It's an image that is as iconic as "Rocky Top" or General Robert Neyland's Game Maxims.

Gus Manning, with a briefcase in tow and a cigar clinched between his teeth, using his free hand to congratulate Tennessee wide receiver Larry Seivers just moments after he caught the go-ahead two-point conversation to beat Clemson at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 26, 1974.

That photograph is one of a treasure trove of Tennessee athletics memories involving Manning, who died Monday at the age of 99 according to Monica Warren, the daughter of former Vols quarterback Dewey Warren and a friend of Manning.

For more than four decades, Manning, a Knoxville native, served the University of Tennessee Athletic Department in various roles. He started out as a sports information director under Neyland in 1951 and, in 1960, he became the department's business manager — a position he held until 1989.

Manning was named Senior Associate Athletic Director in 1990. He officially retired in 2000 having worked with 11 different football coaches and eight athletic directors in his career.

Known for his presence at Tennessee sporting events, Manning attended 608 consecutive football games between 1951 and 2003 and was inside Neyland Stadium for every home game for 71-straight years, a streak that began with the 1946 season opener.

Manning was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

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