The first instance of tailgating at a football game was probably the party before the 1869 game at College Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey, between Princeton and Rutgers. While today’s elaborate tailgating ensembles may have their roots in Charles Goodnight’s 1866 conversion of a US Army Studebaker wagon into the first chuck wagon, the post-World War II popularity of station wagons (an evolution from the earlier Depot Hack) provided the perfect venue for picnicking in areas without picnic tables. Tailgating literally denotes eating and socializing while perched on the open tailgate of a vehicle, but all gatherings of fans to socialize and eat prior to, during, and after sports events have come to be known as tailgating. At UT, the Vol Navy (with 1962 beginnings) takes advantage of the river location of Neyland Stadium to provide an extra element of tailgating, and special parking for RVs allows tailgating in real comfort.
Recent News
More News- Middle School and High School Students Will Display Their Data Artistry
- Henry Luce Foundation Grant to Fund Programs Highlighting Beauford Delaney Papers
- Writing Blitz, March 29
- Do you know where your next meal is coming from?
- A Conversation with Appalachian Filmmakers
- Early Printed Bibles on View during Shakespeare Symposium
- Accessible to All — Resources to Learn More About Disabilities
- Financial Hardship and Food Insecurity on Campus: Panel Discussion, March 9
Upcoming Events
More Events-
Barbara Dombrowski - “Tropic Ice” Exhibit, Screening and Lecture at Hodges Library
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Barbara Dombrowski - “Tropic Ice” Exhibit, Screening and Lecture at Hodges Library
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Barbara Dombrowski - “Tropic Ice” Exhibit, Screening and Lecture at Hodges Library