University of Tennessee Athletics
Gene McEver
August 15, 2003 | Football
Elected 1954
 |
In his first year on the varsity,
McEver made an immediate impact in the 1928 Alabama contest. Known as the "Bristol
Blizzard," he returned the opening kickoff straight up the middle 98 yards
for a touchdown and later caught a scoring pass from quarterback Bobby Dodd
to virtually beat Alabama himself as the Vols went on to upset the heavily-favored
Crimson Tide, 15-13.
The kickoff return and the game sealed his fate as one of the elite backs in
Tennessee football on a squad dubbed the "Flaming Sophomores." The
win, long heralded as the greatest in Vols history, propelled UT to national
glory.
In 1929, McEver was a scoring machine on offense. In the final game of the regular season, he broke the goal line for five touchdowns and scored three extra points against South Carolina. The outburst helped him lead the nation in scoring with 130 points as the Vols' halfback. It also was in that season when McEver became the first Tennessee football player to reach All-America status, garnering a unanimous decision.
During his UT career, McEver
was an All-Southern selection each year and became the first Tennessee player
to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. With McEver on the field
the Vols never lost a game, going 27-0-3 in his three years of participation
with each tie coming to Kentucky.
