KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Saturday night at Neyland Stadium, the Tennessee Vols will take on the Kentucky Wildcats. The rivalry between both teams is one of the oldest in college football.
Their first game was in October 1893. Since then, both teams played against each other 117 times.
Bud Ford, an Athletic Historian with the University of Tennessee, said what makes this rivalry stand out is the shared border between both teams. The decades of competition also play a vital factor.
"We've played Kentucky consistently," Ford said. "When you play teams that long over the years, people remember certain games. I think that's part of familiarity with this contest is that a lot of people are familiar with Tennessee, Kentucky."
For the first time since 1951, both teams are in the top 25. Tennessee has 82 wins over Kentucky.
"That's the most games we've ever won over an opponent," Ford said.
In last year's game, the Vols took the lead by three points. The Vols' longest winning streak is 26 years, from 1985 to 2010.
Jim Haslam, a 1952 former Vols football player and founder of Pilot, knows the feeling of playing against a rival like Kentucky. He played against the Wildcats in 1950 under UT's coach General Robert Neyland.
"It was the coldest game you've ever seen. And we won. It was a great game, we won seven to nothing," Haslam said. "I still remember how cold it was, and Kentucky had a great team. They had a quarterback named Babe Parilli. They were undefeated coming in."
Haslam remembers that Friday gameday was marked by up to 15 inches of snow, which required people to shovel snow off the field.
"The stadium exceeded 50,000 despite the fact that was so cold. The place was full. It was just an unusual game," Haslam said.
The Vols won the 1950s home game again that day against the Wildcats.
As someone who was in their shoes 72 years ago, Haslam said being optimistic is crucial before stepping on that field.
"You never win a football game if you go in and say, 'I couldn't win.' Be optimistic," he said.
The businessman who founded Pilot said that he learned the greatest life lessons while being in the field.
"Be accountable, you're responsible for what you do. And that's one thing football holds you accountable for," Haslam said.
