Rob P. from Cleveland, Ohio: Who were some of your favorite UT athletes when you were a kid? |
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Gus Manning: Beattie Feathers.
Herman Hickman.
Gilbert Huffman was a great basketball player. |
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Rob Hardin: We have time for one more question. |
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| Glenn (Knoxville): What is your favorite SEC stadium & campus to go to and what is your favorite non-SEC road trip? |
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Gus Manning: I am always glad to go to Neyland Stadium. It is the largest and most enthusiastic in the SEC.
New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl is the best road trip.
I like Georgia's campus.
I also like to go to Vanderbilt because I get a chance to go to the Grand Ole Opry. |
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Rob Hardin: Thanks for joining us today and submitting your questions. We will be back next week before the Alabama game. |
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