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Where were you when . . . Clint Stoerner fumbled?

Will at Southeastern Sports Blog is back at it, this time with a dramatic re-telling of the 1998 Tennessee-Arkansas game:

I've heard all kinds of stories from my friends and other Vol fans about fights breaking out in the Neyland Stadium concourse because so many people tried to leave after Martin's incompletion, but they didn't get out of the stadium before Stoerner's fumble, and everyone's trying to get back to their seats in violent fashion. This is why you never leave early.

. . . .

The look on the Arkansas' fans faces after the game, I've seen before. Not at the time, but I've worn it myself since.

It has many names in the SEC. Tennessee fans call it The Jabar Gaffney Face, from his catch/no catch in the final seconds against Florida in 2000. Or The David Greene Face from his final drive in Knoxville the following year.

Florida fans had broken in The Collins Cooper Face earlier in the 1998 season, but we were all too busy to notice because we hated them so much. And on this night, Arkansas was introducing themselves to The Clint Stoerner Face.

Go read the whole thing and then come back because I have a question for you.

Now come on. I mean it. Go read the whole thing.

Okay. The question: Where were you while all of this was happening?

My story:

I was watching on t.v. in a townhome complex off Middlebook Pike in Knoxville. The units are adjoined, and you could always hear your neighbors through the walls during Tennessee games.

Well, some visiting idiot was out trying to sell magazine subscriptions during this game, and he could hear the excitement from within at every door on which he was knocking. He could hear, but that didn't stop him from interrupting. You know the type.

Anyway, right after Stoerner's fumble, the neighborhood exploded. The knock on my door came almost immediately after that.

You know the drill. The pock-marked traveling salesman knows he has less than three seconds to scale the mark's defenses by establishing rapport. This guy thought he had just the trick.

"Who's winning?" he asked with feigned enthusiasm.

I was still coming down off the excitement of The Stumble/Fumble, and there was no way in Perdition that I was going to waste ten of the finest seconds of Tennessee football history explaining the situation to a guy who only wanted to know so he could sell me something. Instead, I just shouted "Arkansas!" while still fixated on the t.v.

"Yes!" the guy yelled, and my peripheral vision registered that he had pumped his fist for added effect.

Dude didn't even know what state he was in.

I never turned to look at him. I just closed the door. I'm sure he subsequently flipped me off because that's how those encounters usually end, but I never saw it. I was too busy watching Travis Henry devour the shocked Razorback defense.

So how about you? What was happening where you were at that fateful moment?

0 recs  |  Comment 19 comments

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I was there

In the upper deck of Neyland Stadium, sharing whiskey with a pair of fellows who brought more than they needed.

"Florida didnt win their first SEC title until 1991 and now they think they invented football."
-Ron Zook

by rustytanton on Jul 11, 2008 9:30 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I had been in China for the entire season up until that game...

and i was watching with buddies in green hills in nashville when the “buddies” decided that the vols were losing because i was a) back in the country and b) jinxing their normal group who had watched the undefeated season up until that point.

One wise guy started to call airlines to get me to mexico before the end of the game but they settled on sending me to the porch, beyond the screen door…which is where i was sitting, laughing, drunk, when they erupted and i was allowed back inside as the ploy had caused a fumble and redemption.

the end.

i missed the bulk of that season studying gardens in china (which was AWESOME!)...but once a week, i called home to get football scores and held my breath that the vols were still undefeated.

by guilded on Jul 11, 2008 10:38 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

IN THE DAWG HOUSE

I was in my Dawg House praying to the Football God’s that some thing would happen so we could the ball back, then my prayers were answered. The great fumble, we got the ball and won the game, and the rest was history.. GO VOLS !!!!! Old SMokey

OLD SMOKEY

by volman on Jul 11, 2008 12:29 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I was

10 miles down the road at my sister’s apartment watching the game. 3 of us were standing in front of the TV, holding hands, praying for the ball back. God answers prayers and thus Stoerner becomes one of our MVPs of the season.

by BlueVol03 on Jul 11, 2008 2:10 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Wyoming.

Still an undergrad at UW at the time. I remember that the game was pretty wild, but Tenessee was little more than one of those East Coast teams to me at the time. But even at that, I was pulling for them for the championship.

by Hooper on Jul 11, 2008 3:22 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

POTS

In the Pride of the Southland. Dumbfounded that the team just pissed away their chance at an undefeated season…and then IT happened.

Lord, many miracles were answered at that moment!

by Aerobab on Jul 11, 2008 10:29 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

In the pit of despair.

