Tennessee football: Al Wilson perfectly captures 1998 mentality at Hall of Fame induction speech

It was a special night for Tennessee football, as the leader of the 1998 national championship team was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Al Wilson was the sole superstar on that team and finally got his due.

The only two people to really receive individual recognition from that team are Wilson and Phillip Fulmer, the head coach that year. Wilson was the only All-American on the 1998 Vols, Fulmer earned Coach of the Year, and both are now in the Hall of Fame.

However, when the legendary Tennessee football linebacker spoke Tuesday ahead of his induction, he perfectly encapsulated what made that team so great. Wilson emphasized that his recognition is a team award, and he gave everybody credit.

Okay, so that seems cliche to do. However, if you know the history of the 1998 team, it was that very mentality that led them to winning the national title. Sure, Wilson was the leader, but he was among many players who stepped up to fill major voids left by the 1997 SEC Championship team.

After 1997, the Vols lost a ton of talent, most notably quarterback Peyton Manning. They also lost Manning’s go-to receiver, Marcus Nash, who at the time had set the single-season record for receiving yards on Rocky Top. Starting center Trey Teague was also lost.

On defense, the notable loss was Leonard Little, who was another All-American like Manning and considered the greatest player on that side of the ball at UT since Reggie White. Jonathan Brown, who came one and a half sacks shy of tying White’s single-season sacks record, was also lost, as was veteran defensive back Terry Fair.

Simply put, the team lost a ton of star power, and they entered 1998 with a no-stars mentality. There was plenty of talent, and there were plenty of standout stars too. However, they all entered with something to prove because of all the talk about everybody they lost.

With the season written off as a rebuilding year, Tennessee football entered ranked No. 10, and it’s only returning proven superstar was Jamal Lewis, who was a freshman All-American in 1997. Early on, it seemed like new stars were emerging, and Wilson was one of them. He forced three fumbles against the Florida Gators.

Peerless Price was emerging as a go-to receiver, and he became the greatest offensive playmaker in school history. Jeff Hall became the most clutch kicker in school history. However, they had to further adopt a no-stars approach when Wilson got banged up early on and then Lewis suffered a season-ending injury against the Auburn Tigers.

That’s when Tee Martin finally emerged out of Manning’s shadow and proved he could carry the team without Lewis. It wasn’t without help, though, as Travis Henry and Travis Stephens emerged at running back.

Price, Martin, Hall, Henry, and Wilson didn’t break any statistical records. What they did do, though, was either have extremely memorable games to carry their team to a win or consistently make plays that changed the game.

A national championship was the result of that no-stars approach. Wilson may get the credit, but Tennessee football truly did it as a team. Sure, it was a team loaded with NFL talent, but nobody wanted to stand out over anybody else, and that was the difference.