University of Tennessee Athletics
VFL Pat Shires Passes Away
July 27, 2015 | Football
By Brian Rice
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
UTSports.com
In his football career at the University of Tennessee, Shires was a man of many talents. After his playing days ended, his relationships with his fellow Volunteers off the field helped make the Tennessee Letterman's Club the tight-knit family it remains today.
A letterman in 1950, 52 and 53, he was a successful quarterback in the days when the forward pass was still more exotic novelty than every-down option. Including a Cotton Bowl appearance, Shires completed 17 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns in the 1952 season, his best year statistically as a Vol.
His arm was far from his only weapon, however. He saw his first action at UT in 1950 as a kicker. He held that responsibility even after his role in the offense grew in 1952.
Against North Carolina in that season, Shires single-handedly led Tennessee to a 41-14 victory in Knoxville. He ran for a touchdown, passed for a touchdown, passed for an extra point, kicked five extra points, punted five times and attempted one field goal against the Tar Heels.
Following his career on the field, the native of Hinton, W.Va. made his home in Knoxville and continued his relationship with his University and his fellow lettermen as one of the pillars of the T-Club. Over the decades that would follow, Shires would provide the same leadership off the field that he showcased on it, maintaining relationships with Volunteers from all eras to build the club's reach and influence.
Shires was a key figure in the development of the Letterman's Wall of Fame that sits just outside the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex. It is a monument that bonds athletes from all sports and all eras, with the names of each letter winner engraved in the Tennessee marble by decade.
On Oct. 18, 2013, Shires celebrated his 82nd birthday as one of over 200 VFLs to attend the reunion weekend for the Tennessee-South Carolina game. On that day, he experienced two traditions that came along after his playing days for the first time. Shires led the VFL group through the Vol Walk and participated in the pregame run through the T prior to the Vols' victory over the Gamecocks.
Shires retired after a long career in pharmaceutical sales with Procter and Gamble and was a frequent visitor to the football complex.
The family will receive friends on Thursday from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Rose Mortuary Mann Heritage Chapel, with a memorial service to follow at 7:00 p.m. with Dr. Bryan Wilson. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Dickie Noel Scholarship Fund, 410 Riverside Dr., Hinton, West Virginia 25951, which helps students from Pat's high school attend college.
