The History of Wide Receiver U

#27
#27
THE name that is being missed is Lester McClain. He was the first black player at UT and was a wide receiver. Along with Richmond Flowers, Willie Gault, and the other names mentioned, a tradition has continued without regard to race.
 
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#28
#28
casetopia said:
Justin Hunter & Cordarrelle Patterson recently. Before that there was Stanley Morgan, Willie Gault, Alvin Harper, Anthony Miller, Carl Pickens, Joey Kent, Marcus Nash, Donte Stallworth, Peerless Price and Robert Meachem. Pretty good group I would say.
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Great list, with the exception of Stanley Morgan.

Stanley was only listed as a WR as a freshman when he caught 22 passes. He was listed as a RB his last 3 years at UT..... during that time he had 351 carries vs 26 receptions. It wasn't until he got to the NFL that he became a stud WR.

Sorry to split hairs, just wanted to set the record straight regarding him being a great UT WR... he was a great player, but it was at RB, not WR.
 
#29
#29
It was during the third season with Willie Gault. He'd had a couple of QB's already so he was the stable force those couple of years with big plays based solely on his speed.
 
#30
#30
Boca Vol said:
I would probably say USC. They were actually known as Tailback U for producing players such as:

Mike Garrett
OJ Simpson
Ricky Bell
Charles White
Marcus Allen
Click to expand...

Good call. They had a run of all world backs.
 
#31
#31
OrangeByBirth said:
THE name that is being missed is Lester McClain. He was the first black player at UT and was a wide receiver. Along with Richmond Flowers, Willie Gault, and the other names mentioned, a tradition has continued without regard to race.
Click to expand...

The tradition of quality receivers is there but the WRU began in the 80's. I just pulled up the coaching staff in 1985 and Johnny could pick coaches. He has a Walsh like coaching tree.

Johnny Majors - Head coach
Ken Donahue - Defensive coordinator
Walt Harris - Offensive coordinator
Ralph Chancey - Administrative assistant
Kippy Brown - Wide receivers
Dick Bumpas - Inside linebackers
David Cutcliffe - Tight ends
Mel Foels Outside - linebackers
Phillip Fulmer - Offensive line
Bill Higdon - Recruiting coordinator
Doug Mathews - Running backs
Ron Zook - Defensive backs
Bruno Pauletto - Strength coach
 
#32
#32
on sb nation they show that tennessee has 11 wr drafted in past 30 years ohio state is number 2 with 8.
 
#33
#33
volfan5589 said:
on sb nation they show that tennessee has 11 wr drafted in past 30 years ohio state is number 2 with 8.
Click to expand...

let me guess...

Cordarelle Patterson
Justin Hunter
Robert Meachem
Kelley Washington
Donte Stallworth
Eric Parker
David Martin
Peerless Price
Cedric Wilson
Marcus Nash
Alvin Harper
Carl Pickens
Cory Fleming
Anthony Morgan
Tim McGee

hmmm...11 seems too low since I just listed 15...and the correct number is 24...see complete list below
 
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#34
#34
from utsports.com

UTSPORTS.COM - University of Tennessee Athletics - Football

2013 Cordarrelle Patterson WR 1 29 Minnesota
2013 Justin Hunter WR 2 34 Tennessee
2011 Denarius Moore WR 5 148 Oakland
2007 Robert Meachem WR 1 27 New Orleans
2004 Mark Jones WR 7 206 Tampa Bay
2003 Kelley Washington WR 3 65 Cincinnati
2002 Donte' Stallworth WR 1 13 New Orleans
2001 Cedrick Wilson WR 6 169 San Francisco
1999 Peerless Price WR 2 53 Buffalo
1998 Marcus Nash WR 1 30 Denver
1998 Andy McCullough WR 7 204 New Orleans
1997 Joey Kent WR 2 46 Houston
1996 Nilo Silvan WR 6 180 Tampa Bay
1995 Billy Williams WR 7 212 Arizona
1994 Cory Fleming WR 3 87 San Francisco
1992 Carl Pickens WR 2 31 Cincinnati
1991 Alvin Harper WR 1 12 Dallas
1991 Anthony Morgan WR 5 134 Chicago
1991 Vince Moore WR 11 279 New England
1990 Thomas Woods WR 8 205 Miami
1988 Anthony Miller WR 1 15 San Diego
1987 Joey Clinkscales WR 9 233 Pittsburgh
1986 Tim McGee WR 1 21 Cincinnati
1986 Eric Swanson WR 7 170 St. Louis
1984 Clyde Duncan WR 1 11 St. Louis
1984 Lenny Taylor WR 12 313 Green Bay
1983 Willie Gault WR 1 18 Chicago
1983 Darryal Wilson WR 2 47 New England
1983 Mike Miller WR 4 104 Green Bay
1982 Anthony Hancock WR 1 11 Kansas City
1979 Jeff Moore WR 3 58 LA Rams
1977 Stanley Morgan WR 1 25 New England
1977 Larry Seivers WR 4 111 Seattle
1971 Lester McClain WR 9 220 Chicago Bears
Click to expand...
 
