continued from page Sanford, a ….
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Sanford, a young professor at Georgia at the time and already an avid football fan, saw players unpile after the play, and suddenly the spectators swarmed the playing field.
“According to Dr. Sanford’s story, a mountaineer in a long-frocked coat and a four gallon hat suddenly pointed a .38 revolver in the face of Georgia quarterback Johnny Northcutt. “The first man that crosses the line will get a bullet in his carcass,” the mountaineer drawled. Butonthenext play, order and peace prevailed as Georgia fumbled and Tennessee recovered. Tennessee won 10-0, and this incident has become known as the day Tennessee stopped Georgia with a .38.”
Another Tennessee story I have always enjoyed involved the aforementioned General Neyland.
Neyland literally despised free substitution and got the rules changed in the fifties. During the war years, free substitution came about for schools because of the shortage of personnel.
When the General becontinued from page
came chairman of the rules committee in the mid-fifties (he remained chairman until his death in 1962), he was able to influence the committee to institute one platoon football which lasted for almost 15 years.
Most coaches preferred free substitution, but the General would not be moved. When the rules committee met, the President of the American Football Coaches Association was invited as a guest. However, he did not have a vote.
I got the following from Davey Nelson, coach at Delaware who served as secretary of the rules committee during the Neyland years on the committee.
Nelson said that after the final session was winding down one year, the General was doing the perfunctory routine of any “old business” and “new business,” when Ray Elliott, the head coach at Illinois and President of the AFCA spoke up.
“General, I come here, representing the 5,000 members of the American Football Coaches Association who overwhelmingly support unlimited substitution and you are not going to put the topic on the agenda?”
With that the General, said, “All in favor raise their hands.” Nelson recalled that two or three hands went up, somewhat sheepishly. As the General then said, “all opposed,” he reached over, grabbed Davey Nelson’s hand, raised it defiantly and said: “I can see there is not sufficient interest in discussing chicken (expletive) football. This meeting is adjourned.”
Wheeler County Flag Football – Last week, the Wheeler County High School Varsity girls flag football team celebrated Senior Night and big wins over Dooly County and Treutlen Country to catapult them into the first round of Region Playoffs this week. The Lady Bulldogs took on ECI on Tuesday after presstime at Metter High School. Seniors – (L to R): Lena Nelson, Suzette Medrano Lyric Stanley, Head Coach Cory Reynolds, Ariel Reynolds, Jennifer Gonzalez, and Kyla Lampkin.
Photo by Wheeler County
