Kelly McKeethan will drench himself in orange and make the familiar trip from Chattanooga to Knoxville today. But this trip is more than just watching Tennessee play UAB.
This trip — and 7-year-old Josh McKeethan doesn’t quite realize it yet — is one of the most memorable parts of an exhilarating, frustrating, maddening, emotional relationship. A relationship he’ll need every Saturday in the fall. Josh will see his first game at Neyland Stadium today.
Poor kid doesn’t even know what he’ll go through every year for the rest of his life. He could he? He’s too young to know that his dad, at the age of 5, told Santa Claus that the Volunteers “went 7-5, not too bad.” That he replayed Tennessee games on the floor of his room, the box score as his guide, using stuffed animals and toys. That he was more excited about the 1985 season than starting high school.
But we know about these tales thanks to McKeethan’s new book, “Orange-Blooded: The Veins of my Life,” released in July. It’s a compilation of stories and memories of Tennessee football over the last 35 years told by a fan who remembered almost every score. A fan who was nearly too dazed to pass the collection plate in church after the 1999 loss to Arkansas.
A fan who keeps the purple and yellow sippy cups at the back of the cupboard because of what LSU did in 2001.
So, yeah, maybe Josh does have some clue.
“People say, ‘You took awfully good notes,’” McKeethan said. “But no, I didn’t take any notes. It’s almost all from memory. Some details on rankings and yardage I looked up in the media guide. I wrote 90-95 percent from memory because it’s in my heart and in my head. I guess you remember what’s important to you.”
McKeethan, 38, started writing about Vols football 10 years ago through e-mails to three former roommates at the University of Tennessee, complete with game detail and a few personal notes. The e-mail list expanded over the last decade to include more friends, relatives and co-workers (and even me — they are quite thoughtful). He’s seen all but seven games either in person or on TV.
Friends told him to write a book. McKeethan, an actuary and a self-professed “math guy,” said he might after he retires. Then last year’s South Carolina game happened — an emotionally wrecking experience complete with comebacks, fumbles and penalties on missed field goals — and McKeethan knew he had to start writing.
“It hit me like it never had before that the emotional state of the people who live in Tennessee depends on what the Vols do 12 Saturdays out of the year,” he said.
McKeethan found an interested publishing company, AuthorHouse, and a contact there, a Notre Dame fan, said no group of fans take over Notre Dame Stadium like Tennessee fans. He understood the passion. A deal was done. McKeethan’s book can be purchased at authorhouse.com or at local Barnes & Noble stores.
Living in Chattanooga — McKeethan grew up in Oak Ridge — only enhanced his passion for Tennessee football. Yeah, living here made a kid who re-enacted Tennessee games with toys an even bigger fan.
In Oak Ridge, almost everyone considers orange a beautiful color. But Chattanooga is a melting pot of SEC football fans. You’ve got your Tennessees, your Georgias, your Vanderbilts, Auburns and Alabamas. You have to fight for your school in Chattanooga. And so an entire wall is painted orange in McKeethan’s basement.
“I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from people here. A few non-Tennessee fans bought the book and read about my life and told my Georgia and Alabama fans there’s plenty of victories over Tennessee mentioned,” McKeethan said. “A Georgia fan bought the book and said it was definitely written for a Tennessee fan, but a Georgia fan can definitely see how much pain they’ve caused me.”
And that’s what Josh McKeethan has in his future — some pain, but some unforgettable moments. One will be today, when he and his dad and cousins see 107,000 fans in person for the first time. He’s already starting to understand. When his dad woke him up on a Tuesday morning and told him UCLA defeated Tennessee, young Josh slammed his fist down on the bed.
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