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Tennessee football: Top 10 Vols players who never won a championship

By Caleb Calhoun

ORLANDO - JANUARY 1: Quarterback Casey Clausen #7 of the Tennessee Volunteers calls an audible during the Citrus Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines on January 1, 2002 in Orlando, Florida. Tennessee won 45-17. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ORLANDO - JANUARY 1: Quarterback Casey Clausen #7 of the Tennessee Volunteers calls an audible during the Citrus Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines on January 1, 2002 in Orlando, Florida. Tennessee won 45-17. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

It’s no surprise that Willie Gault would be on this list. A future NFL star and elite speedster, Gault holds numerous records and is a college football legend. But he played in a rebuilding period for Tennessee football that took way longer than it should have.

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    • Gault was part of an elite group of talent that joined the Vols in the late 1970s after Johnny Majors returned to Tennessee. That these teams could never get over the hump and win a championship remains a major mystery.

    There was so much talent that the early 1980s Tennessee football teams were among the most underachieving teams in school history. Although it wasn’t his fault, Gault was evidence of that amazing talent.

    The guy doubled as a receiver and return man for the Vols. He was the pinnacle of the Wide Receiver U tradition in Knoxville, and he also represented a tradition of football players becoming track stars.

    In four years, Gault had 1,482 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. He also returned 78 punts for 659 yards, nearly eight and a half yards a return. And he returned 78 kickoffs for 1,854 yards and an amazing four touchdowns. Before Evan Berry, he may have been the greatest kickoff returner in school history.

    An electrifying receiver, Gault became a reliable NFL player because of his elite return abilities and solid pass-catching abilities. The Vols enjoyed it first. And it’s not like these years weren’t without highlights.

    Related Story: 10 most underappreciated Vols in school history

    Despite no championships, Gault was part of the Vols’ 1979 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and their 1982 upset over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Those were some huge wins in school history, and he deserves respect for being a part of them.

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