Kelly McKeethan
Orange-Blooded: The Veins of My Life is one man’s story of how Big Orange football has touched his life. It is a journey with many peaks and a few valleys along the way.
Read about how one Tennessee fan has lived and died with the fortunes of his team over the past three decades. Relive the joy and pain of each game since 1982 through the memories of the author!
Kelly McKeethan is an avid lifelong Big Orange fan. He is from Oak Ridge, Tennessee and is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. While a UT student he worked in the athletic department as a math tutor. He has attended many UT football games over the years, including every SEC championship game in which the Vols have played. He also attended the Women’s Final Four in Tampa in 2008 and watched the Lady Vols win their eighth national title. Today Mr. McKeethan lives in Chattanooga with his wife and two kids.
As the clock counted down, I turned John Ward on the radio to get his call. He said, “Martin takes the snap from center and goes to one knee. This football game is coming to a close. This football season is coming to a close! Tennessee fans come from everywhere. Media come from everywhere. We’ll count it down with you – five, four, three, two, one. The national champion is clad in BIG ORANGE!!!! Final Score Tennessee 23 Florida State 16" I immediately dropped to my knees and began crying.
Immediately I called Dad. Even though my folks didn’t have caller ID, he knew who it was. He answered by saying, “We Won It!” As we talked about the victory, he said he was a small kid the last time we won the national title. The tears resumed their journey down my face. I didn’t dry them and let them drip to the floor.
Other long-time friends called throughout the evening. We celebrated, shouted, shed tears of joy, and reminisced about the season and seasons past. After so many years of getting close, we were on top of the football world! The years of frustration, all the close losses, and the accompanying post-game tirades were worth it to get to this point. We had persevered climbing the mountain, and now we were going to enjoy the view.
I stayed up well into the morning, listening to the post-game show on the Vol Network and watching coverage on ESPN. When I showed up for work around lunch the next day, Paul had both hands raised in jubilation. I slapped both hands and put both arms around him. Once again, the tears were uncontainable. I spent most of the afternoon talking to my co-workers about the amazing season.
When I look back on my life, there are a few days that I truly call great. Obviously the days my two kids were born are at the top of the list, followed closely by our wedding day. January 4, 1999, is right behind those blessed events.
