The Miracle at South Bend

[etowahnative]

Seeing that we are in the middle of no football season, thought you might enjoy going back in time. Truly one of the greatest comebacks of all times. Couldn't of happened against a better bunch (Notre Dame, at home and granny Holtz coaching). Only way it could have been better if it was against Bama, in AL or in the SEC championship game against them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOXrjUGBIIM&feature=player_embedded

Have to give Fulmer credit, that screen play call for the go ahead TD was brilliant.

This is a classic that should be shown to young players to never, never, never give up.

[wagee12]

THE MIRACLE AT SOUTH BEND"
The highlight of the 1991 season had to have been the "Miracle at South Bend," a game in which the Vols fell behind Notre Dame 31-7 and lived to tell the tale, winning 35-34. The Vols looked dead in the water just before halftime, with the Fighting Irish looking to add to the lead. But Darryl Hardy blocked a field goal, and Floyd Miley found the express lane southward and scored on an 85-yard run with the blocked kick. The Vols got the lead with minutes to spare, and staved off one final Notre Dame push goalward. A last-second field goal failed and happiness reigned supreme wherever Tennessee fans were. Jeremy Lincoln made sure the fielder was missed, blocking the spheroid with his rump.

It was the 300th game in Notre Dame Stadium history, and the memories are still fresh of an ashen-faced Bill Walsh leaving the broadcast location, of Tennesseans celebrating on the field, and of Notre Dame students singing the "Notre Dame Victory March."

[wagee12]

Mike Stowell with his unwashed jersey from that game framed and hanging on the wall!

http://web.knoxnews.com/web/gvx/pdf/11042005volreport.pdf

[volmeister]

Seeing that we are in the middle of no football season, thought you might enjoy going back in time. Truly one of the greatest comebacks of all times. Couldn't of happened against a better bunch (Notre Dame, at home and granny Holtz coaching). Only way it could have been better if it was against Bama, in AL or in the SEC championship game against them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOXrjUGBIIM&feature=player_embedded

Have to give Fulmer credit, that screen play call for the go ahead TD was brilliant.

This is a classic that should be shown to young players to never, never, never give up.

Lou Holtz turned in one of the worst coaching jobs in college football history that day. Jerome Bettis and Ricky Waters were running through our D like a hot knife through butter. All of a sudden Holtz abandons the run and starts throwing the ball all over the field.

[BrassVols]

Biggest blunder in John Ward's career with the initial call on ND's missed FG. Incredible that we didn;t completely block that with all the penetration there was.

[Chatta Vol]

I love me some Majors, out there in that ole school wool over coat.

yeah, Granny shit the bed on that one.

That return of the blocked kick just before the half was amazing....poor ole John Ward was heading to the pisser cause he thought it was over...the tone/excitement in his voice when he realized the play was still going was priceless....and then him saying at the end of the game:

The kick isssss good..no IT IS NO GOOD, IT IS NOOO GOOOD"

GDit I miss John Ward. I'm being very serious here. I just started thinking about growing up as a kid. I use to tape (cassette ;) all every game and then at the end during the post game show they would always go back and play all of J-dubs highlights. I would always hope for a high scoring game so the chance for him to have a hilarious/f'in awesome call was better...me and my best friend would ride around in our cars, just f'in ride around and listen to those tapes together and recite back along with JW and get all hyped up and laugh our asses off! God I miss John Ward! He meant everything to me as much as the football team itself did.

I remember sitting in a tree stand one Saturday (with about 20 lbs. of AA batteries in my pocket just in case...) It was the classic bammer game we lost 6-3 with a blocked GWing FG kick attempt by bammer and the f'in ball rolled 100 yards back down the field to set them for the GW kick, all with about 15 seconds left on the clock......I remember it being a boring game but but because it was so close the f'in suspense was unbearable. I hated bammer as much if not more than i do know and thats a lot...win they kicked that FG to win the game i thought i was gong to pass out and fall out of my stand...my stomach literally hurt for hours after the game. (I used to get physically ill when we lost, swear to god, i would be miserable today....and people say the LOM aren't true Vol fans???) Sidenote: as much as i hated being that upset after the game, that's actually the thing i miss about my Vols..my passion has waned severely...)

But anyway, as i close this ramble, just wanted to say i really, really miss
John Ward. It is a crying shame that kids/teens nowadays have Bob Kessling as the guy that is building their childhood/teen memories of their Vols. It's not Bobs fault, he is what he is but he's just no John Ward. Nobody is. :(

[wagee12]

Here ya go Chatt, I never get tired of hearing the call Ward made on the Gault kick return, "He's running all the way to the state capital!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61DnOsJd1Jc&feature=related

[etowahnative]

I love me some Majors, out there in that ole school wool over coat.

yeah, Granny shit the bed on that one.

That return of the blocked kick just before the half was amazing....poor ole John Ward was heading to the pisser cause he thought it was over...the tone/excitement in his voice when he realized the play was still going was priceless....and then him saying at the end of the game:

The kick isssss good..no IT IS NO GOOD, IT IS NOOO GOOOD"

GDit I miss John Ward. I'm being very serious here. I just started thinking about growing up as a kid. I use to tape (cassette ;) all every game and then at the end during the post game show they would always go back and play all of J-dubs highlights. I would always hope for a high scoring game so the chance for him to have a hilarious/f'in awesome call was better...me and my best friend would ride around in our cars, just f'in ride around and listen to those tapes together and recite back along with JW and get all hyped up and laugh our asses off! God I miss John Ward! He meant everything to me as much as the football team itself did.

