Thanks, Little. I appreciate it.
Hmm, why not Tee? First, let's look at the others:
- First black player at Tennessee...huge trailblazer, undoubtedly faced off against tons of racism and didn't back down.
- First black quarterback...absolutely. Same-same. Took a lot of courage and commitment.
- First black team captain? Okay, seems a little more contrived, but I can see it. To be team captain, you have to be respected by both your coaches and your teammates. It's a leadership role, one you are explicitly picked out of the crowd for. And you'll have to deal with resentment from teammates (and their families and friends) who think the honor should've been theirs. So yeah, I sort of get this one, too.
But I don't get Tee's inclusion. What does winning a national title add to the SOCIAL hardship and challenges of being a trailblazer? In fact, when Tee took the starting job the year after Peyton left, I don't remember any talk about him breaking any new ground. I don't want to give Vols fans too much credit, there were (and are) certainly racists among our ranks, but we as a community took Tee in stride. I never thought of him as a "black quarterback." I just thought of him as our starting quarterback, a good kid from Mobile with a shy smile and the unenviable job of following after Manning. You never want to be the guy to replace the guy, right?
Except Tee made the most of it, with his teammates. They absolutely did great. Won a national title and all. Really proud of them.
But a unique, trailblazing role in the face of ugly opposition? Huge moral courage in spite of threats?
I don't think Tee faced those kinds of challenges any more than the next lad.
I respect Tee. Hold a special place in my heart for him, and all the lads of the '98 squad.
I just don't think this is a trophy-worthy thing, not any more than, say, Travis Stephens or Travis Henry, or any number of other guys (of all colors) on the '98 team.
I'm probably not explaining very well, Little. Tee's place in our history just didn't seem, to me, to fit the same mold as the others. As a Jackie Robinson kind of accomplishment.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are horror stories out there about what Tee faced, and I'm just ignorant of them. IDK.
But that's why I have the perspective I do.
Sorry for the long answer. It didn't seem something I could say in 25 words.
Go Vols!