University of Tennessee Athletics
Brown, Neal Earn Vols' Most Improved Awards
April 11, 2002 | Football
April 11, 2002
KNOXVILLE -- A pair of upstart sophomores vying for playing time at two key positions have earned the most improved player awards of Tennessee's 2002 spring practice.
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| Karlton Neal (left) and Tony Brown earned the Vols' most improved awards for Spring Practice |
Tony Brown, 6-2, 181-pound wide receiver from Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., was named winner of the Harvey Robinson Award as the most-improved offensive player. Karlton Neal, 6-4, 250-pound defensive end from Chicago, Ill., claimed the Andy Spiva Award as most improved defensive player. Brown appeared in 11 games last season for the Volunteers, who finished 11-2, while Neal played in eight.
"Tony, I think, has taken the biggest step forward of the young receivers," said Randy Sanders, UT's offensive coordinator. "He's a little more experienced and has a better understanding of our offense. I'd say he's playing very close to his potential and has really performed well for us this spring."
Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator John Chavis noted Neal made the most of additional playing time.
"It was unfortunate that Constantin Ritzmann missed spring practice, but it was a good opportunity for Karlton Neal," Chavis said. "Karlton made as much improvement this spring as anyone out there. I'm excited about where he is now and we are looking for him to take his game to another level."
The award winners, selected annually by the coaching staff, have been chosen at the conclusion of spring practice since 1979. They are named for Robinson, a former UT player (1929-32), assistant coach (1946-52, 1960-63) and head coach (1953-54), and for Spiva, the outstanding Vols linebacker from 1973-76.
Tennessee concludes spring drills Saturday with the annual Orange-White game at 3 p.m. Fans' Day activities will run from 1-2 p.m. at Neyland Stadium prior to the game.
