Tennessee football: 1997 Vols’ 2003 NFL presence is unprecedented
In 2003, the Tennessee football Volunteers established an NFL presence that remains unprecedented.
What if I told you that in one season, there was a 2,000-yard rusher who did not win the MVP because he lost to a quarterback who led the league in passing yards? Now imagine for a second if those two players played on the same team in college. Such was the case for the 1997 Tennessee football team during the 2003 NFL season.
Everybody likes to remember the dominance of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, and for good reason. That team had more NFL talent than anybody in history. However, no team had greater NFL productivity for one season than the 1997 Vols did, and that season was 2003.
Peyton Manning lead the league with a 67 percent completion rate and 4,267 passing yards, earning MVP honors. Jamal Lewis, meanwhile, joined the exclusive 2,000-yard club with the Baltimore Ravens. Manning and Lewis made up the starting backfield in 1997 on Rocky Top.
This is just a microcosm of how dominant the 1997 Tennessee football team was in the NFL. Manning and Lewis weren’t even the only ones who stood out like this. But if they were, it’d be enough to put UT atop this list.
Leonard Little, on the other side, got the St. Louis Rams back to the playoffs, and he made the Pro Bowl, leading the league with six forced fumbles while also registering 12.5 sacks. Al Wilson was in the midst of his third straight Pro Bowl with the Denver Broncos. Those two guys were just as crucial to the ’97 team.
Other starters from that unit were still starting in the pros. Shawn Bryson, as a fullback, was the leading rusher on the Detroit Lions. Peerless Price had just signed with the Atlanta Falcons and went for over 800 yards despite not having Michael Vick almost the whole season. Offensive linemen Trey Teague, Chad Clifton were all starting, along with linebacker Raynoch Thompson.
Simply put, the NFL was filled with players who started for the 1997 Vols, and when you factor in backups on that team, it goes even deeper. Shaun Ellis made the Pro Bowl along with Little, as he also had 12.5 sacks.
Defensive tackle Darwin Walker was starting with the Philadelphia Eagles, tight end David Martin was starting with the Green Bay Packers, and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson was starting with the San Francisco 49ers. Free safety Deon Grant started with the Carolina Panthers and helped to carry them to the Super Bowl.
Honestly, you could maybe have won a Super Bowl in 2003 just with players who played on Tennessee football in 1997. Taking it all into account, it’s crazy that they didn’t win the national title in college with all this talent.
If you expanded it beyond 1997, an NFL team would have easily won the Super Bowl with exclusively former Vols in 2003. After all, John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth were both in the pros by then, and they each became Pro Bowl defensive tackles. Imagine those two in the middle with Little and Ellis on the outside.
Meanwhile, Jason Witten became a Hall-of-Fame tight end, and he was in his rookie season. We already mentioned Clifton on the offensive line. He eventually became a Pro Bowler. Cornerback Dale Carter was a veteran in the pros at the time who, if he could stay healthy, would definitely be a valuable asset.
Secondary and special teams would be the two weaknesses for Tennessee football at the next level. But they would have an all Pro Bowl front four, an all Pro Bowl backfield and quality starters and Pro Bowlers everywhere else as well. So this team would be loaded. Altogether, no team quite had a level of pro productivity like the Vols in 2003.