What was the third Saturday in October like before Fulmer?

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twofbyc

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From what I’ve heard from the old timers, it was like the Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry. The two top teams in their conference and the winner usually won their conference or they shared. Divisional play and Phil have taken the drakes out of it but it’s a rivalry to me. However I’ve shadowed many Vol boards and most fans 45 and under seem to hate Florida more and consider them a bigger rival than Alabama. Their old timers are a different story.
A rivalry as intense as any other. But even back then, there was a mutual respect from the fan bases (from what I saw). Phatty killed that.


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Chechem

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Games during the 60s were wars. Players earned their cigars.
Things calmed a bit while Bill Battle coached Tennessee; mutual respect between the teams, and Alabama's wishbone kept the Vol fans quiet.
After that Bama didn't always keep up its end of the bargain, and Phil filled the void.
I'll be happy if we just win and avoid further injuries.
 

trenda

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Although they hate Alabama with the heat of 10,000 suns, they are generally good folks. I don't blame the average fan for what the dorks who tried to ruin the rivalry.
This! Most of what is being provided here is the view from one side. Having lived in TN my whole life has provided a different perspective. As Tide brethren, we saw it as a respectful rivalry pre-94. And it mostly was.

However, UT only beat Bama 8 times from 1961 to 1994. That's a whole lot of losing (with a couple of ties). Don't think for a minute that there wasn't some envy and resentment on behalf of a lot of Vol fans. SEC Championships and National Championships . . . were just really hard to come by thanks to Bama. Even when UT had some really good teams. There's a reason that nefarious group of Vol boosters and coaches conspired to stick a knife in us.

It was respectful before Fulmer -- in the way that one-sided rivalries are. We respected how hard they played and the fact that, for the most part, UT played clean, hard football. We used them as a measuring stick for how tough our team was. They respected us too, because we were always a good barometer for them as well. But - at least for that generation that lived through 1961-1994 - UT fans hated Bama even if they didn't publicly show it. It's not that hard to envy/"hate" the team that is always winning. That hate drove a group of them to plot and conspire to bring our program down. By any means.

Now, the games themselves were as awesome as so many have already described. TSIO is a great weekend weather-wise for college football; but especially in TN and AL. And many, many of the Bama-UT games have been classics over the years.

I'll probably get knocked for having this view of the rivalry; but it's my perspective from growing up a Bama fan in TN.
 

crimsonaudio

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Ihaving lived in Tennessee for several years, I think the people in east Tennessee are generally good people. Although they hate Alabama with the heat of 10,000 suns, they are generally good folks. I don't blame the average fan for what the dorks who tried to ruin the rivalry.
Many are good folks. But just as Bama has some crazies, tennessee does, too - and during our Dark Decade, many of the tennessee fans around me were the nastiest of all of the SEC fans who relished our struggles. Keep in mind I'm not a smack-talker, so it's not like the tennessee fans were responding in kind - they were just mean-spirited because their team was finally beating Bama.

In fact, tennessee fans are the primary reason I hate all the other SEC teams and wish they could all go 0-12.
 

81usaf92

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Many are good folks. But just as Bama has some crazies, tennessee does, too - and during our Dark Decade, many of the tennessee fans around me were the nastiest of all of the SEC fans who relished our struggles. Keep in mind I'm not a smack-talker, so it's not like the tennessee fans were responding in kind - they were just mean-spirited because their team was finally beating Bama.

In fact, tennessee fans are the primary reason I hate all the other SEC teams and wish they could all go 0-12.
Have you met some UF (not referring to you Bazza) and UGA fans? Good night they can be horrible if they have just a little success. But Tennessee really rubbed it in from 95-07, but most of it was probably due to Florida owning them and all our success from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. I still haven't forgiven Peyton for striking up the band at Legion Field, and the "We own Alabama" rendition of Sweet Home, and Ill never forgive Fat Phil for anything. I dislike Auburn, but absolutely hate Tennessee for the 90's.
 
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crimsonaudio

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Have you met some UF (not referring to you Bazza) and UGA fans? Good night they are horrible.
Yup - every team has horrible fans. But I live amongst the tennessee fans and dealt with their stupidity over their football team for long enough to realize I couldn't care less about any team not from Tuscaloosa. The tennessee fans in particular ruined me for other teams.

Screw 'em all.
 
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Go Bama

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Many are good folks. But just as Bama has some crazies, tennessee does, too - and during our Dark Decade, many of the tennessee fans around me were the nastiest of all of the SEC fans who relished our struggles. Keep in mind I'm not a smack-talker, so it's not like the tennessee fans were responding in kind - they were just mean-spirited because their team was finally beating Bama.

In fact, tennessee fans are the primary reason I hate all the other SEC teams and wish they could all go 0-12.
They’re still mean. I have a friend I grew up with that I cannot associate with anymore because every time I see him he tells me “Alabama has the best team money can buy.” Another guy at church calls Bama the cheaters. As a fan base they are delusional because they refuse to accept Alabama has a better football program than Tennessee.

I love Tennessee and Tennesseans, wouldn’t live anywhere else, but too large a percentage of Vol fans completely tick me off.

We cannot beat the Vols by a large enough margin tomorrow.
 

CB4

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Earliest I remember is 1968, which was Doug Dickey’s last year before heading to Florida. Bill Battle took over until 1976 when Majors took over.

