University of Tennessee Athletics
Kiner inducted into College Football Hall of Fame
December 07, 1999 | Football
This is a tremendous honor for me, Kiner said. From the time I was notified, it made me think a lot about my career at Tennessee. This brings back a lot of good memories and makes me think about how much I enjoyed the game of football. I remember the camaraderie we had on our teams at Tennessee. It reminds me of what I got out of the game. Sometimes the team aspect of the game gets lost, but a team is only as good as the 11 guys on the field. That's why I enjoyed watching the 1998 Tennessee win the national championship. It was a team which had a beautiful chemistry.
Kiner was the "SEC Sophomore of the Year" in 1967 and was an All-SEC selection in 1968 and 1969. He led his team in tackles in 1968 and 1969 and intercepted nine passes over the course of his career. He helped lead the Vols to three consecutive victories over Alabama and prompted Alabama coach Bear Bryant to call Kiner the "best in this league since Leroy Jordan played for us."
He was ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1969 and played in the 1970 Senior Bowl. He was voted as a member of the "100 Years of Volunteers" team in 1990. He was named to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. He was a third round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in 1970 and played in Super Bowl V. He also played for New England (1971, 1973), Washington (1972-73) and Houston (1973-78).
Other Vols in the College Football Hall of Fame are Gene McEver (inducted 1954), Beattie Feathers (inducted 1955), Gen. Robert R. Neyland (inducted 1956 as a coach), Herman Hickman (inducted 1959), Bobby Dodd (inducted 1959 as a player, inducted 1993 as a coach), Bob Suffridge (inducted 1961), Nathan W. Dougherty (inducted 1967), George Cafego (inducted 1969), Bowden Wyatt (inducted 1972 as a player, inducted 1997 as a coach), Hank Lauricella (inducted 1981), Doug Atkins (inducted 1985), John Majors (inducted 1987), Bob Johnson (inducted 1989), Ed Molinski (inducted 1990), Steve DeLong (inducted 1993) and John Michels (inducted 1996).
