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

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He doesn’t have Casey Clausen or even Joshua Dobbs numbers. But Condredge Holloway changed the landscape of SEC football as the first black quarterback to start in the conference. And that isn’t even a necessary point to bring up when mentioning his greatness.

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Looking back, it’s well documented now that the Vols were falling apart as a program when Holloway committed to Tennessee. Bill Battle did well early but was not bringing in the talent to keep up with what Doug Dickey left him.

So the 1972 team was really his first team. Fortunately, like Butch Jones, he was able to extend his career because of an elite dual-threat quarterback. And Holloway was that quarterback, which is why he’s so high on the list.

Holloway threw for over 3,100 yards in three years and 18 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions. Remember, these are impressive numbers for this time period. At the same time, he ran for 966 yards and nine touchdowns. He was just too exciting to watch.

But with not a lot of help, he had to carry the teams he played for. It worked in 1972, as the Vols went 10-2. That should have been a national championship-caliber team. They just barely lost to the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, both by one score.

The next year, Holloway was banged up and they went 8-4, and then they went 7-3-2 his senior year. As the talent got worse, the team got worse. But Holloway was still able to carry these guys to a bowl game each year. And he was responsible for Top 25 finishes all three years in Knoxville.

Holloway built a legacy without winning a title for Tennessee football, and he’s still beloved as a result. A future CFL star, Holloway remains a legend on Rocky Top. And we can safely say he’s the greatest UT quarterback to never win a championship.

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