Tennessee Vols most well-rounded athlete ever, Ron Widby, passes away

The Tennessee Vols lost a basketball, football and baseball Volunteers legend.

Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon for college athletes to excel in multiple sports. Plenty of people played for both the Tennessee football and the Tennessee basketball programs. Very few Tennessee Vols were as accomplished as Ron Widby, though.

UTSports confirmed that Widby, who played four different sports with the program from 1964 to 1967, passed away Tuesday at age 75. One of only seven players on Rocky Top ever to earn eight varsity letters, Widby played football and basketball for three years each and baseball and golf for one year each.

However, what really stood out about Widby was his accomplishments with the Tennessee Vols in the two sports he played for three years. Widby was an All-American in football as a punter in 1966 and an All-American and SEC Player of the Year in basketball as a forward in 1967.

On Dec. 18, 1965, Widby played in the Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston as UT beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, and he played a game for the basketball team later that day, helping them beat the Centenary Gents later that day at the Gulf South Classic event in Louisiana. That was one of the most impressive days in history for an athlete on Rocky Top.

During his All-American football campaign, Widby averaged an NCAA-leading 43.8 yards per punt on 38 punts. He also averaged 42.8 yards on 20 punts as a junior and 41.1 yards per punt on 74 punts as a freshman.

As a basketball player, Widby averaged 18.1 points and eight and a half rebounds per game in three years as a starter. He earned All-SEC as a junior and senior. During his All-American senior campaign, he averaged 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds a game.

What stands out for Widby, though, are not just his individual accomplishments. He helped take both the Tennessee Vols football and basketball programs to new heights in new eras as their respective sports were changing in the 1960s.

In football, he played for Doug Dickey as Dickey tried to install the T-formation and move the program past the single-wing era. UT made its first bowl game in eight years with him there in 1965, earning its first top 10 finish in nine years in the process.

Widby helped the men’s basketball program arrive under Mears. As a sophomore, he led the program to only its second 20-win season in school history. During his senior year, he led the program to its first regular season SEC Championship in 24 years and its first NCAA Tournament in school history.

Simply put, Widby had a huge role in both major Tennessee Vols programs adjusting to changing times, and he should be remembered for those accomplishments along with his individual accomplished. Being an All-American in two different sports and playing four different sports says it all.

After college, Widby spent one year in the ABA with the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967. He also spent four years with the Dallas Cowboys and two with the Green Bay Packers in the NFL from 1968 to 1973, making a Pro Bowl appearance and winning a Super Bowl title during the 1971 season. So he had a solid professional career as well.

We should also note that Widby hit .300 in his one season with the Tennessee Vols baseball team, so he could have been successful on that front as well if he stuck with it. Still, he was insanely as a UT athlete and deserves tons of respect for what he did for the athletics program in general.