Countdown to September 1st vs Ball State (Top 250 Vols)

#51
#51
242 days…..

242 - Glen Sterno

Sterno is the only All-SEC selection to have worn the No. 53 from Tennessee.
A 1983 selection, Streno is a Pittsburgh native and earned three letters with the Vols. He helped UT to the 1983 Florida Citrus Bowl Championship with a 9-4 record under Johnny Majors.
Streno was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 1984 NFL Draft.
Recently, Saturday Down South named him the best #53 in SEC history.

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#54
#54
241 days……

#241 - Phil Dickens

Phantom Phil was a speedy half-back and great passer under General Neyland and WH Britton from 1934-1936. The Hartsville TN native was one of the General’s favorite players. In 1936, Dickens led UT to a 6-2-2 record and a victory over #2 Duke. Dickens was named All-SEC, All-South, and 3rd Team All-American as a senior. He would go on to a successful career as a HC at Wyoming and Indiana.

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#55
#55
240 days……

#240 - John Boynton

When Coach Dickey took over as coach , he needed two things: a QB and an offensive line. One of the anchors on his line was John Boynton. At 6’4” 230 lbs, Boynton was quiet mauler known for playing through pain. His pass protection helped usher in a new era of Vols football and helped open holes for great running backs. Boynton helped led the Vols to the ‘67 SEC Championship and was named All-SEC as well. Boynton was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 7th round

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#56
#56
239 days……

#239 - Mike Jones

Jones was a 3 year letterman from 1967-1969. Jones was one of the nation’s highest recruited players out of Nashville and lined up at quarterback, tailback, end, safety, defensive back, and monster. He made his name as a defensive back and at monster, helping the Vols defense set records for turnovers. Wherever he was needed to play, he did so exceptionally. Playing on a defense loaded with All-Americans, Jones only made 2nd Team All-SEC once, in 1967. He currently ranks second in Tennessee history with 16 career interceptions, where he had 252 return yards. He can toss in 2 rushing TDs as well.

most think this is Jim Weatherford…..but it’s Mike Jones on the cover of SI

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#57
#57
238 days……

#238 - Roger Rotroff

Rotroff was an defensive end who lettered for the Vols from 1951-1953. Teamed with Doug Atkins, they anchored one of the best defensive lines in Tennessee history. Rotroff was also serviceable as a receiver, catching 8 passes for 157 yards in 1953. Rotroff was named 2nd Team All-SEC in 1953 and 3rd team All-SEC in 1952.
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#58
#58
237 days

#237 - Alonzo Carroll

In 1914, the Vols went 9-0 and won their first SIAA Conference Championship. “Goat” Carroll was an end for the Vols from 1911-1914. In an era when the forward pass was fairly new, Carroll excelled in catching the football. He began his college career as a 15 year old “scrub,” and quickly became a dominant defensive player and a scoring machine on offense. In 1914, Carroll caught the winning TD over Alabama and in the win over Vanderbilt, Carroll scored every point in the 16-14 victory……..the first EVER win over the hated Commodores. He was named All-Southern for his heroics. The 1914 Vols were retroactively awarded a national championship by 1st-N-Goal, though this remains largely unrecognized.

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#59
#59
That 1970 team may be the best Tennessee team ever that didn't win a championship. Probably better than many Tennessee teams that did............
Have to agree. Who knows what could have happened had Dickey not left for Florida. The Auburn game was the killer that year and it was lost within a few minutes. You have to think that Dickey and the more experienced staff could have kept that together (but of course maybe they would have lost a different game who knows). The record of 57 interceptions (not including the EIGHT against Air Force) probably will probably never be broken.
 
#61
#61
236 days……

#236 - Ja’Wuan James

From 2010-2013, James started all 49 games of his career, second most for an offensive lineman in UT history. James was named All-Freshman team in 2010 and anchored the line in 2011 that only allowed 18 sacks for the season. As a junior, his pass protection helped allow only 8 sacks for the year. As a senior, James was named to the Outland Trophy watch list and was named 2nd team All-SEC. In 2014 Ja’Wuan was drafted in the first round by the Miami Dolphins.

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#62
#62
236 days……

#236 - Ja’Wuan James

From 2010-2013, James started all 49 games of his career, second most for an offensive lineman in UT history. James was named All-Freshman team in 2010 and anchored the line in 2011 that only allowed 18 sacks for the season. As a junior, his pass protection helped allow only 8 sacks for the year. As a senior, James was named to the Outland Trophy watch list and was named 2nd team All-SEC. In 2014 Ja’Wuan was drafted in the first round by the Miami Dolphins.

