Without saying your age, who was your favorite player when you first started watching football?

#452
#452
1972 Grad said:
I knew him very well. He used to call on me as a basket salesman for years. I retired 6 years ago, so I haven't seen him since then. I can only imagine how intense he would be on a football field.

He had a linebacker mentality. He was still in great shape the last time I saw him. He looked like he could still play, and he was probably getting close to 60 when I last saw him. If I'm not mistaken , Gregg had 20 or 21 tackles in a game. What town in Virginia did he come from? He wasn't originally from Bristol. I'm thinking it was some little coal mining town like Honaker or Dante or something.
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From a post of yours a few years back...

1972 Grad said:
I wanted to illustrate how good that Spiva and Greg Jones were playing together at linebacker in the mid-70's, so I did a search on utsports.com.

Total tackles in a game:
1) Tom Fisher against Auburn 1964: 28
2) Greg Jones against Alabama 1976: 25
3) Greg Jones against Vandy 1977: 25
4) Andy Spiva against Vandy 1975: 25

Solo tackles in a game:
1) Tom Fisher against Auburn 1964: 21
2) Greg Jones against Vandy 1977: 19
3) Keith DeLong against Alabama 1988: 19
4) Greg Jones against Alabama 1976: 17

Total tackles season:
1)Andy Spiva 1976: 134 tackles
2) Greg Jones 1976: 110 tackles

Total tackles career:
1) Andy Spiva 1973-76: 547 tackles
4) Greg Jones 1974-77: 377 tackles

These 2 guys (Spiva and Jones) played together in 1974, 75, and 76 and are ranked in the top 4 of many all-time U.T. tackling records, and are number one and two all-time for total tackles in a single season, which was 1976.
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I didn't know Jones moved into Bristol from somewhere else in the region.

One vivid recollection of Jones was in the annual Virginia High /Tennessee High game, VH was on something like the 3 yard line in the south end of the Stone Castle, VH had a really good running back - Jones blitzed the center/guard gap and made the most picture perfect, truly awesome tackle I ever saw - I was dead center in the bleachers for it, perfect view. Head in the numbers, wrapped up both legs, picked him up and carried him backwards about 5 yards. A photographer caught it perfectly - one of the iconic images for that period where THS won back to back state championships.
 
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#453
#453
The Dallas Cowboys vs Green Bay Packers ice bowl game waaaay back in black and white was my first game from a lapsing memory. Bart Starr was my hero. As far as UT, 1971 Bobby Majors intercepting Penn State.
 
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#460
#460
Mightyvol said:
Fuzz Thirston I think played right guard.....weighted about 215 pounds. Different game back then.
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Dick Williams, who I went to high school with, played defensive tackle and was team captain for U.T. He began playing on the varsity in 1966 at 205 pounds. Chip Kell was thought of as being a monster at 250 or so, as a center for U.T. a couple of years later..
 
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#461
#461
munsterlander said:
From a post of yours a few years back...



I didn't know Jones moved into Bristol from somewhere else in the region.

One vivid recollection of Jones was in the annual Virginia High /Tennessee High game, VH was on something like the 3 yard line in the south end of the Stone Castle, VH had a really good running back - Jones blitzed the center/guard gap and made the most picture perfect, truly awesome tackle I ever saw - I was dead center in the bleachers for it, perfect view. Head in the numbers, wrapped up both legs, picked him up and carried him backwards about 5 yards. A photographer caught it perfectly - one of the iconic images for that period where THS won back to back state championships.
Click to expand...
Wow! I had totally forgotten about that post of mine from 2013. It's a small world when I think that I had 2 salesmen, Greg Jones and Johnny Mills , who played for the Vols...........and played really well.
 
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#470
#470
87&91ALUM said:
The Dallas Cowboys vs Green Bay Packers ice bowl game waaaay back in black and white was my first game from a lapsing memory. Bart Starr was my hero. As far as UT, 1971 Bobby Majors intercepting Penn State.
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I vaguely remember that game but it wasn’t till a couple years later I really started watching football with Len Dawson and the 69 chiefs
 
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#475
#475
munsterlander said:
From a post of yours a few years back...



I didn't know Jones moved into Bristol from somewhere else in the region.

One vivid recollection of Jones was in the annual Virginia High /Tennessee High game, VH was on something like the 3 yard line in the south end of the Stone Castle, VH had a really good running back - Jones blitzed the center/guard gap and made the most picture perfect, truly awesome tackle I ever saw - I was dead center in the bleachers for it, perfect view. Head in the numbers, wrapped up both legs, picked him up and carried him backwards about 5 yards. A photographer caught it perfectly - one of the iconic images for that period where THS won back to back state championships.
Click to expand...
Something else I just remembered about Jones was that he was in rookie camp for the St. Louis Cardinals when Bud Wilkinson was coach. I can't remember exactly what he told me about it, but I think he got burned out on football or the atmosphere there, and left before camp was over. I don't think he stayed around long enough to make it or get cut.
 
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