Fri
Oct 14 2011
11:22 am
RIP: George Mooney
By: bizgrrl

George Mooney, former UT "Voice of the Vols", founder of the Vol navy, and former owner of the WKGN radio station passed away yesterday.

He was the "Voice of the Vols" from 1952-1967. In 1962, he used a little boat to get to the game, "spawning what is now known as the Volunteer Navy." Mooney also was the owner and operator of WKGN, a popular radio station with the young people of Knoxville.

It's also being reported that as a UT announcer he said, "look at that son of a bitch run", which was used in the movie Forrest Gump. Don't know if this is true.

Thanks for the memories, Mr. Mooney.

Topics:
R. Neal's picture

I loved WKGN. Kept a little

Submitted by R. Neal on Fri, 2011/10/14 - 11:38am.

I loved WKGN. Kept a little transistor radio under my pillow and listened to them late into the night. I don't think we owned an FM radio.

I remember riding the bus over to their studios on Cumberland (at least I think it was them) one time as a kid to pick up a bunch of singles I won from one of those call-in things.

(The Mrs. says we went with some friends to their studios on Alcoa Highway, she thinks, to get some albums we won another time. We were older teens, early seventies, I guess. She says I was there and remembers that I drove because I was the only one with a car. I don't remember all that, but that's not surprising.)

mrvlknxor's picture

WKGN DJ

Submitted by mrvlknxor on Fri, 2011/10/14 - 2:43pm.

My cousin, now 63, who you once banned from knoxviews.com, was a DJ at WKGN in the early 70's. Perhaps he was the one who gave you all the albums you won.

redmondkr's picture

We Keep Growing Newer

Submitted by redmondkr on Fri, 2011/10/14 - 11:55am.

We
Keep
Growing
Newer

I listened on a blue 6-transistor Motorola strapped to the handlebars of my bicycle.

Rachel's picture

I listened in high school

Submitted by Rachel on Sat, 2011/10/15 - 2:00am.

I listened in high school with my dad from down in middle Tenn. My intro to Tennessee football.

Side note and more proof that people in Knoxville are separated by a lot fewer than 6 degrees of separation: Mooney's daughter was married to my dad's step first cousin, who died a couple of years ago. It was their daughter who wrote the nice letter in the KNS the other day, thanking folks for remembering Mooney.

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