Larry Lacewell dies; Tennessee football owes 90s success to his schemes

In 1990, Tennessee football was already in the early stages of its best run of the modern era. However, Johnny Majors made a hire that year on the defensive side of the ball that would lay the foundation for the Vols to reach that level on a consistent basis.

After one year under Doug Mathews, which followed four years of Ken Donahue, Majors brought in Larry Lacewell, who had just finished an 11-year career with the Arkansas State Red Wolves, to be his defensive coordinator. He introduced a revolutionary concept that would take UT to the next level: the 4-3.

Lacewell passed away at age 85 Wednesdaym according to VolsWire. Tennessee football is just a blip on his extensive career, which included that Arkansas State run but also a tenure under Barry Switzer in the 1970s with the Oklahoma Sooners that involved two national championships. He had a brilliant mind.

At the time of his arrival in 1990, the Vols had mostly been running the 5-2. Ken Donahue would use the 4-3 for certain pressure packages during his four-year run from 1985 to 1988, but it wasn’t common. Although it was a thing nationally by 1990, it wasn’t common in the SEC.

Enter Lacewell, who revolutionized the league with it. His philosophy was relying on fast defensive ends to get the necessary pressure up front and trusting his cornerbacks out on islands so he could have flexibility with the linebackers and safeties.

That year, two key junior college transfers had arrived on Rocky Top to make that possible: Defensive end Chuck Smith and cornerback Dale Carter. After two seasons, Lacewell left to join the Dallas Cowboys. However, his impact was clear.

Four of the first five Tennessee football players taken in the 1992 NFL Draft were two defensive ends and two cornerbacks: Chris Mims, Carter, Smith and Jeremy Lincoln. All of them lasted at least eight years in the NFL, with Carter becoming a Pro Bowler.

Eventually, the 4-3 took off on defense just as Steve Spurrier’s Fun-n-Gun took off on offense. Spurrier got the better end of the stick against the SEC the first half of his tenure with the Florida Gators, but as speed became more of a focus, his dominance wore off. He won just one SEC title his final five years there.

At the time of Lacewell’s arrival, a young coach named John Chavis was studying under him. Chavis joined the Vols in 1989, brought in after Donahue was let go. He stayed through Lacewell and then for a second stint under Larry Marmie, who was brought in after Lacewell, from 1992 to 1994.

Finally, he got his shot in 1995. That year, Chavis employed Lacewell’s schemes with a twist. He introduced more blitz packages to the scheme and ran lots of zone blitzes. The result was a four-year run that remains the best of the modern era for the Vols.

From 1995 to 1998, UT went 45-5 with two SEC Championships and a national championship. That national title was the culmination of years of staying ahead of the curve with defensive schemes out of the 4-3, focusing on the idea that speed kills.

Sure, it wasn’t the best fit against the triple-option or the Fun-n-Gun at first, but it drew in enough high-profile talent that Chavis eventually became the reason the Vols hung with Spurrier. You can make the case that  Chavis got the better of Spurrier’s offense every year from 1996 to 2001.

All of that success and so many stars that came out of it is owed to what Lacewell brought to the table in 1990. He deserves lots of credit for the juice that injected into Tennessee football’s program, and it lasted the whole decade. Vol Nation sends its condolences on his passing. It’s a sad loss for the sport.