LB Steve Kiner passed away

#27
#27
My first game in Neyland as a 13 yr old was that Ole Miss game.

Tennesse has been blessed with a great LBer tradition. All listed here were great players. Jamie Rotella, was also an All American LB in 1972.
 
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#30
#30
What an incredible talent. He was what was known as a free spirit back in the day. I believe he befriended Duane Thomas in his feud with the Cowboys ended up with Pats.
Met him at UT when he was back from his Cowboy time. Worked out with insane weights for a guy his size. Played pick up ball quite a bit with him when he took a break from the weights. For some incredibly dumb reason, I took a charge from him ONCE. I'm 75 now and have a clear memory of my near demise etched in my memory bank.
RIP Steve Kiner.
 
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#31
#31
www.knoxtntoday.com

Famous football Vol Steve Kiner dead at 77 - Knox TN Today

Steve Kiner, best linebacker and one of the most famous names in Tennessee football history, has died. Word to the wise: Got to be careful with that “best” anointment, Al Wilson was a pretty good linebacker. He led a national championship team. Kiner could run faster. “He could go from sideline...
www.knoxtntoday.com www.knoxtntoday.com

Good article for young Vols. Kiner was a character. I lived in Gibbs in mid 70s and the fight story between Breedlove and him was still being told.
 
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#32
#32
biscuitbilly said:
www.knoxtntoday.com

Famous football Vol Steve Kiner dead at 77 - Knox TN Today

Steve Kiner, best linebacker and one of the most famous names in Tennessee football history, has died. Word to the wise: Got to be careful with that “best” anointment, Al Wilson was a pretty good linebacker. He led a national championship team. Kiner could run faster. “He could go from sideline...
www.knoxtntoday.com www.knoxtntoday.com

Good article for young Vols. Kiner was a character. I lived in Gibbs in mid 70s and the fight story between Breedlove and him was still being told.
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Breedlove was the alltime thug of Vol athletics.
 
#33
#33
Caspian said:
Back when the TN defense tackled like a wave of bodies with Kiner frequently the tip of the spear.
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I remember the Vol secondary taught to go get the ball when it was put up into the air that it was as much theirs as the opposing receiver's. The defensive backs swarmed to the ball when it was in the air. Led the nation in interceptions with a crazy high number. When Chavis was DC he had his DB's play soft and LET the opposition catch the ball then tackle them. Totally opposite and snatched many a defeat from the jaws of victory.
 
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#34
#34
Baseball25 said:
I remember the Vol secondary taught to go get the ball when it was put up into the air that it was as much theirs as the opposing receiver's. The defensive backs swarmed to the ball when it was in the air. Led the nation in interceptions with a crazy high number. When Chavis was DC he had his DB's play soft and LET the opposition catch the ball then tackle them. Totally opposite and snatched many a defeat from the jaws of victory.
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Coach Buddy Bennett
Corners: David Allen and Conrad Graham
Safeties: Tim Townes and Bobby Majors
Those were the days…
 
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#36
#36
SuzyVol said:
All four were good, but I don't think Tim Townes started until Tim Priest graduated.
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I think you are correct. It was the 1970 team that had 34 INTs and Priest was a SR safety. Pretty sure the other 3 were all starters as SOPHs. Townes filled for Priest the next season. He was about 5’7” 165 but would stick you.
 
#37
#37
I was in the 7th grade and living in Memphis amongst a bunch of Ole Miss buddies who were Rebel fans. When he made that statement I caught hell. Then, of corse, I caught a lot more hell after the debacle. I loved Kiner though and still do. Rest in peace Steve Kiner.
 
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#41
#41
biscuitbilly said:
Coach Buddy Bennett
Corners: David Allen and Conrad Graham
Safeties: Tim Townes and Bobby Majors
Those were the days…
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I wonder about that. It's one thing to try to snatch the ball and risk a pass interference call down by the goal line, but more intermediate passes when they're pinned deep, I dunno, maybe. But then again, the rules have changed so much about allowable contact that swarming the ball is no longer worth the risk. When I refereed Soccer, the better teams would frequently commit a tactical foul to break up a promising play, the idea being that a yellow card was better than letting them score. Football is funny though. Momentum counts for a lot, and getting a spot foul and an automatic first can be the juice a team needs to keep the ball moving
 
#43
#43
I think we set a record for INTs that year with 36, and Tim Priest has 10. We intercepted Scott Hunter 7x in the '69 Bama game. Have to look all that up as all the years passed make it fuzzy.
 
#44
#44
Volle said:
I think we set a record for INTs that year with 36, and Tim Priest has 10. We intercepted Scott Hunter 7x in the '69 Bama game. Have to look all that up as all the years passed make it fuzzy.
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"[N]o team in college football history has generated takeaways the way the 1970 Tennessee Volunteers did. That team still holds the NCAA single-season record for takeaways — 57 — and that doesn’t include the Sugar Bowl, during which the Vols forced eight more turnovers in a 34-13 rout of Air Force. (The NCAA didn’t count bowl stats as part of a season total until 2002.)

Forty interceptions. Twenty-five fumble recoveries. Sixty-five takeaways." 57(!) takeaways? Tennessee’s NCAA record gives Oklahoma (and everybody else) something to shoot for
 
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#45
#45
wmcovol said:
My first game in Neyland as a 13 yr old was that Ole Miss game.

Tennesse has been blessed with a great LBer tradition. All listed here were great players. Jamie Rotella, was also an All American LB in 1972.
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Ray Nettles was a friend of mine from Jacksonville, FL. He was a great guy and one hell of a LB as well!
 
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