Gene McEver

Position:
Running Back
Year(s) Awarded:
1929
Hometown:
Bristol, Va.
High School:
Bristol

Gene McEver was "the best player I ever coached ... the best I ever saw," said legendary Tennessee head coach Robert R. Neyland. That explains his role as a scoring machine during the 1929 season.

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--a single-season UT record that still stands today.

The 1929 campaign was also the season in which McEver became the first Tennessee football player to reach All-America status, garnering a unanimous decision.

McEver was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.