University of Tennessee Athletics
Wells Starting Streak Ranks Among Nation's Leaders
October 16, 2003 | Football
Oct. 16, 2003
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| Scott Wells wore Chuck Prugh's No. 67 as a tribute to his stricken teammate at the Auburn game earlier this season. |
| ? |
| Current NCAA Leaders Consecutive Starts |
| 1. Nate McPeak (Marshall) - 45 |
| 2. Toby Cecil (Texas Tech) - 43 |
| 3. Mark Wilson (California) - 43 |
| 4. Scott Wells (TENNESSEE) - 42 |
| ? |
| All-Time Tennessee Leaders Games Played |
| Jeff Hall, PK - 50 |
| Will Offenheusle, OT - 50 |
| Will Bartholomew, FB - 50 |
| John Finlayson, TD - 50 |
| Cedrick Wilson, WR - 50 |
It's a good thing that Scott Wells loves Tennessee football. By season's end, he'll likely have experienced more of it than any player in the Vols' storied history.
At the midpoint of the 2003 campaign, the senior center has started 42 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak among active offensive linemen in Division I football. Marshall's Nate McPeek has started 45 straight games while Toby Cecil of Texas Tech and Mark Wilson of California have 43-game streaks.
If the Vols gain a bowl berth, Wells, who has appeared in 43 games overall, could extend his run to 49 starts, a record for a Tennessee position player. Only placekicker Jeff Hall, with 50 starts from 1995-98, would have more. Offensive guard Jeff Smith holds the current Tennessee record for a position player with 47 from 1992-95.
"I feel good about it," Wells said. "I try not to talk about it because I don't want to jinx myself but I go out, try to stay healthy throughout practice and do my job. I've been blessed and, Lord willing, I'll be able to continue my success and keep playing."
Full-time performer
Wells will likely log more minutes on the field than any Vol in school history. He rarely missed a series in his first three seasons and his snap has started nearly every Tennessee offensive play since the Clinton administration.
"This is the first year I've rotated at all," he said. "The last three years I never came out of a game unless we were ahead by a bunch. If we were down by a bunch, I stayed in.
"I remember a couple years ago, we were playing Vanderbilt, and we were winning by a couple touchdowns and it was raining, but I stayed in when everybody else rotated out. I think that's helped me out as far as conditioning. I just think if you're in there, you're going full speed and going all out, it's hard to get hurt."
Wells' streak is admittedly far shy of the 2,632-game string of baseball's Cal Ripken. But Ripken didn't have 280-pound defensive linemen pounding on him 60 times a game, either. Hundreds of snaps have forced Wells to endure a career's worth of pain.
" Last year, in the Kentucky game, I sprained my ankle pretty bad," he said. "They thought it was broken. I went in and got x-rayed at halftime, but it showed up negative. They taped it up and I went out and played in the second half.
"Then getting ready for the bowl game, I think I sprained it six times in three periods in the first practice," Wells said. Despite missing the rest of the season's workouts, he strapped on a protective device for his ankle and played in the Peach Bowl.
"It was worth it," Wells said. "I told them I wasn't going to sit out. I didn't care if I couldn't practice at all, I was going to play."
New father
Not even the upcoming birth of a baby son with his wife, Julie, will end Wells' streak. The baby is due Nov. 29, the same day the Vols are at Kentucky. A team captain, Wells is committed to being with the squad that day, but is hopeful he'll be on hand for the delivery as well.
"The chances of the baby coming that day are slim," Wells said. "We've talked about it, and fortunately for us, both her mother and my mother are close to us and can be there, and I'm going to get there as quickly as I can."
The home stretch
The Vols are 4-2 at the season's midpoint, but that has no impact on the approach Wells and Greer take to the remainder of the season. They're just savoring every moment they have left on the field.
" I try to go out and enjoy each opportunity," Wells said. "I figure there are a lot of people out there who would love to be in my situation to be playing for Tennessee and I'm fortunate enough to do that. It was my goal when I came here to be a four-year starter."
"We haven't played up to our potential and I haven't played up to my potential especially," Greer said. "I have six more opportunities to go out there and do my best."
If it's up to Wells, he won't come off the field the rest of the way.
"I do not like standing on the sidelines," he said.
Not that he would know what that's like.
Greer threatens games-played mark
Senior cornerback Jabari Greer is eyeing a potential longevity mark of his own. He's appeared in 44 Tennessee games -- starting 27 -- and could play as many as 51. That would better the record of 50 shared by Hall, offensive tackle Will Offenheusle (1999-2002), running back Will Bartholomew (1998-2001), tight end John Finlayson (1998-2001) and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson (1997-2000).
"I don't think it's good luck, I think it's a blessing as far as somebody looking over me and keeping me from hurt, harm and danger," Greer said. "That's something I pray for every day. You pray to stay healthy so that you can be the type of player you know you can be.
"I'm just fortunate to play that much for a team I've always wanted to play for."
Larry Happel