It was an intense but respectful rivalry in those years. Bryant always said that Tennessee was our “real rival”. You also need to remember in those days the football season didn’t start until mid to late September. The “Third Saturday in October” many times was the fourth of fifth game of the season - a “measuring stick” game. Your team found out if it truly was a contender or a pretender.

Fulmer and his obsession with destroying Alabama by any means necessary turned it to absolute hatred.

So let’s just kick a mud hole in their rear end tomorrow and walk it dry. RTR!
 

81usaf92

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BTW they are watching and posting about this thread on their board...


"Respect flew out the window with Phil Fulmer's antics."

the only antics were Bama's major cheating. Period. Fulmer had integrity , UNLIKE BAMMERS. They love blaming Fulmer for THEIR Cheating and dirty recruiting. The only antics are Bama's antics -- like the subpoena some lawyer threw at Fulmer a decade ago. We learned that was some Bama megadonor's lawyer. Fulmer didnt have 'antics' with Bama , beside whooping their butt
Bama is built on lies and cheating. They don’t deserve anything they have. I don’t consider them a legitimate program. They deserve a penalty greater than death. A century of mediocrity...
 

BamaBuc

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BTW they are watching and posting about this thread on their board...
"Respect flew out the window with Phil Fulmer's antics."
the only antics were Bama's major cheating. Period. Fulmer had integrity , UNLIKE BAMMERS. They love blaming Fulmer for THEIR Cheating and dirty recruiting. The only antics are Bama's antics -- like the subpoena some lawyer threw at Fulmer a decade ago. We learned that was some Bama megadonor's lawyer. Fulmer didnt have 'antics' with Bama , beside whooping their butt
Bama is built on lies and cheating. They don’t deserve anything they have. I don’t consider them a legitimate program. They deserve a penalty greater than death. A century of mediocrity...
Purely 'DELUSIONAL'...!
 
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B1GTide

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Actively tearing down another person/program in an attempt to lift yourself (or your program) up is not normal, and it is not acceptable. It is antisocial behavior, and it makes people want to disengage. The only way that it can survive is if the acrimony is directed at a common enemy. Right now, Alabama is the common enemy. So even bright people who would never act this way might fall into the trap. But it is a trap. This kind of behavior changes the way that your brain works. It allows you to make excuses for failures in other areas of your life.

TN fans hate Alabama because they are jealous. It really is that simple. But it wasn't always that way. I'm not sure how it got there for them, but until they stop making excuses for their failures, Alabama is going to continue to kick their teeth in on the football field, and they will continue to come up with external excuses for their failure.
 

crimsonaudio

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Actively tearing down another person/program in an attempt to lift yourself (or your program) up is not normal, and it is not acceptable. It is antisocial behavior, and it makes people want to disengage. The only way that it can survive is if the acrimony is directed at a common enemy. Right now, Alabama is the common enemy. So even bright people who would never act this way might fall into the trap. But it is a trap. This kind of behavior changes the way that your brain works. It allows you to make excuses for failures in other areas of your life.
What's hilarious is they suggest "Bama fans are mad that he turned them in for cheating" [paraphrase] but they ignore the fact that fulmer did it to protect himself from the NCAA about his own cheating. For example, Tee Martin was as dirty of a recruit as Bama ever landed, but they forgot / ignore that fulmer got them off the hook by turning in Bama, and somehow they think that's better.

I often say: if Bama is cheating, then that's just one more thing they do better than you do...

Their delusion is amusing, actually.
 

jashleyren2

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It seems rivalry hatred changes as time goes by. While Alabama is always a marquee win for any program, and some places give their coach a big raise when he does it. Or so I hear.

I think the UT rivalry was pretty nasty at times, but the Fulmer era and all of the NCAA mess around the turn of the century made UT dead to me. When we broke their streak in 2002, it was like finally turning the corner, even though we lost two more times in a row, then beating them in 05, losing in 06 in a mess, and now where we are. I consider them an afterthought, a dead program, and I wish nothing but the worst on them.

That's contradictory to LSU. They play with heart most of the time, and they are competitive as heck. They put a lot into the game on the field, and partying. I like that.

Now, compare that to what we have with Auburn. Not a dead program. Very relevant most years. Inconsistent, yes, but a good school, and beautiful campus. But their "fans".....Unlike LSU or even UT, their fans are absolutely despicable. They are wishy washy, envious, reside in the same state as myself, which in and of itself, makes me want to leave the state. I hate their fans. I hate their clothes. I dislike their famblies. I want their kids to disappoint their parents. I want it to rain the very next day, every time they wash their cars. I want them all to buy the wrong lens size for their copy cat Malzahn eyewear. I want their copy cat Malzahn visors and vest-shirts to get ketchup stains on all over them. My worst day EVER was the day of their luck-of-the-universe Iron Bowl win in 2013.

I don't hate UT or LSU fans with a tenth of the passion that I hate Auburn fans. They are Clemson without a lake.
 

rolltide_21

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Lived in Tennessee for several years. I'm not doubting this didn't happen, but it seems you've picked an example of the very worst UT fans. We've got some just like that too. Every school does.

Most UT fans I know aren't much different from most Bama fans. They are generally good folks.
I went to school @ a small Christian university in west TN. This was also my experience with UT fans.


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crimsonaudio

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Lived in Tennessee for several years. I'm not doubting this didn't happen, but it seems you've picked an example of the very worst UT fans. We've got some just like that too. Every school does.

Most UT fans I know aren't much different from most Bama fans. They are generally good folks.
For the record, you're doing 'hate week' completely wrong.

:biggrin:
 
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