University of Tennessee Athletics
STEPHENS, MAYS NAMED LEGENDS OF TENNESSEE FOR MARSHALL GAME
September 21, 2006 | Football
Sept. 21, 2006
A pair of homegrown legends will be back at Rocky Top this weekend, as former Vols standouts Travis Stephens and Kevin Mays make their return to Neyland Stadium.
Stephens, one of the top running backs in school history, and Mays, a monster on the offensive line, have been tabbed as the Legends of Tennessee as UT hosts Marshall for Homecoming on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Kevin Mays, G (1990-94)
The Kingston native anchored the Vols offensive line as a senior, both as a team captain and as the only Vol to earn first-team All-SEC honors that season.
The 6-4 road-clearing guard opened holes for one of the best rushing attacks in the conference, and Mays helped protect the SEC Freshman of the Year under center, Peyton Manning. Mays and the Vols finished that season with a dominating win over Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl - the second bowl win for Mays coupled with the 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl.
Mays went back and forth from offense to defense before becoming an all-conference performer on the offensive line. A highly-touted defensive lineman at Roane County High School, Mays moved to the offensive line midway through his freshman campaign. The next season he was shuffled to defensive tackle before settling in at guard as a junior.
Travis Stephens, RB (1997-2001)
Stephens made the most of his one season as a fulltime starter for the Vols, earning All-SEC and All-America honors as a senior in 2001. The Clarksville native rushed for 10 touchdowns and a UT record 1,464 yards for the Citrus Bowl champs.
Stephens started for the Vols in one other season, filling in for an injured Jamal Lewis for four games en route to the 1998 National Championship. The 5-9 running back carried 13 times for 60 yards in the 23-16 title-clincher over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl.
He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award for the nation's top running back as a senior before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Stephens in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Stephens ranks sixth among UT running backs in career touchdowns with 21, and his 2,336 yards as a Vol is the ninth-best total in school history.
