Tennessee Vols Top 30 Memorable Moments of the Adidas Era

Nov 1, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gators helmet against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at EverBank Field. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 38-20. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

18. The Florida Gators Lose Twice in Football in 1997

You know those times when your favorite team wins a football game and now you get to relax and watch other teams play to see if whatever happens helps your team? That is exactly what the Tennessee Volunteers did in 1997.

After their fifth straight loss to Florida in Peyton Manning’s senior year, it had to take great leadership from Manning and other guys to keep the team from quitting on the year. They held strong and continued to win their games, and it paid off.

The Gators, who had not lost an SEC game since 1994 at the time, were shocked by the LSU Tigers, and just a couple of weeks later they got blown out by the Georgia Bulldogs. The two losses propelled the Vols to first in the East and their chance to go to their first SEC Championship game since the divisional split in 1992.

It was nothing but jubilation for a fan base starving for a title, and it opened the door for Manning to get one after he had stayed his senior season at Tennessee. Those two losses meant the world to fans in Knoxville.

Next: #17: Men's Basketball Upsets No. 1 Kansas in 2009