Wait Field

Wait Field. , Wait Field, the first athletic field on the University of Tennessee campus, was named for beloved longtime faculty member Charles Edmund Wait., Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Wait was a professor of chemistry and metallurgy who served on the faculty from 1888 until his death in 1923. He was an ardent supporter of athletics, and his extensive involvement on campus included service as president of the Athletic Association. Wait Field, completed in 1908, was named to honor his service to the university he helped to build., The forerunner of Neyland Stadium, which was not constructed until 1921, Wait Field was the site of the first football game on campus. On October 3, 1908, an overflow crowd of 2,000 fans saw Tennessee prevail over the University of North Carolina 12-0 in a spirited contest, with noted sportswriter Grantland Rice serving as referee. The undefeated 1914 football team won Tennessee's first conference title, in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In the final game played at Wait Field, Tennessee defeated Kentucky 14-7 on November 25, 1920. The field also served as a home for the baseball team and a site for band practice and military unit drills., Captions: SIAA Conference Champions, 1914, The UT Battalion circa 1920