fan bases" by USA Today. One Tennessee tradition related to the song and similar to that of other schools is to have the team's quarterback conduct the marching band in performing the song after a big win, with Peyton Manning popularizing the tradition when he was Tennessee quarterback. Location of Rocky Top While the Bryants never indicated that "Rocky Top, Tennessee" refers to a specific place, some have suggested that a barren summit known as "Rocky Top"— located in the Great Smoky Mountains along the Tennessee-North Carolina border— is the best fit, due in large part to its proximity to Gatlinburg, where the song was written. Rocky Top is a subpeak of Thunderhead Mountain, which overlooks Cades Cove, and is traversed by the Appalachian Trail. Rocky Top appears on maps of the western Smokies as early as 1934, and has been a popular hiking destination since the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created during the same period. The rocky outcropping at the peak is about long and is located on the North Carolina side of the state border. The name "Rocky Top" is sometimes used as a nickname for East Tennessee, the city of Knoxville, and the University of Tennessee (especially its two major athletic venues, Neyland Stadium and the Thompson–Boling Arena). "Rocky Top" is also a popular name for East Tennessee businesses, among them a real estate agency and a chain of convenience stores. In 2014, Rocky Top became a true geographic place name after Lake City, Tennessee changed its name to Rocky Top after an effort by the House of Bryant to enjoin the city was denied by a federal court. Operation Rocky Top "Operation Rocky Top" was the FBI's code name for a public corruption investigation into the Tennessee state government in the late 1980s which resulted in the eventual suicide of the Tennessee Secretary of State, Gentry Crowell, and the incarceration of several other individuals, most notably state House Majority Leader Tommy Burnett. The focus of the investigation was the illegal sale of bingo licenses. Notable covers Phish played "Rocky Top" regularly from 1987 to 2003 and, after reforming, again in 2009. There have been additional cover versions of the song by artists such as The Schwag, Dillard and Clark and country artists such as Buck Owens, Lynn Anderson, Dolly Parton, John Denver, Albert Lee, Conway Twitty, Billie Jo Spears, Dottie West, and John Stewart.