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Ranking Sports Illustrated’s Tennessee Vols covers with SI’s future in flux

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Ranking Sports Illustrated’s Tennessee Vols covers with SI’s future in flux


Sports Illustrated may be on the road to extinction after 70 years, and so could those iconic Tennessee Vols SI covers.

The Associated Press reported SI is planning to lay off most or all its staff. Time will tell if that holds true.

UT athletes, coaches and even fans have been featured on dozens of SI covers over the decades, and it’s hard to pick a favorite.

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But here are our top five SI covers of the Vols.

1. ‘Peerless’ national championship performance

Peerless means unequaled or unrivaled. So Peerless Price, the star of UT’s national championship game, was perfectly cast for the SI cover on Jan. 11, 1999.

It was released one week after the Vols beat Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl for a perfect 13-0 record and a national title.

The complete headline said, “No doubt about it: The Vols are Peerless.” But most UT fans only remember it as the “Peerless” cover, which featured the wide receiver scoring a 79-yard touchdown pass from Tee Martin in the fourth quarter.

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More: Relive Tennessee football’s epic 1998 national championship with this commemorative book

Granted, many UT fans recall a different SI cover from that national title. It featured Martin and the headline, “PerfecT.” That cover is framed on walls throughout Tennessee to this day.

So why isn’t it on this list? It was a commemorative issue and not the weekly magazine. It’s a technicality, but both were memorable covers for the Vols.

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2. ‘The Tennessee Waltz’

On Oct. 7, 1985, UT quarterback Tony Robinson donned the cover with the headline, “The Tennessee Waltz.”

Any UT fan of that era (or many years afterward) knows that image. They also recall the game that produced it – the Vols’ 38-20 upset of No. 1 Auburn.

Veteran SI writer Rick Reilly penned the cover story. It was evident that he went to Knoxville to write about eventual Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson.

Instead, SI called an audible when Robinson tossed four TD passes to shock the top-ranked team in college football. The Vols seized the opportunity and stole the cover fair and square.

3. ‘Ernie and Bernie’ were double trouble

On Feb. 9, 1976, the cover said, “Double Trouble from Tennessee.”

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It could’ve easily said, “Ernie and Bernie,” referring to UT basketball stars Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King. That was the title of ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary on the hoops duo 40 years later.

From 1974-77, Grunfeld and King put UT basketball on the map with a 61-20 record, two NCAA tournament appearances and an SEC regular-season title in 1977.

The pair of New Yorkers brought a unique style and competitiveness to the Vols. And the SI cover caught them at their zenith, just before they were voted SEC Co-Players of the Year.

4. ‘The Wizard of Knoxville’

On March 2, 1998, the cover asked, “Is Tennessee’s Pat Summitt the best college basketball coach since John Wooden?”

The answer: Probably so.

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It was an NCAA tournament preview edition, and the Lady Vols were vying for a three-peat as national champions.

They won that third straight national title – the sixth of eight during Summitt’s reign – and finished with a perfect 39-0 record.

A month later, the Lady Vols were back on the SI cover: “Perfect” with a Chamique Holdsclaw photo. And there were several other covers that featured Summitt and UT women’s basketball.

But the “Wizard of Knoxville” cover gets the nod in this ranking because it featured a close-up of Summitt and her iconic stare. No other coach ever held such intensity in her face, and that cover captured that.

5. ‘In His Father’s Image’: Peyton and Archie

There could be a separate ranking just of Peyton Manning SI covers. He was a glossy fixture there for almost a quarter-century, but that run started when he was a Vols quarterback.

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The first time Peyton Manning appeared on the SI cover was Aug. 26, 1996.

It was a dual image. On the top, Peyton posed as the cover boy of the 1996 college football preview edition. On the bottom was an archived version of Archie’s 1970 cover.

The headline: “In His Father’s Image: Peyton Manning, Idol of No. 1 Tennessee.”

UT fans already knew Peyton Manning was a star. This cover introduced him to the rest of the country as Archie’s son. After that, Peyton stood alone.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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Titans OT Projected for All-Rookie Team

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Titans OT Projected for All-Rookie Team


The Tennessee Titans have revamped their offense for the upcoming season, and part of their upgrades have come in the form of some new players, some new to the team and others who have yet to play in the NFL.

One of those players is first-round rookie offensive tackle JC Latham, who the Titans took with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter listed his picks for the 2024 All-Rookie Team and tabbed Latham as the player at the tackle spot.

“Latham is another rookie tackle lining up at a new spot in the pros, moving to the left side with the Titans after stoutly holding down the right side at Alabama,” Reuter writes. “At 6-foot-6, 342 pounds, Latham will be a sturdy wall in pass protection for second-year quarterback Will Levis thanks to his wide base and 35 1/8-inch arms. Latham will also move defenders to create running lanes for new feature back Tony Pollard and backups Tyjae Spears and Hassan Haskins.”

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Latham joined quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears), running backs Trey Benson (Arizona Cardinals) and Ray Davis (Buffalo Bills), wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals) and Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs), tight end Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders), offensive linemen Joe Alt (Los Angeles Chargers), Jackson Powers-Johnson (Las Vegas Raiders), Tanor Bartolini (Indianapolis Colts) and Graham Barton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) on the list.

Latham was a right tackle at Alabama, but the Titans have plans for him to move to the left side to protect quarterback Will Levis’ blindside. He will have to adjust to the NFL level, but with offensive line coach Bill Callahan helping guide that transition, Latham is in extremely good and experienced hands.

Latham has been a coach in the NFL since the 1990’s and he was recently with the Cleveland Browns, who had one of the best units in the league last season. Now, Latham helps as an anchor for the Titans in the trenches as they look to improve from having one of the worst offensive lines in the league a year ago.

Make sure you bookmark All Titans for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!



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Tennessee Lands Two Players in MLB Mock Drat

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Tennessee Lands Two Players in MLB Mock Drat


The Tennessee Volunteers’ baseball program has landed two players in the latest 2024 MLB mock draft.

The Tennessee Volunteers took home the 2024 national championship after a historic season and the celebrations don’t look like they will be slowing down any time soon. The 2024 MLB draft is just a little over two weeks out from kicking off and the Volunteers have a couple of candidates that could go in the first round.

MLB.com released their latest version of a first-round 2024 MLB mock draft and two Volunteers were included on the list. Christian Moore was pinned as the 12th overall selection to the Boston Red Sox and Billy Amick 33rd overall to the Minnesota Twins in the supplemental first-round selections. Here is what the outlet wrote about Moore:

“Barring a surprise fall — perhaps Griffin or Rainer? — the Red Sox figure to dip into the second tier of college bats that begins with Tibbs and Moore, though Yesavage is also enticing. This is the ceiling for other members of that group, including Florida State third baseman Cam Smith, Wake Forest third baseman/outfielder Seaver King, Oklahoma State outfielder Carson Benge, Louisiana State third baseman Tommy White, North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt and Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt.”

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Moore was one of the best players in Omaha this year. In the first game against Florida State, he became just the second player in college World Series history to hit for the cycle. He was a crucial piece to Tennessee’s national championship-winning team. Over his three years at Tennessee, Moore finished with a .338 batting average, 61 home runs, 160 RBI and 162 starts, which is ironically the same number of games in a full MLB regular season.

Since the college football season came to an end, it has been an eventful offseason for Tennessee athletics. The men’s basketball team made a deep run in the March Madness tournament, the baseball program won its first-ever national title, Dalton Knecht was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA draft and now it looks like the Volunteers will add to that list when the MLB draft rolls around.

The MLB draft will start on July 14th and will run until July 16th. The draft will last 20 total rounds which will allow plenty of other opportunities for more Volunteers to be selected into the major league. The Volunteers have a history of success when it comes to the professional baseball league and it doesn’t look like the 2024 MLB draft will be any different than the previous years.

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8 of the Best Places to Retire in Tennessee

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8 of the Best Places to Retire in Tennessee


Discover retirement destinations across Tennessee, from eastern cities to western natural wonders. With mild weather, natural beauty, and low living costs, find your perfect spot among the 17% of residents aged 65+. Tour top destinations for retirees seeking city energy or country charm.



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