Did Travis Henry almost transfer before the 98 season?

#26
#26
From that article.

TEMPE, Arizona -- He packed his bags and left Knoxville with a sour taste in his mouth. Tennessee sophomore Travis Henry thought he was the Vols' best running back during spring practice. He rushed for a game-high 141 yards in the spring game, but found himself third on the depth chart. In essence, he was told he wasn't going to play much, something Henry had a hard time accepting. So, last June Henry pulled out of summer school and left for his home in Frostproof, still boiling as he rolled out of town.

"I was finished with Tennessee. When I left I honestly thought I was never coming back," says Henry. "I couldn't handle not playing."
 
#28
#28
@Freak it's funny you post this.. This week out of boredom I watched the 98 TN vs Fla game and the National Championship game. Lewis, Bryson, Henry and Stephen were great to watch as well as all the players. What was crazy is the TN vs Fla game had names on both sides that I totally forgotten about.. Both teams were absolutely loaded.
 
#29
#29
Speaking of Travis Henry, does anyone have any update on him? I feel like he’s one of the few Tennessee greats that we never heard from once he was gone. Or at least not in recent memory.
 
#30
#30
So according to the article, post spring, Lewis was 1, Henry was 3. Any idea who was 2? Stephens, Bryson?
 
#31
#31
His leaving wasn't his choice but the result of multiple failed drug tests causing his dismissal from the team.

Always struck me as peculiar he had issues with failing drug tests at Tennessee and in the NFL but never at the stop in between the two, Oregon.

That's probably because Oregon, rightfully, doesn't care if anybody smokes weed.
 
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#32
#32
IIRC, wasn't the reasoning that Jamal didn't understand his blocking assignments?
I believe so, but it only took three games for the staff to realize that didn't particularly matter. It shouldn't have mattered beforehand. Lewis was a once in 20 years type talent at the position. Probably rivaled by only Chuck Webb as the most athletic and naturally gifted talent at RB in my lifetime (40 years). Both Tennessee careers derailed by knee injuries.
 
#34
#34
The only reasonable explanation is that he didn't smoke weed in Oregon. Right? He was a hopeless addict in Knoxville and in the NFL, but not while he was in Oregon, where they smoke weed at bus stops.
Actually drug testing for cannabis at that time was up to the school or maybe conference. Oregon did not test for that substance at that time while Tennessee and other schools in backwards parts of the country made a ridiculous choice to give themselves a disadvantage.
 
#35
#35
@Freak, what about doing a weekly game thread of classic games? Set a start time and a youtube recording, and we can comment like we would a normal game thread. Ive watched about 10 games in the past month, mainly from 2000-2007. Could be a great way for the VN community to come together and bridge the generational gap and discuss.
 
#36
#36
@Freak, what about doing a weekly game thread of classic games? Set a start time and a youtube recording, and we can comment like we would a normal game thread. Ive watched about 10 games in the past month, mainly from 2000-2007. Could be a great way for the VN community to come together and bridge the generational gap and discuss.
It's a cool idea, and I've thought about doing it, but I think it would be hard to coordinate everyone's schedule during a time that's not actually "game time".
 
#37
#37
To say that I'm absolutely starved for Tennessee football right now would be an understatement. To keep myself sane this summer, I've decided to go back and watch some old videos and do a little online reading about various historic games of interest. Anyone here have a summer Vols routine they want to share (watching last season games, watching classic games, reading preseason magazines, etc)?

Anyway, after I posted my fondness for Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner yesterday in the Offseason Fun thread, I decided to do a bit of research on that game and ran across this old post from Football Study Hall, which states that Travis Henry almost transferred before the '98 season after losing his the starting job to Jamal Lewis.

Maybe I knew about it at the time, but at this point I don't remember it at all (which probably says more about my terrible memory than anything else). Pro Tip: The link in the quote no longer works.



Someone remind me, were these just vague rumors at the time or was there more to it?
Yes - It was reported
 
#39
#39
Actually drug testing for cannabis at that time was up to the school or maybe conference. Oregon did not test for that substance at that time while Tennessee and other schools in backwards parts of the country made a ridiculous choice to give themselves a disadvantage.

That's not my recollection, but I admit to having a bad memory. Everything I can find says the NCAA started testing in 1986, over a decade before Onterrio was old enough to play college football. The banned substances included all illegal drugs, which would have meant marijuana, obviously -- even in Oregon.

Also, saying that Tennessee is a backwards part of the country is just an asinine statement. Agree or disagree, pot was illegal nationwide at that time.
 
#41
#41
So according to the article, post spring, Lewis was 1, Henry was 3. Any idea who was 2? Stephens, Bryson?
Had to be Stephens, Bryson was the starting FB. Although, Bryson was the starting RB for the Detroit Lions, for at least one year.
 
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#42
#42
From Johnnie Jones to Reggie Cobb, Chuck Webb, Tony Thompson, Little Man Stewart, Aaron Hayden, Charlie Garner, Jay Graham, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, Shawn Bryson, Travis Stephens, Cedric Houston, Gerald Riggs, Arian Foster to Montarrio Hardesty was a hell of a run for UT running backs.
 
#43
#43
I believe so, but it only took three games for the staff to realize that didn't particularly matter. It shouldn't have mattered beforehand. Lewis was a once in 20 years type talent at the position. Probably rivaled by only Chuck Webb as the most athletic and naturally gifted talent at RB in my lifetime (40 years). Both Tennessee careers derailed by knee injuries.
So you are saying in 10 years we had two "once in 20" years running backs.

Can you imagine Herschel Walker not having an opportunity to run over Bill Bates as a first game freshman, because of worry about his pass blocking.
 
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#44
#44
Just to clarify, Walker didn’t start that game. Norris did.
Secondly, Auburn had a trio of backs not sure we could match in Caddy, Ronnie Brown, and Jacobs who all were beyond elite.
 
#46
#46
I still remember when Travis Henry leaped over a pile to score a TD, but came down on his head. He was laying there on the field and his momma ran out from the stands, onto the field.

I remember that. It was a very nasty landing, similar to Maurer's spill last year.

IIRC, he was carried off the field on a cart, wearing a neck brace.
 
#48
#48
The only reasonable explanation is that he didn't smoke weed in Oregon. Right? He was a hopeless addict in Knoxville and in the NFL, but not while he was in Oregon, where they smoke weed at bus stops.
I ran across this article written by his college roommate at Oregon talking about his problems with addiction and how it affected him...
What happened to Onterrio Smith? 1
 
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#49
#49
So you are saying in 10 years we had two "once in 20" years running backs.

Can you imagine Herschel Walker not having an opportunity to run over Bill Bates as a first game freshman, because of worry about his pass blocking.
We haven't had anyone as talented as Lewis in the 20+ years since. Not sure we had anyone as talented as Chuck Webb in the 20 years before.
 

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