Has Tennessee ever had a starter play Basketball and Football?

#52
#52
Bball team wanted Carl Pickens in the worst way but Johnny wasn't having it
Pickens turned down an offer to NC in basketball to play football in Knoxville. We played his team in the intramural finals at TBA years ago. They had Pickens, Harper, Von Reeves and it was either Lloyd Kerr or Sterlin (can't remember which). We ended up beating them pretty good but you could tell then that Pickens was a pretty good basketball player.
 
#55
#55
Ron Widby not only played basketball and football here and starred at them, he played professionally in both sports. He was in the ABA and won a Super Bowl. He played baseball and golf at UT too.
I remember reading an article about Widby back when he was at U.T. about a practice round he played at Beaver Brook. I'm not sure if that course still exists in Knoxville. Widby had 9 birdies, 9 bogeys, no pars. Very unusual round, I would say.
 
#56
#56
I remember reading an article about Widby back when he was at U.T. about a practice round he played at Beaver Brook. I'm not sure if that course still exists in Knoxville. Widby had 9 birdies, 9 bogeys, no pars. Very unusual round, I would say.

Some would say it's just par for the course...
 
#59
#59
Question is in the title, I mention basketball specifically because it is the 2nd most emphasized sport for UT.

And to be a little more specific, has a football or basketball starter ever cross over to the other sport for Tennessee?
I have a good trivia question about multi-sport athletes. The answer is a man that I saw play in person in the NCAA finals as the starting point guard. At the same time, he was also the starting quarterback on the football team. He is also the only man ever to win a Heisman Trophy in football and play in a basketball Final Four. Without googling it, anybody have a guess? He was a left hander.
 
#60
#60
Ron Widby not only played basketball and football here and starred at them, he played professionally in both sports. He was in the ABA and won a Super Bowl. He played baseball and golf at UT too.
I remember Ron scoring 50 points in his final home basketball game for UT against LSU.
 
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#61
#61
I have a good trivia question about multi-sport athletes. The answer is a man that I saw play in person in the NCAA finals as the starting point guard. At the same time, he was also the starting quarterback on the football team. He is also the only man ever to win a Heisman Trophy in football and play in a basketball Final Four. Without googling it, anybody have a guess? He was a left hander.
"Touchdown" Terry Baker (I am old too...)
 
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#62
#62
I have a good trivia question about multi-sport athletes. The answer is a man that I saw play in person in the NCAA finals as the starting point guard. At the same time, he was also the starting quarterback on the football team. He is also the only man ever to win a Heisman Trophy in football and play in a basketball Final Four. Without googling it, anybody have a guess? He was a left hander.
Charlie Ward?
 
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#63
#63
How has no one brought up Alan Cockrell? First true freshman to start under center for the Vols and a first round pick in the MLB draft. Also it doesn't technically count, but Chris Lofton was a hell of a good racquetball player. I tried a few times to convince him to take up the far superior game of Squash, but he was loyal to the courts in the basement of HPER.
 
#67
#67
"Touchdown" Terry Baker (I am old too...)
That's the man. I saw him play in the Final Four in about 1963, playing for Oregon State. Cincinnati Bearcats killed them, and then Loyola of Chicago beat Cincy in the final. Duke was the 4th team. I also remember watching him in the Liberty Bowl.
 
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#69
#69
I thought I was right, but didn't remember FSU and Ward making the Final 4, so I went back and edited in the ?. Great trivia question
Hangs my head in shame

I'm wrong. I just looked it up. FSU mad the Elite-8 in 93 but not the Final-4.

Well played @1972 Grad . Hell of a good trivia question.
 
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#70
#70
Charlie Ward didn't play in the Final Four. They lost in the regional to the Kentucky team that went to the Final Four. ZZ13 gave the correct answer above.
Cool, that's what I thought, too. So, Terry Baker, then. Never would have gotten that one
 
#71
#71
Quinn Buckner was another outstanding football and basketball player. Started at safety at Indiana his freshman year. Then he quit football mainly because Indiana hired Lee Corso his sophomore year. He basically said Corso approached coaching football the same way he approaches his silly game day role.
 
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#72
#72
I remember Ron scoring 50 points in his final home basketball game for UT against LSU.
Ron Widby letter in 4 sports at Tennessee; football, basketball, golf and baseball. Twice, he played in a football and basketball game the same day. He earned 8 letters while at Tennessee. He is said to be the best all around athlete to eager play at Tennessee. Hw was All American in both football and basketball. I think he played something like 12 years for the Dallas Cowboys. I am proud to say I saw him play both football and basketball, but did not see him in his other 2 sports. I doubt anyone will ever come close to accomplishing what he did at Tennessee.
 
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#73
#73
Ron Widby letter in 4 sports at Tennessee; football, basketball, golf and baseball. Twice, he played in a football and basketball game the same day. He earned 8 letters while at Tennessee. He is said to be the best all around athlete to eager play at Tennessee. Hw was All American in both football and basketball. I think he played something like 12 years for the Dallas Cowboys. I am proud to say I saw him play both football and basketball, but did not see him in his other 2 sports. I doubt anyone will ever come close to accomplishing what he did at Tennessee.
Did he only punt at UT, or did he play other positions as well?
 
#75
#75
Bobby Dodd
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  • Game 11: Tennessee 38, Washington & Lee 29
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    • Halftime Score: Tennessee 19, Washington & Lee 16
 
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