Gus Manning Dies at the Age of 99

The man inseparable from the history of Tennessee athletics, Gus Manning, has died at the age of 99. Over half of his life was spent with the Volunteers.

Gus Manning defined Tennessee sports. Robert R. Neyland hired him as a student in 1946; since then, he has done it all. He was a sports information director, business manager, senior associate athletic director, and game manager for Tennessee football and basketball games. 

Manning was awarded the Business Manager of the Year award in 1989 by the College Athletic Business Managers Association and was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, where he also served as president. He co-hosted “The Locker Room” radio show for over 50 years. It is the longest, continuous-running sports radio show in the country. Manning also co-authored two books with one of his radio partners, Haywood Harris.

Despite no relation, Gus Manning had a great relationship with Peyton Manning. It was so close that when Peyton played in Indianapolis, he convinced the Colts that Gus was his grandfather so that he would be treated better. Peyton also chose his donations to the university in 2016 to result in naming gate 16 as “Gus Manning Gate.”

The ex-Marine walked on to the football team in 1947 and played baseball there, too. He graduated in 1950 but was back by 1951 when Neyland hired him. Manning went to every football game he could, with his streak ending at 608, all locations included.

The 2019 University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame inductee will surely be missed. Tennessee released a statement Monday, and as Peyton Manning said in the statement, “No one has served the University of Tennessee better than Gus.”

You Might Also Like:

• Boo Carter, An Athletic Freak Worth Pursuing
• Derrick Henry Has Respect For Joe Milton
• Daniel Calhoun Narrows Recruitment

Join the community:

Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.