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 Tennessees 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 doesnt 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, Were 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 wouldnt 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 Wyatts 1959 team. He didnt play much.
I think I was the only player on the bench who didnt get in the Chattanooga game. I was really upset.
Teammates persuaded him to hang in there.
Strattons 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 didnt 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, Ill tell you some more about Mike Stratton, the man the recruiters totally missed."
