Who Is The Best Player You Have Seen In Person?

[BigBadVol]

You obviously didn’t attend the ‘85 UT/AU game @ Neyland !

I was there! We held our breath every time he touched the ball. TN played lights out that day.

 

[Fightmaker]

Bo Jackson
Dominique Wilkins
Shaq
Dale Murphy
Tony Gywn

Dale Murphy is an all time great, and it’s a travesty that he isn’t in the hall of fame. May every voter who denied him catch crotch critters.

 

[Jacksonvol]

I, to

(For one play), it was defensive lineman Billy Ratliff, who made the most important defensive play in UT history. Arkansas was trying to run out the clock as they held a 24-22 lead at UT. Ratliff pushed back the Arky center and the center backpedaled into Clint Stoerner, the Arky QB, who subsequently stumbled an[VIDEO=][/VIDEO]d left the ball on the field as he tried to balance himself upright. Ratliff pounced on the ball and The Volunteers perfect undefeated season was preserved, as the Offense did their job and went ahead and scored. I was in the seats of that miserable weather game and anyone who was there will remember the eerily quietness that fell upon Shields Watkins Field when Stoerner placed the ball on the field. Time stood still, then Billy POUNCED us into a NC.[/QUOTE I too was there and my heart had just about stopped when Stoerner dropped the ball. I knew them that we were going to win a NC. I was in Tempe to see it all. Just a season of seasons for all of us. Would love to see a repeat in '23.

 

[Jacksonvol]

Easy

Saw Joe Montana with the Chiefs play the Raiders in the Colosseum. The biggest cheer of the day was when he got hurt while being sacked. Saw 2 big fights and one big brawl in the stands at that game, somehow made it out alive and unscathed.

- Easy- The Minister of Defense

 

[volfan_28]

I still don’t think people understand how good Hendon Hooker is, but mine is Eric Berry.

 

[sami]

Tiger Woods

I only got to see Tiger live one time, at a PGA Championship at Baltusrol. I've never felt virtual electricity from a crowd the way I did when Tiger was in the vicinity, he was one of those athletes who was much bigger than the game.

 

[sami]

Just thought of another one - seeing Steve Carlton throw a 2-hit complete game shutout against the Cubs during his 27-10 season in 1972. The game was over in less than 2 hours, just a dominant performance.

 

[will-you-shut-up-man]

Stephen Davis (Auburn) running track in high school. I've never seen anyone in my life that big run so fast. All us kids ran to the track to see him.

 

[a vol n tears]

My chances to see the Vols in person have been limited, but the best I've seen in person was either Andy Kelly or Chuck Webb in the Disneyland Pigskin Classic. For other sports outside UT football, watching Nolan Ryan pitch in person as a kid was pretty amazing. The best sporting event I've seen in person though was LMU vs. Michigan in the NCAA tournament. Made even better by the fact I got paid to see the highest scoring game in tournament history.

Nolan Ryan in person would have to rate close to the top.

 

[onthehill71]

Nolan Ryan in person would have to rate close to the top.

Saw him pitch his last game at Texas, was incredible to see and the electricity was huge.

 

[onthehill71]

Dale Murphy is an all time great, and it’s a travesty that he isn’t in the hall of fame. May every voter who denied him catch crotch critters.

Saw Nique at the Pontiac Silverdome. place had like 60,000 couldn't hear yourself think. He did thi gs you can't believe till you watched the replay. He was like watching an object in a strobe light, moved from place to place in the air .

 

[EasternVol]

Overall I'd say Herschel Walker. We thought 'wait til this freshmen gets hit and finds out he's in the SEC'. We thought wrong.
The best Vol may well have been Condredge Holloway, or maybe Heath Shuler or Jackie Walker or Chuck Webb or Stanley Morgan. Bobby Majors, Dale Carter, Larry Seivers, Reggie Cobb and Chris Mims aren't far behind. We've been lucky to have had a lot of great players wear the orange.
Other opponents of note were Marcus Allen, Hugh Green, Ronnie Lott and surely one or more which don't come to mind right now.

 

[ArmchairQB]

Our family was passing through Cincinnati in fall of 1975 and got standing room only tickets to a Reds-Pirates NLCS game. My Dad was totally psyched to see the Big Red Machine vs. Stargell and the Pirates…my Mom after standing for a whole baseball game - not so much. Don Gullet was the winning pitcher and hit a home run. The team rosters read like a who’s who of baseball.

I got to watch Reds/Pirates at Three Rivers in 1979 and was just awestruck. At the time I was a kid and was just like “I have ALL you guys’ cards”. And then later they were all these first ballot hall of famers. Johnny Bench, Tom Seaver, Joe Morgan, Willie Stargell… and just this insane supporting cast. Funny when you see a game and Ken Griffey playing is a “oh, yeah, that was cool too” sort of detail.

 

[Orange12]

Pistol Pete was the best athlete I ever saw. Teams tripled teamed him and he still scored 40.
H. Walker the best football player. Only reason Georgia won that natty.
Bobby Majors was the best I ever played against in HS and the best VFL imho

 

[Carp]

At the college level in person, I would have to say John Henderson or Julius Peppers. Both were just freaks and were nearly unblockable. That 2002 draft was pretty special on the defensive side of the ball.

 

[UTblood4life]

Forrest Gump, had a kick off return vs tennessee
Was shot in the ass
Drank 15 Dr peppers
Champ in ping pong
Even bought stock in some fruit company
And is richer than Davy crockett
Kissed a hooker that tasted like cigarettes
Ran from one ocean to the other
Invented the slogan sh*t happens
Was cut off giving a speach in DC
His best friend Bubba knew how to cook shrimp 600 different ways
True story
I mean movie

 

[Lars]

John McEnro

 

[ZippyMorocco]

I saw his 1st game college game....

I was there in Neyland

 

[SD189]

Peyton Manning 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[UTblood4life]

This guy

 

[MemphisVol77]

In highschool I was on the field at the same time as Tori Noel.

Actually i was just a freshman benchwarmer when we played against Melrose, but the refs gave us a sideline warning for stepping over during a play. Coach threatened to run me and a few others until our as$ess fell off, so I'm counting it.

Tori Noel was a beast.

 

[MEDVOL]

Manning as a Vol and a Bronco. Berry went out with an injury in the game against Manning at Mile High.

Berry vs Tebow 2008.

Saw Lebron play a couple of months ago. Curry as well.

Mike Trout, but never seems to play all that great when I've seen him.

 

[BreatheUT]

Should have set better limits.

I was just thinking this thread is so generic that it really doesn't work.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

The most dominant athlete in their sport I've ever seen in person was Secretariat. It's not even close.

The greatest human athlete, on every level of greatness, that I've met was Reggie. Again, it's not close.

 

[Vol_in_NC_1999]

I only got to see Tiger live one time, at a PGA Championship at Baltusrol. I've never felt virtual electricity from a crowd the way I did when Tiger was in the vicinity, he was one of those athletes who was much bigger than the game.

I saw him at the Masters practice round this year (Tuesday) and he was playing with Fred Couples and Justin Thomas. We watched that group from holes 1-8 and Tiger hit a monster drive on the short par 4 #3 and pitched in for eagle. He still draws big crowds!