#35
#35
B-17 Pilot said:
I think WRU had its routes way back in the 1960's when Johnny Mills and Richmond Flowers were All Americans. These two were followed by Larry Seivers, Stanley Morgan, Willie Gault, Alvin Harper, Tim McGee, Carl Pickens, Joey Kent, Marcus Nash, Donte Stallworth, Peerless Price, Bobby Meacham and recently Justin Hunter and Cordorrell Patterson. All these guys were game breakers and fortunately for the most part, had very good quarterbacks to throw to them!

Other schools IMO that could lay claim to WRU are Florida and USC.

It may interest you to know that along with Penn State, Tennessee was also known in the 60's and early 70's as Linebacker U with the likes of Paul Naumoff, Jack Reynolds, Steve Kiner, Jackie Walker, Craig Puki and others.

Go Vols!!
Click to expand...

I started UT summer quarter of 1969, the year after Richmond 'The Fastest White Boy Alive' graduated. That fall was Doug Dickey's last season before Bill Battle took over in 1970. I don't remember it being called 'Wide Receiver U' then. I do remember it being called 'Wide Out U' locally; as that's what we called them then. Before him, Dewey "The Swamp Rat" Warren had been throwing to Johnny Mills. When Dickey took over from interim couch Jim McDonald who had continued with Bowden Wyatt's run heavy single wing, the reason Steve Spurrier spurned the Vols in favor of a passing Florida team.

Catching Up: Dewey Warren - UTSPORTS.COM - University of Tennessee Athletics

Larry Seivers in the mid '70s was another in that time frame who carried on the tradition, and it only got better with the arrival of Johnny Majors.

But if I recall correctly calling Tennessee 'Wideout U' started with Richmond "If I'm even, I'm Leavin'" Flowers, and the growing tradition of UT's wideouts also being track stars.

Check out Tennessee's storied tradition in track until it crashed and burned.

NCAA Indoor Championships
2002

NCAA Outdoor Championships
1974, 1991, 2001

Conference Indoor Championships
1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1996

Conference Outdoor Championships
1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 2001, 2002, 2007

Wideout U originally, not Wide Receiver U ... of course that's interchangeable.

I do remember the Linebacker U thing. 'Hacksaw' Reynolds was The Man! Andthen the Wideout U thing started.
 
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#38
#38
Orangedogsrule said:
I started UT summer quarter of 1969, the year after Richmond 'The Fastest White Boy Alive' graduated. That fall was Doug Dickey's last season before Bill Battle took over in 1970. I don't remember it being called 'Wide Receiver U' then. I do remember it being called 'Wide Out U' locally; as that's what we called them then. Before him, Dewey "The Swamp Rat" Warren had been throwing to Johnny Mills. When Dickey took over from interim couch Jim McDonald who had continued with Bowden Wyatt's run heavy single wing, the reason Steve Spurrier spurned the Vols in favor of a passing Florida team.

Catching Up: Dewey Warren - UTSPORTS.COM - University of Tennessee Athletics

Larry Seivers in the mid '70s was another in that time frame who carried on the tradition, and it only got better with the arrival of Johnny Majors.

But if I recall correctly calling Tennessee 'Wideout U' started with Richmond "If I'm even, I'm Leavin'" Flowers, and the growing tradition of UT's wideouts also being track stars.

Check out Tennessee's storied tradition in track until it crashed and burned.

NCAA Indoor Championships
2002

NCAA Outdoor Championships
1974, 1991, 2001

Conference Indoor Championships
1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1996

Conference Outdoor Championships
1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 2001, 2002, 2007

Wideout U originally, not Wide Receiver U ... of course that's interchangeable.

I do remember the Linebacker U thing. 'Hacksaw' Reynolds was The Man! Andthen the Wideout U thing started.
Click to expand...

The bigger question is "Why did UT Track crash and burn?"
 
#39
#39
casetopia said:
Justin Hunter & Cordarrelle Patterson recently. Before that there was Stanley Morgan, Willie Gault, Alvin Harper, Anthony Miller, Carl Pickens, Joey Kent, Marcus Nash, Donte Stallworth, Peerless Price and Robert Meachem. Pretty good group I would say.
Click to expand...

Denarius Moore belongs in that group IMO
 
#41
#41
We would all be remiss if we didn't include the GREAT Lester McClain in this recanting of who made Tennessee Wideout U. Right in the middle of the civil rights movement, Coach Dickey made his own move to bring Tennessee and the SEC out of the dark.

Thank you Coach Dickey.

Thank you Lester McClain for sticking with it when the going got tough. A wideout and the first African-American to letter in football in the SEC.

Thank you Condredge Holloway, the first African-American QB in the SEC. Hey, without a QB who could toss the ball we'd have no Wideouts to catch it, eh?

And thank you to all the other African-American athletes of the '60s who led the way through incredibly tough times.

Congratulations to all of you. Your legacy is well earned.

"Passing the Plaudits of History" | The Vol Historian | GoVolsXtra.com

Condredge Holloway - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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