Randy Smith: Second Thoughts About Bristol

  • Monday, August 29, 2016
  • Randy Smith
Randy Smith
Randy Smith
A few days ago I posted practically every reason not to go to the Battle at Bristol on Sept. 10. I took a little heat for it. It was good natured heat of course but it made me think twice before I decide to just stay at home at watch on television. As I thought more about the three and a half hour drive to the mountains of east Tennessee and Virginia, I came to realize this was a significant historical event.
You see, the largest crowd to ever watch a football game in this country will be there.

In 2013, the University of Michigan set the all-time record with close to 120,000 fans as the Wolverines hosted Notre Dame. If all tickets are sold at Bristol, the crowd will approach or even surpass 150,000 people. That would easily be a new record crowd. There are photos on the internet showing Neyland Stadium sitting inside the Bristol Motor Speedway; a picture that is mind boggling when you consider the sheer mass of the venue. One particular aspect to consider is the amazing heighth of the facility. It seems to be at least twice as high as Neyland, so I feel really sorry for those who buy tickets way up there.

Okay....to be a part of a really significant historical event like this would be a treat; something you can look back fondly on the rest of your life. I would imagine you would want to buy a lot of junk that says, "I was there for the Battle at Bristol, Sept. 10, 2016." I would also think you would like to take a lot of pictures that also prove you were there in attendance.

In January of 1968, Houston and UCLA met at the Astrodome in Houston in a thriller in front of more than 52,000 fans; at that time, the record for college basketball attendance. The game has been billed as the most important game in college basketball history because of the huge impact it made. That game alone has been given credit for bringing about what we all refer to today as "March Madness." Elvin Hayes from Houston against Lew Alcindor(later to be known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar) of UCLA. Houston pulled off the upset with a 71-69 win, with millions more watching on television.

Now, I don't propose that the "Battle at Bristol" will have that kind of significance for college football, but  it will be a significant event in the history of the two schools involved. Tennessee, one of the top ten programs of all time and Virginia Tech, also a traditional college power, with great fan following. The Vols are currently ranked ninth in the pre-season poll, while the Hokies are unranked with a new head coach, Justin Fuentes replacing legendary Coach Frank Beamer. The Volunteers are favored in the game as they should be, but I don't think it will be a cake walk.

For Tennessee fans, who are excited beyond belief as the season gets underway this week, can look at this game as just a huge part of what cpuld become  a magical college football season. A season that could include a shot at an SEC title as well as a national playoff position. If all that comes to fruition, the "Battle at Bristol" takes on even more significance. 

As for now, there is no questioning the importance of attending the game if you are a true college football fan. Not just Tennessee and Virginia Tech fans but college fans in general. Just to say "you were there" would be amazing.
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. He is currently teaching Broadcasting at Coahulla Creek High School near Dalton, Ga.

His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for thirty years.

He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga Television for more than a quarter-century.

In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, (Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith.) They have four grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, DellaMae and CoraLee.
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