Smoky Bears Off-season thread

[BarneySox2007]

3 hours ago, ThinkFastRunFast said:

People always laugh at me when I bring up the Smokey Bowl like it was never really a thing....Ticks me off, I remember it well...

Greeneville had the Tobaco Bowl and guess who played in it every year.

[noonesfool]

55 minutes ago, BarneySox2007 said:

Greeneville had the Tobaco Bowl and guess who played in it every year.

Gave you an up vote Barney in spit  of the fact you have two  “backer” bowls. One is the Burley Bowl (Burley Tobacco), it was held in Johnson City at Memorial Stadium from 1945-56 during a two day Tobacco Festival. GHS Stadium is still Burley Stadium and did have 14 tobacco bowls. Not sure they were consecutive due to WW2 and I believe Greeneville played in 2 or 3 other bowls during this time frame.

Edited July 1, 2023 by noonesfool

[MurphyCollege]

On 6/29/2023 at 5:02 PM, noonesfool said:

Murph, I would assume you know  Pete Stafford.

Unfortunately you have assumed wrong. Even though Barney gave us a good report on Mr. Stafford I would like to hear your stories of him. 

[MurphyCollege]

On 6/29/2023 at 9:25 PM, BarneySox2007 said:

Do you mean Pete Stafford. He coached just one year which was the 1967 season and went 3-6-1 then on to the Smokey Bowl and upset Powell 7-0 on Thanksgiving for their 4th win. Stafford was more well known as being head coach at South-Young in Knoxville for quite a few years but only stayed the 67 season with Sevier County. The Bears got Terry Sweeney to come back the following season in 68 but he could only muster a 5-4-2 season and left to coach Bradley Central the next year but he did go out with a big win in the Smokey Bowl against Newport 40-0. Sevier County could be bad as they could be but they always played in the Smokey Bowl every Thanksgiving.  Hard to believe a future Maryville High Head coach was on those staffs.

I miss the days when we beat newport. The school board should pass a resolution that only people that bear newport can tweet #JDIR. I really enjoyed the fact that sevier county beat Powell. I have to ask, which maryville head coach was on those staffs?

[MurphyCollege]

17 hours ago, ThinkFastRunFast said:

People always laugh at me when I bring up the Smokey Bowl like it was never really a thing....Ticks me off, I remember it well...

They should bring back the Smokey bowl. Make the playoffs 3 rounds and bowl games for the teams that don’t make it in. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of bowl games under the current regime. 

[MurphyCollege]

I really hope tlove13, LMAOc, notsowise50, PrideForce, jan8675309, FBistoophysicalforme, and all the other coaches that read the T know that this fall I’ll be at burchfiel stadium supporting them and cheering on the smoky bears. I even made a new shirt to show my purple pride on Friday nights.

#JDIR

#TEAM99

[BarneySox2007]

24 minutes ago, MurphyCollege said:

I miss the days when we beat newport. The school board should pass a resolution that only people that bear newport can tweet #JDIR. I really enjoyed the fact that sevier county beat Powell. I have to ask, which maryville head coach was on those staffs?

Don Story, he was Maryville's defensive coordinator when he came from Sevier County. He was a big reason Maryville won three state championships in the '70s. He also served his Maryville's head coach from 1981 to 1987. Coach Story also done well in the stock market and he has donated a fortune to Maryville High and the Blount County animal shelter. One of the greatest men I have ever met.

[BarneySox2007]

8 hours ago, MurphyCollege said:

They should bring back the Smokey bowl. Make the playoffs 3 rounds and bowl games for the teams that don’t make it in. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of bowl games under the current regime. 

Murphy they started the Little Smokey Bowl back in 1949 when Coach John Murray was the coach and all the proceeds went to the Lions Club and they continued that event up until 1970. The playoff system which came into effect in 1969 really made it hard for bowl games to exist after that. For me to look back and see that Sevier County with all the mediocre teams they had in the 50's and 60's went 17-1-3 in all those games tells me one thing. All those great Thanksgiving dinners everyone had before going to the game wasn't the only home cooking going on in Sevier County game day.

[STARSNBARS]

1 hour ago, BarneySox2007 said:

Murphy they started the Little Smokey Bowl back in 1949 when Coach John Murray was the coach and all the proceeds went to the Lions Club and they continued that event up until 1970. The playoff system which came into effect in 1969 really made it hard for bowl games to exist after that. For me to look back and see that Sevier County with all the mediocre teams they had in the 50's and 60's went 17-1-3 in all those games tells me one thing. All those great Thanksgiving dinners everyone had before going to the game wasn't the only home cooking going on in Sevier County game day.

Barn nose moore histree thain tha lait Mrs. Murry Barth......

[noonesfool]

14 hours ago, STARSNBARS said:

Barn nose moore histree thain tha lait Mrs. Murry Barth......

Barney needs to write that book on East Football.

[BarneySox2007]

This being a Sevier County Thread I wanted to share this true story with everyone. A six or seven years ago I was at the library reading old newspapers and I came across an article regarding a coach for Vonore High School back in 1968 who died of an apparent heart attack while playing at Porter High School. Two years ago I was helping a friend of mine named Dale and I knew he played for Porter in the mid late 60's and I ask him if he played during one of those years that happened. He got quiet and ask me to set down and he started in with not only was he there but on the field as it happened. He told me one of the Vonore players broke a long kickoff and the Vonore coach was running stride for stride as he was headed for the endzone. Dale was the last player that had a shot at the Vonore player and got a good hit on him to save a touchdown. He said when he got up he was carring on and didn't realize what had happened. He told me that coach had a massive heart attack during that big play and if he had it to do over again he would have let the kid of scored a touchdown. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. Later that summer I had a good friend that had went to Townsend High School and they have a school reunion everyyear. I told her I can't find much info about Townsend at the library and she invited me to go. As I was counting down the hours that Saturday morning I got on the computer and ran across that old article regarding that coach again who passed away during that football game. When I walked in I met two people that knew Townsend's history very well. One man was trying to tell me about their most cherished player from the first team back in 1926 I believe and how he went on and played pro football back in those days. That really didn't interest me that much then he said after his playing days he was a pretty famous coach in the area then mentioned he had a long career with Vonore. I then pieced it all together and ask if he died during a football game against Porter High and the man said yes. I sat stunned to death thinking what are the odds you read that article right before coming here and meet two people I've never met before in my life talking about the man I read about that died 53 years ago. The reason I'm telling this story on the Sevier County thread is that man was Labe Gregory and he was the head coach of Sevier County back in 1951 and 1952 before going to Vonore.

[MurphyCollege]

On 7/1/2023 at 9:08 PM, STARSNBARS said:

Barn nose moore histree thain tha lait Mrs. Murry Barth......

I believe he knows more than DNP also. However, Mr. Chandler was very smart and a very learned man. He would give Barn a run for his money.