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Tennessee football: Ranking all 15 first NFL Draft classes of Vols head coaches

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel congratulates wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel congratulates wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during senior day ceremonies before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football /
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UT Athletics Director Doug Dickey speaks to the media about investigations into the Tennessee football program.0108dickey1 As 1
UT Athletics Director Doug Dickey speaks to the media about investigations into the Tennessee football program.0108dickey1 As 1 /

Pick Analysis. Class: 1965. 8. Doug Dickey. player. 839. Scouting Report. Record in 1964: 4-5-1 (1-5-1)

Number of NFL Draft picks: 2

  • Round 1: Steve DeLong – Chicago Bears (Pick 6)
  • Round 17: Whit Canale – Pittsburgh Steelers (Pick 227)

*One AFL Draft pick

  • Round 1: Steve DeLong – San Diego Chargers (Pick 6)

Yes, we’re still stuck on coaches with two draft picks. However, there is a caveat here. AFL draft picks before the merger will count, but a player drafted by the AFL and the NFL will only count once. As a result, Tennessee football still had just two players drafted since Steve DeLong was taken in both leagues.

Once again, though, this made sense. Doug Dickey took over in 1964 and didn’t just inherit a program that had fallen behind the times. He was their third coach in three years after Jim McDonald only stayed one year, in 1963, and Bowden Wyatt retired after the 1962 season.

The program hadn’t had a winning season in three years and hadn’t reached a bowl game since 1957. Meanwhile, Dickey was installing a new offense, moving from the single-wing to the slot-T. That made for a rebuilding year that would naturally kill the draft stock of players.

DeLong managed to be a high first-round pick, and going so high is what puts Dickey’s first class up here. The defensive lineman chose the Chargers in the AFL and enjoyed an eight-year career in the pros, seven with San Diego and one with the Chicago Bears. Whit Canale was a defensive and and played for three different teams in two years.

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