Marvin West asked me to share this.

#27
#27
Marvin West is a sportswriter legend in the lineage of Tom Siler and Red Bailes. Spending a few minutes of my time reading what he writes is time well spent. Some folks have never read anything without pictures and only communicate with their imaginary friends on the internet.
 
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#29
#29
Thanks for posting. I always enjoy reading articles by Marvin West. Good change from all the one line smart !ss comments that are posted on here. Great to read something inspirational for a change.
Makes you wonder how many other great athletes never got the chance to show their ability. A lot comes down to chance. Take the new EE DB Moseley, story goes that he was spotted at a UT camp. I hope the kid has a great career and the coaches are rewarded for ignoring his "star" rating.
 
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#34
#34
Thanks so much DAJ. This is the stuff I was hoping for when I signed up for VN. Great read from a legendary sports writer about a hometown coach demonstrating initiative to lead a scholar athlete into a productive career.

Shame is, too many VN members can't/won't figure out the deeper storylines, or have no appreciation for it if they can.

T&A & stuff exploding???

Woe's me ... whatz happinin to our nation?
 
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#35
#35
daj2576 said:
Full disclosure: I have never met Mr. West, face to face, but I have had the distinct privilege of communicating with him on several occasions. He interviewed me for a story a year or so ago, and I've bent his ear several times since.

This story is great, as per usual. I hope you all read it and the follow up stories to come. These lessor known stories are sometimes the best examples of what it truly means to bleed orange.

"Shopper for Jan 14

Tales of Tennessee

Complex recruiting, uninvited Vol

By Marvin West

Careful now, what happens next is critical.

The main event in Tennessee’s level of football is the remainder of the recruiting race that peaks in early February.

Recruiting is a high-tech combination of art and science. Evaluation is step one. If it is erroneous, nothing else matters. If targets are correctly identified, creative salesmanship becomes the key. Serious research is involved. Effort is endless.

Recruiters must find the winning edge. What are the interests? What matters most? Is the prospect looking to be part of a national championship or does he seek early playing time? Is geography a factor? Which relative or friend has the most influence?

This takes work. The challenge is endless. Commitments are the mid-point. Defending those pledges is what pays dividends. There is no such thing as time out.

Case in point: On the Saturday evening after that merciless thrashing by Auburn, coach Butch Jones quickly changed gears for a gathering of recruits for a family dinner at his house. Barbara Jones is a terrific assistant. Sons Alex, Adam and Andrew fit right in. Visitors could feel the warmth. Food was fine. Conversation ranged from light and bright to deeply sincere. Feedback was powerfully positive.

To see the effort Butch Jones and associates cram into recruiting brings to mind the good, old days and how Mike Stratton, big, blond end at Tellico Plains, made his way to the University of Tennessee.

This was 1957. Mike had no four or five-star build-up. He was 6-3 and 205, established in baskets, a late-bloomer in football, a starter his senior year. He had the best size and top speed on a squad of 18.

“If a college recruiter came to Tellico Plains, nobody saw him,” said Stratton. If Mike received so much as a football questionnaire from UT, he doesn’t remember. “I did get a basketball letter from Kentucky. I answered all the questions and sent it back. I never heard any more.”

Mike knew a lot more about the Volunteers than they knew about him. “Everybody in Tellico Plains was a Tennessee fan.” Uncle Percy Swanson took Mike to some games. Swanson watched John Majors. Mike focused on that pass-snagging end, Buddy Cruze, number 86. “I wanted to be 86. I wanted to be Buddy Cruze.”

Even with a miracle involved, it never happened. But Mike Stratton made it to Tennessee.


On the day before signing day, Tellico coach Bill Spurling said, “We’re going over there.”

Uninvited, they showed up at the UT athletic department office. A secretary asked their business.

“Coach Spurling said we had come for a scholarship and wouldn’t be leaving until we got one.”

That was a new approach.

The good woman carried the message into another room. There was a long delay. Eventually, Ken Donahue came out.

“Coach Spurling repeated his words, the key word being ‘scholarship’.”

Donahue went away without commenting. In time, George Cafego came out, scholarship papers in hand.

Mike Stratton was a sophomore end on Bowden Wyatt’s 1959 team. He didn’t play much.

“I think I was the only player on the bench who didn’t get in the Chattanooga game. I was really upset.”

Teammates persuaded him to hang in there.

