Countdown to Kickoff vs South Carolina

18 days........

Bob Lund, #18, was a running back, quarterback, wing back, punter, and defensive back from 1945-1948. His career stats are not around, but some of his feats are legendary. Two touchdowns in the ‘46 game vs Alabama, four touchdowns vs Vandy in 1945, and three interceptions vs North Carolina in 1948 are a few. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles.

‘45 season vs Vandy

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17 days........

CJ Fayton, #17, came to Knoxville in 2001as a QB, but was switched to WR after a redshirt season. During his redshirt year, he appeared in three games for the Vols basketball team, scoring 4 points. Fayton was never the number one option, but was always a viable option. He will always be remembered for his catch and run vs Alabama in ‘03. In the second OT, down seven and facing 4th and 19, his catch and run tied the game which led to the eventual victory. Fayton finished his career with 74 receptions for 981 yards and 7 TDs. He was also 1-1 passing for 53 yards. He had brief stints with the Bears and Jets before an injury ended his NFL dreams.

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16 days.......

Dewey Warren is the second best #16 to ever play in Knoxville. Warren took over as quarterback in 1965 as an injury replacement, and proceeded to rewrite the record books. He immediately led the Vols to a huge win over UCLA and the a Bluebonnet Bowl victory in his first season. He also set the record for most passing yards in a season with 588 yards. In ‘66, Coach Dickey opened up the offense and Warren flourished. He became the first Vol to throw for over 1,000 yards in a season as he threw for 1,716 yards and 18 touchdowns. He led the Vols to a Gator Bowl victory over Syracuse and was named MVP. As a senior, Warren was spectacular again, as UT won the SEC Championship and claimed a part of the National Championship. Warren finished his career with 3,339 yards and 27 touchdowns.
He was a 6th round pick by the Bengals and played in six games as a rookie. He played one season in the Continental Football League before retirement. The Swamp Rat is a legend!

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15 days........

Most know Bill Anderson as the color analyst for John Ward, but as a Vol player, #15 was great as well. Anderson was a wing-back on some great UT teams and played along side Johnny Majors. Known for big plays, Anderson averaged over 16 yards a touch during his three seasons (1955-1957). He finished his career with 29 carries for 332 yards and 2 TDs, while catching 20 passes for 461 yards and 5 touchdowns. After graduating, he was drafted by Washington and also played for Lombardi’s Packers. He made 2 Pro Bowls and was a 2x NFL Champion.
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Looks the same
 
16 days.......

Dewey Warren is the second best #16 to ever play in Knoxville. Warren took over as quarterback in 1965 as an injury replacement, and proceeded to rewrite the record books. He immediately led the Vols to a huge win over UCLA and the a Bluebonnet Bowl victory in his first season. He also set the record for most passing yards in a season with 588 yards. In ‘66, Coach Dickey opened up the offense and Warren flourished. He became the first Vol to throw for over 1,000 yards in a season as he threw for 1,716 yards and 18 touchdowns. He led the Vols to a Gator Bowl victory over Syracuse and was named MVP. As a senior, Warren was spectacular again, as UT won the SEC Championship and claimed a part of the National Championship. Warren finished his career with 3,339 yards and 27 touchdowns.
He was a 6th round pick by the Bengals and played in six games as a rookie. He played one season in the Continental Football League before retirement. The Swamp Rat is a legend!

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always liked the swamp rat....he used to make appearances on sport talk in Chattanooga....very entertaining guy
 
44 days.......

Craig Puki, #44, started out as a fullback in 1975. He carried the ball 26 times for 135 yrds, but was moved to linebacker the following season. In only 9 games in ‘76, Puki had 103 tackles. After receiving a medical hardship in ‘77, he had 14 solo tackles vs UCLA and 13 tackles vs Auburn in 1978. As a senior in 1979, Puki registered 122 tackles and had 3 sacks. For his career, Puki had 358 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 8 forced fumbles.
He was drafted by the 49’ers and helped them win Super Bowl XVI.
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I had such a crush on him! Never met him but...crush From a distance!
 
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Agreed.

Two slices of life in Neyland during that era:

"I said, A BOOM CHICK-A BOOM!"

And the time the game was so boring ('76? or 77?) the cheerleaders had abandoned their platform at the southeast corner and two guys climbed onto it and got the whole place rocking flashing signs that said "Less Filling" and "Tastes Great."