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Would love to have Mr. James' production and attitude in this new offense.
 
#64
#64
250 days ……….

#250-Mike Bevans

Bevans was a three year letterman and an All-SEC center in 1970 for the Vols. Mike played in 29 games, from 1968-1970. During his ‘70 All-Conference season, UT was 11-1 and finished ranked #4
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Good start. I remember Mike well. It will be interesting to keep up with this. I think we all could pick a top 50 pretty easily but from there to 250 will be a real challenge. It's hard to analyze people from such diverse eras. I think the only way you can fairly/accurately do it is to weigh each player's worth to their period.

Good start with Mike.
 
#65
#65
Good start. I remember Mike well. It will be interesting to keep up with this. I think we all could pick a top 50 pretty easily but from there to 250 will be a real challenge. It's hard to analyze people from such diverse eras. I think the only way you can fairly/accurately do it is to weigh each player's worth to their period.

Good start with Mike.
I’m not trying to be scientific with it. The top 75 was pretty easy ( hard to put them in order) but the rest is really just a guess. It’s been fun researching. I was quarantined for 12 days with Covid…..so I had plenty of free time and a real history nerd
 
#66
#66
235 days…..

#235 - Brad White

White was a 3 year letterman from 1978-1980 from Idaho. Brad is one of the most under appreciated Vols during the Majors era. From his DT position, White accumulated 245 career tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and 4 forced fumbles. He led the Vols in ‘78 and ‘79 with 7 sacks each season and led the team with 5 sacks in ‘80 (19 sacks for his career.) Although he never made an All-Conference team, White was a dominant figure on talented DL. Brad was drafted in the 12th round by Tampa Bay and had a successful 6 year NFL career.

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#68
#68
234 days……

#234 - William Howard

From 1984-1987, Howard was a Do-it-All fullback for Johnny Majors. A bruising runner, a great blocker, and a quality receiver out of the backfield, Howard did everything he was asked to do. He was only a feature back for one season, but his impact on the game is why I have him on my list. Howard’s best season was in ‘86 when he rushed for 787 yards and 14 TDs. He set a record vs Ole Miss with 16 consecutive rushes and was named 2nd team All-SEC. For his career, Howard had 1,711 yards rushing, 610 receiving yards, and 21 total touchdowns. He was a 5th round pick by the Buccaneers in 1988.

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#71
#71
233 days…….

#233 - Alan Cockrell

Cockrell lettered at QB from 1981-1983. Granted, Cockrell never made all conference, but due to his grit and winning determination, he made my list. Cockrell was a true two sport athlete. He was the first true freshman to ever start at QB in Tennessee history and was an All American baseball player. In his freshman year, he took over as the starter in the third game, but suffered a devastating knee injury vs Auburn. He came back in ‘82 and threw for 2,021 yards and led the Vols over #2 Alabama and the Peach Bowl. The Alabama win broke an 11 game losing streak vs the Tide. In ‘83, he threw for 1,683 yards and led UT to a 9-3 record, another victory over #11 Alabama, and a Citrus Bowl win over Maryland. Concern over his knee issues, Cockrell did not play in 1984, so he could focus on baseball. He was the 9th pick in the MLB draft in 1984 by the San Francisco Giants. For his career, Cockrell had 3,823 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.

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#72
#72
233 days…….

#233 - Alan Cockrell

Cockrell lettered at QB from 1981-1983. Granted, Cockrell never made all conference, but due to his grit and winning determination, he made my list. Cockrell was a true two sport athlete. He was the first true freshman to ever start at QB in Tennessee history and was an All American baseball player. In his freshman year, he took over as the starter in the third game, but suffered a devastating knee injury vs Auburn. He came back in ‘82 and threw for 2,021 yards and led the Vols over #2 Alabama and the Peach Bowl. The Alabama win broke an 11 game losing streak vs the Tide. In ‘83, he threw for 1,683 yards and led UT to a 9-3 record, another victory over #11 Alabama, and a Citrus Bowl win over Maryland. Concern over his knee issues, Cockrell did not play in 1984, so he could focus on baseball. He was the 9th pick in the MLB draft in 1984 by the San Francisco Giants. For his career, Cockrell had 3,823 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.

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This is my favorite of the 250 so far.
 

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