Sulking my ass off in YY, until…

And then being extremely grateful I was raised to never leave the game early.

by Holly on Jul 12, 2008 12:07 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

fiddlesticks

I can’t seem to turn the cursing off. Feel free to redact me.

by Holly on Jul 12, 2008 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

lol

You are too funny. ;-)

Go Vols!

by Joel on Jul 12, 2008 7:57 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

It's EDSBS to blame.

I need a switch to flip when I’m in polite company!

by Holly on Jul 12, 2008 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Pardon me Ray

My wife and I were staying at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. When we recovered that fumble the roof nearly lifted off the Choo Choo. I was sick that I wasn’t at the game but every room in the place was celebrating!

by RoaneRocket on Jul 12, 2008 9:11 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

FYI

I found YouTubery of the end of that game. It’s in the FanShots.

by Hooper on Jul 12, 2008 9:25 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

fending of The Huns

I was probably being yelled at by a gunnery sargeant for not having my gig line straight. LOL!

I was going through helicopter crew chief school at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton in lovely San Diego, Ca. I didn’t get to see the game live, only the highlights. I was jumping up and down in the lounge in the barracks because of what happened but my fellow Marines couldn’t join me on the excitement because they were too busy wrestling w/each other.

Marines are crazy…God love ‘em!

"DUDE..."

by LOUtheMETandNATSfan on Jul 14, 2008 1:12 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I was ...

In Section G braving the cold, steady mist and sick to my stomach that we were going to lose the shot at the national championship, and I think I actually saw God’s hand reach down from heaven and flick Stoerner on the butt, making him fumble the ball. Me and my dad were sitting with some Arkansas fans, and we kept our mouths shut because they were friends, but they were as sick as we were thrilled.

by The Ghost on Jul 14, 2008 5:43 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I was at the game under the upper deck in the dry sitting next to my dad. Being a typical 16 year old at the time I was begging him to leave early so we could avoid the traffic. Then it happened, and I learned then and there that my dads advice was correct, always stay until the clock reads :00. I will never forget the drunk guy below me after the game giving everyone high fives and yelling “see ya in Tempe”!

by Travass on Jul 15, 2008 6:26 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah

Never, never, never leave early. The worse it looks, the bigger the miracle, and you don’t want to miss that.

Go Vols!

by Joel on Jul 15, 2008 9:19 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Clint Stoerner

I was with a group of about 40 Tennessee fans at a Sports Bar called Legends. We normally hung out at a place called Choppers, but Choppers couldn’t get this particular game. That was because NBC, in their infinate wisdom, decided to carry 6-1 Notre Dame vs 2-7 Navy instead of 8-0 Tennessee and 8-0 Arkansas in Colorado.

So, we are watching the game, and even after the 4th down incompletion, I have hope. I announce “I’m probably in denial here, but if we hold them without a first down, we will get the ball back. Granted, it will be with about 30 seconds left and we wll have the ball at our 20 or so, but we haven’t lost yet.”

Then the fumble happened. Some people weren’t even watching the play. People were screaming “what happened?!” I said “Stoerner dropped the ball! Nobody even touched him!! Here, watch the replay, this is great!”

After the first run to the 28, I knew we were in Field Goal range. Then the 13. I was excited. Then the 2. I got panic stricken all the sudden. “Whatever you do, don’t fumble the damn thinig!” I was really worried.

Then we scored. One of the guys bought a bottle of bubbly and passed out shot glasses so we could toast the win as soon as it was official. And we did.

by Galilee on Jul 18, 2008 6:05 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Thanks for the story!

I can’t think of a single reason why they’d show ND over a pair of undefeateds in Colorado. As I recall, ND had their fair share of followers in the Rockies, but nothing to justify that kind of love Musta been a screwy contract.

by Hooper on Jul 18, 2008 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

By the way

I attended UT from 1982-1986. In the 1884 UT – ‘Bama game, UT trailed 27-14 in the 4th quarter. I was sitting there thinking “I’m going to be pissed after this game. I’m either going to be pissed because I stayed here and we lost, or I’m going to be pissed because I left early and we won. I wanna win, so I’m leaving!”

I left, got back to the Dorm (Andy Holt, for you Vols), and listened to it on the radio. I know it’s stupid, but I actually felt somehat responsible for the win. Like, if I hadn’t left, we would have lost. Hey, what do you expect, I was 19 at the time.

by Galilee on Jul 18, 2008 6:17 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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