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Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols kick returners in school history

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 24: Evan Berry #29 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts after a fumble recovery against the Florida Gators in the first quarter at Neyland Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 24: Evan Berry #29 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts after a fumble recovery against the Florida Gators in the first quarter at Neyland Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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A two-year player for Tennessee football, Dale Carter arrived in 1990 for a team that had just one the SEC Championship the year before. He was picked up to be an elite cornerback for what was to be an elite defense.

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    • Carter definitely delivered in that realm, which is why he was able to become an All-American both years he played on Rocky Top. The guy had nine interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, during his time in Knoxville.

    In fact, Carter averaged 15.9 yards per interception return, a remarkable stat, and that made for 143 interception return yards in two years. That should give you an idea of how great he was as a returner overall, which is where we go to next.

    On kickoff and punt returns in those two years, Carter was a superstar. His breakout game came against, of all teams, the Florida Gators. And it was actually on a play that never should have happened if you’re a coach.

    Tennessee was only up 7-3 on Florida at the half. The Gators kicked the ball off, and it was set to go out of bounds. But Carter broke the rule of not fielding such a kick and returned it the other way for a touchdown. That broke the game open into a 45-3 route, influenced heavily by Carter’s kickoff return and also two interceptions.

    Overall, Carter averaged 9.8 yards per a punt return with 53 returns for 522 yards. But that was mostly due to 1990, when he averaged 13.1 yards a return. On top of that, he returned 44 kickoffs for 1,130 yards, an average of 25.7 yards per kickoff return.

    Related Story: 10 most underappreciated Vols in school history

    Simply put, Carter is a Tennessee football legend, and it’s in large part due to his special teams efforts. His son, Nigel Warrior, has two years left in Knoxville but has a lot to live up to given what Carter was able to do.

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