Tennessee
Tennessee woman wins record for world’s longest female mullet
What does one get by going 33 years without a haircut? Tennessee’s Tami Manis knows – the world record for longest mullet on a female.
Manis, 58, spoke on Thursday about her path to clinching what is arguably one of the most unusual marks maintained by Guinness world records. In an interview published by the organization known for curating a database of more than 40,000 world records, she revealed how the music video for the 1985 song Voices Carry by the rock band ‘Til Tuesday inspired her to begin growing her hair particularly long in the back.
“The girl had a rat tail,” said Manis, a public health nurse from Knoxville, which is home to the University of Tennessee. “And I really wanted one of those.”
That hairstyle for which Manis felt an admiration was a spin-off of the short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back hairstyle made popular in the 1980s and 1990s by the actor Patrick Swayze, the musician Billy Ray Cyrus and the Serie A star Roberto Baggio, among other heart-throbs. Manis had a good mullet going in the fall of 1989 when she had it cut and immediately felt pangs of regret.
In February 1990 she went back to the salon: the last time she would trim the back of her hair. She said she has not cut it since, and it now measures 5ft 8in (172.7cm).
Unsurprisingly, it is a frequent topic of conversation with friends, family and passing acquaintances, many of whom do not even realize how long her mullet is until she turns around. As she recounted to Guinness, many people who meet Manis again after randomly encountering her years earlier find themselves recalling who she is simply because of her mullet.
“The weirdest thing I find is that people remember me from years ago,” Manis said.
Last year, Manis signed up to compete in the US mullet championships, which annually draws more than 1,000 applicants. Judges evaluating the “length, style, uniqueness and showmanship” of each mullet awarded Manis the competition’s $300 runner-up prize – the top $500 prize went to Alexa Lindsey of Holland, Michigan, who has since died, records show.
Guinness then created its own record category for longest competitive mullet. Manis felt she had a shot, so she applied to be considered for the female record, a process that involved making a video that documented the length of her hair.
She eventually learned by email that she had secured the title and still recalls the moment when she received the package containing her Guinness certificate officially recognizing her as the woman with the world’s longest mullet.
“When I opened it, I thought, ‘This is amazing,’” she said.
Manis said her set of good genes has helped her grow her hair as long and thick as it is.
She said she washes her mullet with products from the manufacturer Hask, including shampoo and conditioner with argan oil in it.
She also usually keeps it braided because her mullet is longer than she is tall.
On its website, Guinness notes that the mullet never really died out, even if its popularity faded beginning in the latter part of the 1990s. Iran’s government, for instance, had to ban the style for being too decadent.
After many hair salons closed during activity restrictions meant to slow the spread of the Covid pandemic, mullets have enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence.
Manis said she never bothered tracking the ebbs and flows of mullets’ popularity.
“I have just kept the hairstyle,” Manis said.
Texas A&M baseball fans knew that their team was facing an uphill battle as they hit the road for a weekend series against the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in a rematch of the 2024 College World Series.
But Friday night’s battle was like trying to climb Mount Everest with two broken legs.
The Aggies dropped below .500 Friday night in game one of the weekend series, losing in a run rule-shortened affair to the Volunteers in Knoxville, 10-0.
And to add salt to the wound, the Aggies were held to zero hits on the night, their only base runners coming on two walks by the Tennessee pitching.
One of those walks was to Jace LaViolette, who just so happened to break another Texas A&M baseball record, this one for most career walks for the Maroon and White, having taken his 141st career ball four Friday night.
The Volunteers began their scoring with a pair of home runs by first baseman Andrew Fischer, first a solo shot in the second inning, and then a three-run round-tripper the following inning, giving the Vols a 4-0 lead after three innings.
Tennessee third baseman Dean Curley would extend the lead with a solo home run in the fifth inning, giving the top-ranked team a 5-0 advantage leading into the sixth inning, which is where Tennessee sealed the deal on the night.
After two RBI singles by shortstop Ariel Antigua and designated hitter Dalton Bargo, center fielder Hunter Ensley put the dagger in the visiting team with a three-run home run, giving the reigning national champions a 10-0 lead.
The Aggies would go down in order in the top of the seventh, resulting in their first run-ruling of the season.
Many might believe that the team used up all their offense in their most recent midweek game against Incarnate Word, where they scored an incredible 21 runs, which could easily cover two games, but it had to be known that the top-ranked team in the nation was not going to be just another game on the schedule.
Due to inclement weather scheduled to be in the Knoxville area over the weekend, the final two games of the series will be a doubleheader Saturday. Game one will be at 2:00 p.m. and game two will follow up at 6:00 p.m. Both games will be available on SEC Network.
