Tennessee football’s five QBs with greatest NFL careers
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Years in the pros: 1. 1982-1985. Tony Robinson. 5. player. 839
Teams played for:
- Washington Redskins, 1987
Tony Robinson is the only player on here to never start a pro game. In fact, only four Tennessee football players ever started a game in the NFL. However, Robinson is a unique exception, and he’s worthy of mentioning for the one game he simply had a big impact in.
We all know the story of Robinson. He was an All-SEC quarterback his first season as a starter in 1984, and then he led UT to a 3-1-1 record in the first five games of the 1985 season, tying the No. 10 ranked UCLA Bruins, beating the top-ranked Auburn Tigers and holding off the No. 16 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
Robinson suffered a season-ending injury at Alabama, but his play until then still led to the Vols winning their first SEC title under Johnny Majors. Anyway, after a legal issue nearly wrecked his chances at an NFL season, he got a second chance in 1987.
During the players’ strike, Robinson was a backup for the Washington Redskins. He came in due to an injury in the second quarter with the playoffs on the line against the Dallas Cowboys. Leading a bunch of replacement players against a Dallas team where most players crossed the picket lines, Robinson completed 11-of-18 passes for 152 yards en route to a 13-7 upset win.
This win got Washington to the playoffs, and they went on to win the Super Bowl. Robinson’s story was loosely told in the movie “The Replacements.” The legend of that game along puts his pro career on here.