One of Tennessee football’s first NFL Draft picks, Dick Huffman only played in the pros for four years before actually going to Canada. But those four years were so amazing that there was no way we could keep him off this list.
Another offensive lineman, Huffman initially played for John Barnhill’s teams following the canceled 1943 season due to World War II. He helped the Vols to back to back Top 25 seasons. Then Robert Neyland returned in 1946, and Huffman helped his first team win an SEC title and finish in the top 10 with a 9-2 overall record. That year, he also achieved All-American honors.
After that, Huffman went to the NFL. He was picked all the way down in the ninth round, but it didn’t matter. In four years with the Los Angeles Rams, Huffman made All-Pro for his first three. Then came 1950, and that was the first season the NFL would do the Pro Bowl. Well, Huffman made the Pro Bowl that year.
Huffman then went to play in Canada and was a six-time All-Star, and he eventually became a professional wrestler. But his four NFL years were something special, and as such a late draft pick, he warrants a spot this high on the list.