KNOXVILLE, Tenn. โ Gus Manning, a 1950 University of Tennessee grad who would spend his career working in the Tennessee Athletics Department, has died at 99 years old.
Messages and condolences from fans of Manning and Vol Nation poured in all through social media.
UT said Manning was the "last remaining administrative link with direct ties to Gen. Robert R. Neyland."
According to UT's "A True Volunteer Legend," Manning played a significant role in the athletics department. He was the sports information director, administrative assistant to senior associate athletics director, ticket manager and travel booker, among other titles.
Manning worked closely with Gen. Robert R. Neyland. He was hired by Neyland as UTโs sports information director a year after graduating from the university.
He continued his career at UT until his retirement in 2000. He worked with 11 coaches and eight athletics directors throughout his time at UT.
Remembering Gus Manning
"This is a tremendous loss," longtime friend and former Tennessee football coach and administrator Phillip Fulmer said. "We've lost a major piece of Tennessee history. Gus Manning is an icon. His personality and humor made him a pleasure to be around. And his historical knowledge about all that makes Tennessee Athletics special was second-to-none. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
UT Athletics said Manning's legacy extended to the Southeastern Conference as he was a "longtime fixture at SEC functions and championship events and provided trusted counsel to several league commissioners."
"Gus Manning leaves behind a legacy that not only touched the University of Tennessee, but also the entire Southeastern Conference," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "Gus was involved in every area of Tennessee Athletics over the decades with his array of responsibilities and developed relationships throughout the SEC that made him an icon, not only on Rocky Top but throughout the Conference. He was a fixture for many years at the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament and a regular presence at other events. Condolences to his family, the University of Tennessee and his many, many friends across the SEC and the country."
UT said from 1960-2016, he co-hosted "The Locker Room" radio show with Haywood Harris and Bud Ford, which aired on The Vol Network on UT football gamedays and is the longest, continuous-running sports radio show in the country. He also co-authored two books with Harris.
"No doubt Gus Manning was a true legendโnot only at Tennessee but also throughout the Southeastern Conference and national athletic circles," Ford, now Tennessee Athletics' official historian, said. "He was a principal figure in the growth of Tennessee Athletics as we know it today.
"For me personally, Gus was bigger than life and responsible for me being hired at UT. I had the great privilege to witness his ability as an administrator firsthand and spent many hours traveling with him to Tennessee sporting events all across the South. His recall of Gen. Neyland and stories of UT football and basketball games was amazing. I will always be grateful to have had a career opportunity at UT and to be mentored by two great men in Gus Manning and Haywood Harris."
Manning was born in Knoxville and started going to UT games at Shields-Watkins Stadium in the 1930s, according to the athletics department. He enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating from Rule High School and served three years in the Pacific during World War II.
UT Athletics said Manning served as president of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame from 1987-89 and was inducted in 1994. He is also a member of the TSSAA Football Officials Hall of Fame and received the organization's 50-Year Award in 2002. Manning also was a member of the inaugural class of the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame in 2006.
He joined the selection committee of the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 and was honored twiceโearning special recognition in 1998 and receiving the Pat Summitt Ignite Greatness Award in 2018. He also received a service award from the UT Letterman's T-Club in 2015.
In 2019, he was inducted into the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame.
On June 22, 2015, Gate 16 at Neyland Stadium was officially named "The Gus Manning Gate" thanks to a gift in his honor by Peyton and Ashley Manning.
"My thoughts and prayers are with Gus's son, Sammy, and the entire family," Peyton Manning said. "I was honored to call Gus Manning my friend. No one has served the University of Tennessee better than Gus. He was the ultimate Volunteer, and he will be missed dearly. What a life! May he rest in peace."