Chase Dollander was called up by the Colorado Rockies on Friday, setting up the Tennessee baseball product to make his MLB debut.
Dollander is the seventh player from the Tony Vitello era to reach the major leagues. The No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft is the third to do so with the Rockies, following outfielder Jordan Beck and pitcher Seth Halvorsen. Beck and Halvorsen made their MLB debuts last season and are on the Rockies’ roster.
Dollander was ranked as the No. 25 MLB prospect in January and is Colorado’s top prospect. He is 27-11 with a 3.32 ERA in 69 minor league games with 66 starts. He has 466 strikeouts in 339 innings with 120 walks.
He made 23 starts in the minor leagues between High-A Spokane and AA Hartford last season. He was 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 118 innings with 47 walks. He opened the season with AAA Albuquerque, where he made one start and struck out five in four innings of one-run baseball.
Chase Dollander called up to MLB by Colorado Rockies
Dollander had 238 strikeouts in 168 innings at Tennessee and had a 3.64 ERA at Tennessee in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Evans, Georgia, native went 10-0 with a 2.39 ERA in 2022 and was named the SEC pitcher of the year. He earned numerous All-American honors for his sophomore season. He was 7-6 with a 4.75 ERA as a junior in 2023, but settled in late in the season after a rocky start in the first couple months.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Dollander struck out 10 or more batters nine times in 31 starts for Tennessee.
He is the highest-drafted pitcher under Vitello and only Christian Moore was drafted higher. Moore was picked No. 8 by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Dollander transferred to Tennessee after a strong freshman season at Georgia Southern, where he was 4-3 with a 4.01 ERA.
Chase Dollander is the seventh Vol coach by Tony Vitello to reach MLB
Dollander is the fifth Vol currently in the major leagues.
Pitcher Garrett Crochet debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 2020 when he skipped the minor leagues and debuted in the same year he was drafted No. 11 overall. He earned an all-star bid in 2024 as a star starter for the White Sox, who traded him to the Boston Red Sox before the 2025 season.
Pitcher Ben Joyce debuted for the Los Angeles Angels on May 29, 2023, less than a year after the hard-throwing reliever was selected in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Beck, who was the No. 38 pick in the 2022 draft, made his debut with the Colorado Rockies on April 30, 2024. Halvorsen was called up on August 30, 2024, and made his debut a day later with the Colorado Rockies.
Andre Lipcius made his debut on Sept. 1, 2023 with the Detroit Tigers, who drafted Lipcius in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft with the No. 83 pick. Trey Lipscomb debuted with the Washington Nationals on March 30, 2024. He was picked in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Lipcius and Lipscomb are currently at AAA with the White Sox and Nationals, respectively.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
SELMER, Tenn. (WMC) – The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reports more than 20 injuries and multiple deaths in McNairy County.
Action News 5 has learned from several county officials that four people lost their lives after an EF-3 tornado hit the county overnight Thursday.
Action News 5’s crews on the ground Thursday saw several areas near the middle of Selmer, Tennessee, and outskirts of the town destroyed.
Some businesses and homes received significant damage, others are gone.
The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Selmer Community Center and is offering hot meals to those in need.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Congressman David Kustoff, and other state officials surveyed damage in Selmer on Thursday.
Law enforcement agencies in and outside of Selmer are assisting with emergency recovery efforts, including the Selmer Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and others.
Tennessee Task Force One, from Memphis, also assisted with recovery efforts.
The threat of severe weather is not over yet. Emergency officials are urging residents to be vigilant as rain and potential flooding are expected throughout the week.
Click here to sign up for our newsletter!
Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.
Copyright 2025 WMC. All rights reserved.
Jayson Tatum explains Boston Celtics starter needs more ‘street cred’
Denver officer killed in 1925 honored with memorial sign 100 years later
Ballard Bridge weekend closures coming this spring
Woman swept off Mission Beach jetty still recovering in hospital, family says
Milwaukee Brewers beat Reds, Tyler Alexander sharp in start
-
News1 week agoTrump Is Trying to Gain More Power Over Elections. Is His Effort Legal?
-
Politics1 week agoTexas DOGE bill passes Senate to streamline state regulations
-
News1 week agoFederal judge who drew Trump's anger picks up new case against administration
-
World1 week agoUS Army says vehicle of four missing soldiers found in Lithuania
-
News1 week agoLeShon Johnson, Ex-N.F.L. Running Back, Ran Major Dogfighting Kennel, U.S. Says
-
Sports1 week agoStraight Outta L.A.: Ice Cube's new BIG3 team is the Riot and 'here to shake things up'
-
Technology1 week agoSome Kindles now let you double-tap anywhere to turn the page
-
Lifestyle1 week agoTiny Love Stories: ‘I Asked Him Back to My Place’