Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols who never played in the NFL
One of the best offensive linemen of his time, Chip Kell was a two-time All-American in 1969 and 1970 in three years as a starter for Tennessee football. At the same time, he won the Jacobs Trophy as the best blocker in the conference both of those years.
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Kell was a superstar who kept alive the tradition Doug Dickey built with his exciting offense a few years before. He was a huge part of the Vols going undefeated at home during his time and them winning the SEC Championship in 1969.
A College Football Hall-of-Famer, Kell earned national recognition as well as local recognition. And it’s enough to hold him in high esteem for everything he did during his time on Rocky Top when the Vols were in one of their most elite periods. During his three years with the program, they went 28-5-1 with two Top 10 finishes in addition to the 1969 SEC title.
This was all enough for Kell to get drafted into the NFL. The San Diego Chargers selected him in 1971. However, he never did make it into the NFL to play a game, so he had to go to Canada and play two years for the Edmonton Eskimos. After that, his pro career came to an end. So there wasn’t much football after college for Kell.
But he did not need a pro career to prove his greatness on Rocky Top. He cemented his legacy with Tennessee football before that, and it’s why we were able to put him on this list.