There's no cheering allowed in the press box, but an exception was made as Tennessee began its football season against Appalachian State when Gus Manning was honored for attending his 71st consecutive home opener.
One-by-one, the scribes and television personalities who'd entered "Gus Manning Gate" to get to the press box stopped typing and started clapping. Some even stood.
After all, 93-year-old Charles Augustine Manning may not be the most famous "Manning" around Knoxville, but he's got Peyton and pretty much everybody else on longevity. Since General Robert R. Neyland hired Manning when he was a student in 1946, he's been a pillar in the stadium named for his old boss.