Tennessee fans will get a fresh look at one of the program’s most celebrated seasons this week, when ESPN rolls out the latest SEC Storied film, Seventeen, on Thursday night. The documentary centers on Tee Martin and the Volunteers’ 1998 national championship team, a squad that was asked to carry on without Peyton Manning and ended up finishing the job anyway.
The film is scheduled to air at approximately 9 p.m. ET on the SEC Network, following the Tennessee-Auburn women’s soccer game. It focuses on the Vols’ title run and the way that team “defied expectations” on its way to an undefeated season and a BCS National Championship Game victory over Florida State.
That 1998 Tennessee team packed plenty of unforgettable moments into the season, starting with a dramatic opener against Syracuse and Donovan McNabb. A week later came the overtime win over Florida, followed by the kind of break Tennessee needed in the Arkansas game, when a stumble and fumble helped turn the tide.
“The seed for SEVENTEEN was planted while I was producing another SEC Storied film, True Character, about Brandon Burlsworth and his time at Arkansas,” director Spencer Barry said. “In that story, you feel the heartbreak of Arkansas’ loss to Tennessee after the famous ‘Stoernover’ fumble. But that’s the beauty of sports - the same moment can be heartbreaking from one perspective and the beginning of something remarkable from another.”
Barry said spending time with Martin and the people around him helped shape the film’s focus.
“The more time I spent with Tee and the people who know him best, the more I understood why he was uniquely prepared for that moment,” Barry said. “So much of who Tee is can be traced back to his family and the people in his community who helped raise him. You see their influence in the humility, selflessness and loyalty he carries with him today.”
Martin, a Mobile, Alabama native, played at Tennessee from 1996-1999. In the 1998 championship season, he completed 57.3% of his passes for 2,164 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions across 12 games. He is now an offensive analyst for Lane Kiffin’s LSU program.
Tennessee is set to host LSU on Nov. 21 in the penultimate game of the regular season this fall.
Seventeen joins a list of SEC Storied projects tied to Tennessee, including CATCH98, which covered the undefeated 1997-1998 Tennessee women’s basketball team, Volunteer For Life, about Chris Lofton, and Book of Manning, which follows Peyton Manning, his brothers and their father.
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