I remember sitting in a tree stand one Saturday (with about 20 lbs. of AA batteries in my pocket just in case...) It was the classic bammer game we lost 6-3 with a blocked GWing FG kick attempt by bammer and the f'in ball rolled 100 yards back down the field to set them for the GW kick, all with about 15 seconds left on the clock......I remember it being a boring game but but because it was so close the f'in suspense was unbearable. I hated bammer as much if not more than i do know and thats a lot...win they kicked that FG to win the game i thought i was gong to pass out and fall out of my stand...my stomach literally hurt for hours after the game. (I used to get physically ill when we lost, swear to god, i would be miserable today....and people say the LOM aren't true Vol fans???) Sidenote: as much as i hated being that upset after the game, that's actually the thing i miss about my Vols..my passion has waned severely...)

But anyway, as i close this ramble, just wanted to say i really, really miss
John Ward. It is a crying shame that kids/teens nowadays have Bob Kessling as the guy that is building their childhood/teen memories of their Vols. It's not Bobs fault, he is what he is but he's just no John Ward. Nobody is. :(

Have to agree with you CV. You sound like me in my youth, especially when it came to my passion for the Vols and my love for Ward. I was reminded of that when watching this clip and listening to Ward's call of the game. Boy, do I miss him. Got a feeling that the passion may come back if Lane keeps doing what he is doing and if he and his staff can coach/manage a game like I think they can.

[Hermitagevol]

Lou Holtz turned in one of the worst coaching jobs in college football history that day. Jerome Bettis and Ricky Waters were running through our D like a hot knife through butter. All of a sudden Holtz abandons the run and starts throwing the ball all over the field.

You're right. I remember DC Larry Lacewell changed defenses and went with a five man line to stop ND's rushing attack.

[Chatta Vol]

Here ya go Chatt, I never get tired of hearing the call Ward made on the Gault kick return, "He's running all the way to the state capital!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61DnOsJd1Jc&feature=related

That's a GREAT call!!

Good lord I loved me some Wilie Gault. One of my earlier memories (i don't remember what game it was)....but my dad and I were up there in our season tix XX seats, it was late in the game and we were down and Gault was back our seats were in the corner of the endzone and when Gault received the punt, it took him to the opposite corner of the field. Before the kick I remember EVERYbody was on their feet and as they were breaking the huddle i was screaming "COME SEE ME WILLIE, COME SEE ME WILLIE, COME DOWN HERE AND SEE ME!!!" WG got the kick, took about 5-6 steps, made a move or 2 and found a crease and shot out of the pack like a cannon and ran STRAIGHT TO US! the thing is (and the thing I love about being there) is you could see the lane open up and you knew instantly "here he comes???"....he crossed the goal line right in front of us in our corner and we were all going crazy and you know how when shit breaks out like that you just start high fiving people you don't even know...i turned around and some guy snatched me up by the front of my shirt and shook the shit out of me and kept yelling "you did it kid, you did it, he came and saw you" LOL

EDTIT: Btw, my dad and I are DEFinitely going to a game or 2 this year. It will be the first time we've been to Neyland together since we got rid of our season tix of 25 years since the 05 debacle. Dad was a Fulmer fan but he had all he could take....so thanks Lane for bringing back the passion.

[LWSVOL]

Seeing that we are in the middle of no football season, thought you might enjoy going back in time. Truly one of the greatest comebacks of all times. Couldn't of happened against a better bunch (Notre Dame, at home and granny Holtz coaching). Only way it could have been better if it was against Bama, in AL or in the SEC championship game against them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOXrjUGBIIM&feature=player_embedded

Have to give Fulmer credit, that screen play call for the go ahead TD was brilliant.

This is a classic that should be shown to young players to never, never, never give up.



uploaded all the pictures from that trip to photobucket. Hope anyone interested can see okay. This was my second ND trip. Went to the game in 78 up there

http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l245/LWSVOL/91%20Notre%20Dame/

[HAWKVOL]

...I miss John Ward

[LegendofNation]

I know there is at least one fucker around here that doesnt like John Ward... HAW HAW HAW. OMG whatta dumbass that is.

Anyway, hearing those calls gives me goosebumps and brings a tear to my eye. NOTHING like hearing ward with the TOUCHDOWN, BIG ORANGE!! Or when a short yardage run was stuffed: NO! NO! NO! Or perhaps the best after a big sack: BANG!

We ALWAYS, and I mean always listened to Ward call the games when I was growing up.

He twists, dives, churns, hurdles, fights, powers his way to the endzone!

[dd4vols]

Coldest game I have ever sat through! Was like a high of 9.....thank God we had a little anti-freeze in our many coat pockets!

:)

[egbert]

...in celebration and momentarily forgot that we WEREN'T kicking! Either that or he just saw the ND players putting hands up like it was good, only to have their hearts torn out.

I had stopped taping that sorry game just before the blocked FG before the half...I would have had the thing bronzed if I had kept on taping it.

[SonofGryllus]

I know the Florida State game should be, but the Miracle at South Bend is my favorite game. John Ward served as the eyes of fans like me for so many years. The one thing I would wish for is one more year of him doing the games.