They came from different backgrounds and took a variety of routes and modes of transportation to arrive in Omaha, but the common thread that bound so many Chattanooga-area folks together this past weekend was a love of baseball, family and their University of Tennessee sports fandom.
Regardless of how impractical the trip may have been, whether it was catching an early-morning flight or making the 12-plus hour drive through the night, the combination of attending a game at Charles Schwab Field and the final result of seeing their beloved Volunteers win the school’s first national championship in a men’s sport since 1998 also cinched one other bond: the more ridiculous the travel scenario, the sweeter the end result became.
Once the Vols recorded the final out to pull off their nation-leading 30th come-from-behind win to even the College World Series championship at a game apiece on Sunday afternoon, Steve Garland let his fandom create a potentially crazy itinerary.
(READ MORE: College World Series champion Vols parade through Knoxville)
Understanding how absurd the plan was, Garland did what any smart husband would by checking with his wife before putting it into action. Garland and his entire family were vacationing in Panama City Beach, Florida, but after UT forced a deciding Game 3 with Texas A&M — and with his wife’s blessing — he began searching for flights from nearby Ft. Walton Beach to Omaha.