Whose photo should replace Butch Jones' atop Neyland Stadium?

Tennessee eventually will get around to replacing Butch Jones’ photo on the video board atop Neyland Stadium. But what comes next?

Or better yet, who comes next?

Aside from Gen. Neyland, who else is worthy of being pictured atop one of the most famous stadiums in college football?

I’ve been giving that a lot of thought. And there are plenty of possibilities.

First, I considered former Tennessee coaches.

Derek Dooley came to mind. After all, he’s the coach who instituted the Vol for Life program, which has become so popular that it encompasses more than former players. Even fans now refer to themselves as “VFLs.”

A photo of Dooley impersonating a World War II German general peering through binoculars from the top of Neyland Stadium certainly would turn heads. In fact, it might turn heads so much that it would become a traffic hazard.

However, Dooley's photo might create a furious backlash from fans who would be enraged at so honoring whom Tennessee fired after three consecutive losing seasons.

Phillip Fulmer won a national championship. But like Dooley, he got fired, after the program declined on his watch.

John Majors excelled as both a player and a coach. He’s as Tennessee as it gets, but he was still fired as UT’s football coach.

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In fact, placing any coach on the same level as Gen. Neyland seems inappropriate. He's in a class by himself, having coached two unbeaten teams in the 1920s, three unbeaten teams in the 1930s before winning a national championship in 1951.

Neyland isn't just the greatest coach in Tennessee history. He’s one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football.

So, I moved on from coaches to players.

Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning is an obvious choice. But he’s no more worthy than Doug Atkins or Reggie White, who have been inducted into both the college and professional football halls of fame.

Three photos is two too many, though.

After eliminating former players and coaches, I started thinking outside the box.

I came up with another Manning.

Gus Manning, 94, never coached or played for Tennessee. Instead, he held a variety of administrative positions in the UT athletic department during six different decades. He even served as an administrative assistant to Neyland.

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But longtime employment wouldn't be my reason for putting putting Gus' picture alongside Neyland’s. At a school famous for its passionate fan base, there has never been a better fan than Gus.

He once attended 608 consecutive UT games, home and away. The streak ended in 2003 when he slipped on ice and injured an ankle on the way to a game in Lexington, Ky.

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Another Gus Manning streak ended this past season. He had attended 457 Tennessee home games before health issues forced him to miss the 2017 season opener.

Gus belongs at Neyland Stadium. And if he can’t actually be there, put his likeness on the video board as representative of all Tennessee fans.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns

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