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Tennessee football’s 10 RBs with greatest NFL careers

By Caleb Calhoun

BALTIMORE - DECEMBER 28: Running back Jamal Lewis #31 of the Baltimore Ravens on the sideline during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 28, 2003 at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens won 13-10 in overtime. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE - DECEMBER 28: Running back Jamal Lewis #31 of the Baltimore Ravens on the sideline during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 28, 2003 at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens won 13-10 in overtime. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images
Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images /

7. Years in NFL: 9. Pick Analysis. 1953-1954. Tom Tracy. player. Scouting Report. 839

Teams played for:

  • Detroit Lions, 1956-1957
  • Pittsburgh Steelers, 1958-1963
  • Washington Redskins, 1963-1964

It’s time to go all the way back to the single-wing and a time before the NFL-AFL merger here. Tom Tracy only played for Tennessee football for two years, 1953 and 1954. Those were the two years Harvey Robinson, the appointed successor of Robert Neyland, ran the show. While Robinson struggled and was eventually fired in favor of Bowden Wyatt, Tracy performed.

During those two years, Tracy had over 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. After college, Tracy spent two years with the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League, and he was a CFL All-Star in 1955. That led to him being taken by the Detroit lions in the fifth round of the 1956 NFL Draft. At 5’9″ 205 pounds, he was taken as a fullback.

However, when Tracy joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1958, he turned from a blocker to a runner. He had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in three straight years from 1958 to 1960, going over 700 yards on the ground in two of those while scoring nine, eight and nine touchdowns respectively those years. In the process, he became a Pro Bowler in 1958 and 1960.

Production began to dip then, and he spent his final season and a half with the Washington Redskins. But those three seasons were more than enough to put him on this list. He finished his career with 2,912 rushing yards, 4,380 total yards from scrimmage and 31 touchdowns, and he was a two-time Pro Bowler. That spelled lots of success back then.

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