Georgia fans are trying to disrupt a historic Tennessee tradition
The Vol Navy is a proud and longstanding Tennessee tradition. With origins dating back over 60 years, Tennessee faithful sail down the Tennessee River and up to Neyland Stadium well before UT games, with drinks, music, and laughter abundant among the orange-clad Vol faithful on their dockside flotilla. A group of Georgia fans are […]
The Vol Navy is a proud and longstanding Tennessee tradition. With origins dating back over 60 years, Tennessee faithful sail down the Tennessee River and up to Neyland Stadium well before UT games, with drinks, music, and laughter abundant among the orange-clad Vol faithful on their dockside flotilla.
A group of Georgia fans are looking to add a little bit of red to the river.
According to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, the "DawgNation Invasion on the Tennessee River" will take place on Saturday, November 18 before the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers face off in Neyland Stadium. "DawgNation" has chartered the riverboat "Star of Knoxville" to accommodate up to 200 Bulldog fans. The itinerary calls for a cruise up the river for 2 hours, followed by an hour of dock time. Each ticket provides each fan up to 5 drink tickets.
The Vol Navy tradition began in 1962, when radio broadcaster George Mooney, in an attempt to circumvent traffic around the stadium, took his boat down the Tennessee River and up to the stadium. The concept quickly grew legs, and a Tennessee tradition was born.
From Calhoun's on the River down to the Wayne G. Basler Boathouse, fans tie up to each other several rows deep on game day. The capacity expanded in 2019 with the addition of a new 600-foot dock, adding further capacity for Tennessee – one of only three schools (Washington and Baylor) to allow fans to arrive to the stadium by boat – to accommodate fans looking to "sailgate" before the game.
Now, Vol fans can expect to see and hear some two-fisting full-grown adults barking at them from the middle of the Tennessee River as they get ready for Tennessee's biggest football game of the season.
Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports