June 24, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
WJLE will close out this season’s Vol Network Classics Series Saturday, June 27 with another tribute game to the late former Tennessee Football Coach Johnny Majors
Set against the backdrop of the 1982 World’s Fair next door, underdog Tennessee defeated No. 2 ranked Alabama 35-28 in a thrilling contest at Neyland Stadium on October 16, 1982.
The win broke an 11-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide and set off a wild celebration that resulted in both goal posts being torn down and paraded around the UT campus area.
In his sixth season at UT, it was Coach Johnny Majors’ first victory over Alabama and legendary Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
After trailing for much of the game, the Vols jumped out to a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and withstood a furious Alabama comeback with Mike Terry intercepting a Crimson Tide pass in the endzone with 17 seconds left in the game.
Other Program Highlights Include: John Ward’s memorable pregame opening to the game along with George Bitzas singing of the National Anthem, a patriotic halftime show featuring the Pride of the Southland Band and the UT Singers, extended coverage of the postgame celebration and interviews with co-captain Bill Bates and Coach Majors.
Don’t miss this final edition of the “Vol Network Classics Series” Saturday, June 27 at 1 p.m. on WJLE and the Vol Network