Not all Volunteer traditions are meant to go on.
The “Battle for the Barrel” was the name given to the now defunct trophy game once contested between the Tennessee Volunteers and Kentucky Wildcats. The trophy, which resembled a beer barrel painted partially orange and blue, recorded and displayed in paint on the surface the scores from each contest dating back to 1925.
The trophy was discontinued for the 1998 season, however, after a drunk driving accident left Kentucky lineman Artie Steinmetz and his friend Scott Brock dead.
While the current location of the trophy is unknown, it is rumored to be in the possession of Phillip Fulmer or possibly stored somewhere on UT’s campus.
Tom Mattingly, author of several history books on UT football, recalled the exchange of the trophy was always met with much fanfare from both competing sides.
“When it changed hands, as it rarely did, it was a big deal for the winning team to be able to show it around the field,” Mattingly said, citing UT’s 1984 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats as one of Kentucky’s highlights of the rivalry.
While Mattingly said he supports the revival of some sort of trophy between the teams, he remains hesitant to insist on the barrel’s return.
“It doesn’t necessarily send the right message,” Mattingly said of the former trophy, noting a non-alcohol related prize would likely be more appropriate. “I’d like to think we could fill it with something, but no one seems to have any idea what that something is.”
Looking ahead, senior defensive lineman Jordan Williams said he understands the importance of not underestimating Kentucky’s ability to compete in the SEC.
“Every year teams change,” Williams said “Two years ago Auburn went worst to first in the SEC. Kentucky has definitely changed this year, and we have to attack them like every other week.”
Should the Volunteers lose Saturday, Williams’ senior teammates will be the first to lose to Kentucky twice since the freshman class of ’81.
Cam Musil, a senior in marketing at the University of Kentucky, said he still feels a rivalry towards the Volunteers despite the absence of the Beer Barrel trophy.
“The biggest (rivalry) is probably Louisville — it’s probably the only school we don’t like more than UT,” Musil joked. “It’s not considered a successful season unless we beat UT in football.”
Musil was a freshman when UK defeated Tennessee in 2011, breaking the Volunteers’ 26 game win-streak that began in 1985. Despite Kentucky’s past football woes, however, Musil maintained that “if you have a season where you beat UT, it’s not a total loss.”
For Perk Purcell, a junior in plant sciences who “came home from the hospital being a UT fan,” tradition is what sets Tennessee apart from the average sports team.
“(Tradition) is the most important thing when it comes to UT,” Purcell explained. “Tennessee has this tradition of winning, and I think that’s what causes this deep-hearted love of all things old.”
While Purcell said he believes the time may be right to return some tangible form of trophy to represent the rivalry, he said his love of UT and its traditions extends beyond that of the Beer Barrel.
“When it comes to college, there’s this ongoing and lasting sense of tradition and of a need to keep these things alive … just to remind ourselves why we love this team,” he said.
Ultimately, Mattingly said he believes that for all the tradition surrounding the trophy, the time for the barrel may simply have passed us by.
“It was a symbol for a different time and society,” Mattingly said. “It’s a different time, and society is just more sensitive about things like that than they used to be.”
