KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No college football crowd has ever been measured louder than the one that packed Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium for the Volunteers 26-10 victory over Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 17, according to figures the University of Tennessee released this week.
Readings released by the school Tuesday put the peak at 130.3 decibels, a level comparable to a jet engine and just past the point where sound becomes painful for the human ear. More than 100,000 fans were in the stands.
The loudest moment came with roughly four minutes left in the third quarter. Tennessee led 19-10, and after a second-down sack the crowd rose for a key third down. Alabama could not snap the ball in time and was penalized for delay of game.
The measurements were taken by UT Health Science Center audiology and speech pathology staff using a precision sound meter placed on the field near the south end zone. The school counted 105 separate moments when the crowd topped 120 decibels during the game. A normal conversation registers around 60 decibels.
The old record of 127 decibels belonged to Penn State, from a 2007 game against Ohio State at Beaver Stadium, and it lasted only about two seconds. Neyland held near 130 decibels for roughly seven seconds. The stadium had last set its own official high of 125.4 decibels against Alabama in 2022.
Vols fans have long called Neyland the loudest venue in the sport, and the school now has a measured number to point to. The win came at a price off the field. Fans rushed onto the turf after the final whistle, and the Southeastern Conference fined the university for the field storming.
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