John H. Daniel, it’s all your fault

Legend of “Dooley’s Pants” takes detour to MC

By Stefan Cooper
Editor
Blount Press Row

I’ve known his wife, Liz, since she was a student trainer for the football team at William Blount back in high school.

Should have known she would lead him to something like this.

Photographer Brandon Shinn has been with Blount Press Row since its inception. His skills are truly extraordinary, and, when it comes to sports allegiances, he’s all Maryville College.

The Scots were off to a 0-2 start under new coach Mike Rader as longtime rival Sewanee came calling Saturday. Maryville and Sewanee began playing each other more than a century ago, and there’s a natural rivalry between the two schools.

Maryville borders the Smoky Mountains. The views are spectacular, even from campus.

Sewanee sits high on the Cumberland Plateau outside Chattanooga. The stonework and wide streets at the campus are country club chic.

Of course they hate each other in football. This would be a great game for Rader to claim his first win. Blount Press Row went so far as to guarantee a win to Maryville president Tom Bogart at halftime.

To help things along, Brandon ordered the pants.

He’d gotten the idea from a twitter account that calls itself  “Dooley’s Pants.”

Can you believe it?

Dooley’s Pants.

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley had a pair of bright orange trousers stitched for game day when he got the job a year ago. One of Knoxville’s finest clothiers, John H. Daniel, hooks them up for him special.

The process was thoroughly detailed in an ESPN segment prior to the Florida game on Saturday.

Blount Press Row tried to get credentialed for Florida’s visit, but, with ESPN and the national media coming, a small, Blount County start up didn’t stand much of a chance.

We were told they’d try, but most of us realized it probably wasn’t going to happen. Brandon didn’t give up.

Guess he thought coach Dooley would get a kick out of the two of them being in the same britches, even though Brandon’s would be the abbreviated shorts version, tailored by Dickies.

He even bought the “Fear the Pants” t-shirt.

I stood best man at Liz and Brandon’s wedding. At the reception afterward, I distinctly remember telling the young bride, “Brandon’s a talented guy, but some times he gets these, let’s say, ideas. It’s your job now to talk him down.”

When she saw Brandon eyeballing the shorts online, with plans to wear them to the Scots game and the Vols afterward, she was all for it.

Maryville’s school colors are orange and garnet. They’re both graduates. That much orange would be a stretch, but I guess they thought it would work.

“I kind of like them,” Liz said.

Now, history and legend have attached.

Maryville went on to beat Sewanee, 24-17, on an Evan Pittenger touchdown pass to Ed Johnson with two minutes remaining.

“Brandon’s going to have to wear those pants to every home game now,” Maryville assistant athletics director for communications Eric Etchison said.

Swell.

Seeing as how the pants brought victory, several names were thrown about at the game for the twitter account sure to follow.

There was “Brandon’s Pants,” “Brandon’s Britches” and, a crowd favorite, “Brandon’s Capris.”

“Well, they’re almost capris,” spectator Brenda Amos said.

After the game, Blount Press Row migrated to Liz and Brandon’s living room, where we watched Florida pull away from the Vols in the second half.

“If Dooley would’ve had Brandon’s big orange pants on, that wouldn’t have happened,” came one comment, and voila!

So look for “Brandon’s big orange pants” at a twitter account near you in the coming weeks, unless we can talk him out of it.

We will try.