Stratton’s junior season was better. He was second team. He caught a pass for six yards and a touchdown against Tampa.

“That was pretty good. We didn’t throw it but three or four times a year.”

Stratton was a senior starter. He wore No. 86 but he was not Buddy Cruze. Mike had nine receptions, 142 yards, touchdowns against Georgia Tech, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

There is another chapter to this story. The Buffalo Bills saw much greater potential in the “uninvited” Volunteer. They invested $11,000 and turned Stratton into a linebacker. He had one of the unforgettable hits in pro football history. He made the Pro Bowl six times. He is on the Buffalo wall of fame. He was elected to the Bills’ 50-year team.

Sometime soon, maybe next week, I’ll tell you some more about Mike Stratton, the man the recruiters totally missed."
Click to expand...

Never cared for Marvin West when he was a sports writer. Always too negative, like John Adams. I thought he died about 15 years ago!
 
#36
#36
Orangedogsrule said:
Thanks so much DAJ. This is the stuff I was hoping for when I signed up for VN. Great read from a legendary sports writer about a hometown coach demonstrating initiative to lead a scholar athlete into a productive career.

Shame is, too many VN members can't/won't figure out the deeper storylines, or have no appreciation for it if they can.

T&A & stuff exploding???

Woe's me ... whatz happinin to our nation?
Click to expand...
joke
jōk/
noun
1.
a thing that someone says to cause amusement or laughter, esp. a story with a funny punchline.
"she was in a mood to tell jokes"
synonyms: funny story, jest, witticism, quip; More
a trick played on someone for fun.
synonyms: trick, practical joke, prank, lark, stunt, hoax, jape; More
informal
a person or thing that is ridiculously inadequate.
"the transportation system is a joke"
synonyms: laughingstock, object of ridicule, stooge, butt; More
verb
verb: joke; 3rd person present: jokes; past tense: joked; past participle: joked; gerund or present participle: joking
1.
make jokes; talk humorously or flippantly.
"she could laugh and joke with her colleagues"
synonyms: tell jokes, crack jokes; More
fool, fool around, play a trick, play a practical joke, tease;
informalkid, fun, pull (someone's leg), pull/jerk/yank someone's chain, make a monkey out of someone, put someone on
archaic
poke fun at.
"he was pretending to joke his daughter"
 
#38
#38
Orangedogsrule said:
I c mr hargraves larned to cutnpaste durin hiz eddycashun
Click to expand...

Get one of these and you will be a happier person.


Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor"
sense of humour, humor, humour
playfulness, fun - a disposition to find (or make) causes for amusement; "her playfulness surprised me"; "he was fun to be with"
 
#40
#40
lovavol said:
Friggin lazy people.....dont read it if it hurts....go look at pictures somewhere. ...great read from my perspective
Click to expand...

I need to see a pix of Cafego & Stratton.
Then one of him in Bill's uniform.
Then one of the Buffalo Wall
A video from his High school would be the best. (B&W)

I'm a visual person.
 
#42
#42
I admit that I had not heard of Mike Stratton. A bit before my time.

I really enjoyed the story, though. Thanks for posting.
 
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#43
#43
Was Stratton the guy that rocked Keith Lincoln of the Chargers in an AFL Championship game? I've seen that hit on NFL Network vidoes about the AFL. The Chargers were helpless after that and Bills won their first AFL title. My assistant principal from high school played OT for the Bills during that era.
 
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#47
#47
Doyle Hargraves said:
Get one of these and you will be a happier person.


Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor"
sense of humour, humor, humour
playfulness, fun - a disposition to find (or make) causes for amusement; "her playfulness surprised me"; "he was fun to be with"
Click to expand...

20 Types and Forms of Humor

Ya mean like this here? I included it for your continuin eddykashun. Don't think nothin' wrong with my humir Ol'Son. The wife sez I'm a handsome devil for my age and my dry wit akshully makes her laugh til she crys an gets hic-ups sometimes.

Evidently you don't know who yer talkin to. Some forms of humor goes right over yer haid.
 
#49
#49
Mike Stratton lived in our neighborhood in South Knoxville when I was a kid... He was always a nice guy... Years later, I found out how good he was... He was a great LB... On a side note, just goes to show you how some college coaches and other experts don't know talent when they see it... Or how to evaluate players... Obviously, he was built for LB... Funny that he only played on offense for the Vols...
 
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