If you look at my UT transcript you can spot the exact quarter when I discovered that cold beer and women were one helluva combination!
Class of ‘78?
 
14 days.......

There is an obvious #14, but for my generation, it is Roland James. He was a star defensive back from 1976-1979. James was All-SEC in ‘78 and ‘79, and was an All-American in ‘79. He was intelligent and tough, playing with a broken nose (soph) and a broken thumb (jr). His biggest moment was his 90 yrd interception return vs Ole Miss in 1978 (I was there). He finished his remarkable career with 288 tackles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 10 interceptions. James was a first round pick by New England and played from 1980-1990. He had 29 career ints and played in Super Bowl XX.

My favorite photo......James’ 90 yrd TD
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13 days........

David Allen, #13, was a hard hitting member of the Vols secondary from 1970-1972. “The Hammer” was part of a defensive unit that set SEC and NCAA records for turnovers and helped the Vols to 3 straight Bowl wins and a record of 31-5. Allen had 123 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and 7 interceptions during his career at UT. His one touchdown was a 57 yard interception return vs Hawaii in 1972. Today, Dr. Allen is one of the most revered Urologists in the US.

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12 days.......

Charlie Fulton, #12, played quarterback and running back for UT from 1965-1967. The Vols were 25-6-2 during his career and won the SEC Championship in 1967. Fulton threw for 648 yrds and 4 TDs, while rushing for 1,089 yards and 6 touchdowns, helping the Vols to three Bowl games. Fulton was drafted by the Boston Patriots, but ended up playing for the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL for two seasons.
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12 days.......

Charlie Fulton, #12, played quarterback and running back for UT from 1965-1967. The Vols were 25-6-2 during his career and won the SEC Championship in 1967. Fulton threw for 648 yrds and 4 TDs, while rushing for 1,089 yards and 6 touchdowns, helping the Vols to three Bowl games. Fulton was drafted by the Boston Patriots, but ended up playing for the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL for two seasons.
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Charlie was ahead of his time. My dad told me he was a strong runner and a pretty good passer. He thought had Fulton played in the 70s, he would have made a good wishbone QB. He sounds like he would have been a good modern day RPO QB as well.
 
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Charlie was ahead of his time. My dad told me he was a strong runner and a pretty good passer. My dad thought had Fulton played in the 70s, he would have made a good wishbone QB. He sounds like he would have been a good modern day RPO QB as well.
Agree 100%. Several “our timers” have said the exact same thing. Good friend told me he would have been like John Bond at Mississippi State or Steve Davis at Oklahoma. Pretty good company!
 
11 days.......

Ron Widby, #11, was much more than a great punter for the Vols. He was one of the best athletes in UT history. he earned eight varsity letters while in Knoxville, playing football, basketball, golf, and freshman baseball. He was a second team All-American in basketball in ‘66-‘67 and an All-American punter in ‘66.
He averaged 42.3 yards a punt for his career, setting the UT record at the time. He was drafted by the Saints in the 4th round, the NBA Chicago Bulls in the 12th round, and by the ABA New Orleans Buccaneers. He was cut by the Saints and played one season in the ABA before signing with the Dallas Cowboys. As a Cowboy, he was a Pro Bowler and played in two Super Bowls! He finished his career with the Packers.

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10 days........

Tony Robinson, #10, was a backup quarterback to Alan Cockrell in 1982-1983. When Cockrell skipped his last season to concentrate on baseball, Robinson was inserted as the starter. He led the Vols to a 7-4-1 record and a Sun Bowl appearance. He set a then UT single season record with 61.7% and threw for the second most yards in school history at the time. He was touted as a Heisman candidate in ‘85 and set a school record with 417 yards of total offense vs UCLA, and led UT to an upset victory over #1 Auburn. He was injured vs Alabama, and missed the rest of the season with a devastating knee injury. Personal issues kept Robinson from having an NFL career, but did play in one NFL game. He led Washington to a victory over Dallas during the strike season of ‘87. Anyone that saw Tony play will say his is one of the greatest talents they have ever seen at the quarterback position. In 2014, Robinson returned to Knoxville to play in the VFL flag football game and was named MVP. Robinson finished his career with 3,332 yards and 23 TDs and threw a touchdown pass in 13 consecutive games.
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