By Tom Mattingly
In my years of watching and covering University of Tennessee football, I have concluded that the great players always had a “look,” maybe even a “swagger,” to them.
That was obvious in the spring of 1976, when I was invited to observe a scrimmage at John Kerr Field in Hartsville (Trousdale County). I had a temporary assignment from my job at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) to Trousdale County, responsible for overseeing an attitude survey about the proposed Hartsville Nuclear Plant.
Among the players on that Yellow Jackets team was tight end Reggie Harper, pursued by numerous colleges not only for football, but for basketball as well.
He and teammate Donnie Oldham ended up signing with Tennessee and arrived in Knoxville for the 1977 season, the first year for head coach, John Majors.
Harper played from 1977-80 at 6-3, 227, and wore No. 85. He is deserving of being mentioned in the same breath as Johnny Mills and Lester McClain, both of whom also wore that number. He was a freshman All-American selection in 1977 by The Sporting News and was an All-SEC selection in 1979 by the Associated Press.
When you look at the 1977 recruiting class, Harper, along with linebackers Danny Spradlin and Chris Bolton, defensive end Brian Ingram, quarterback Jeff Olszewski, wide receiver Phil Ingram, and defensive backs Val Barksdale and Clark Duncan, were significant contributors to Vol fortunes.
Oldham was injured in the 1977 season opener against Cal and ended up at Western Kentucky. He earned all-league honors during his Hilltopper career.
Harper had 98 career catches for 1141 yards and 7 touchdowns. He led the team in receiving in both 1977 (30 catches for 331 yards) and 1978 (31 catches for 356 yards).
He won the 1980 Mickey O’Brien Award, given to the player who overcame physical obstacles during his career to make a valuable contribution to the team.
Harper died Aug. 19, 2012, at age 53.
I remembered hearing about Harper being a big-time prospect and asked a friend what number Reggie wore. He said not to worry. “When Reggie comes on the field,” he said, “he will stand out from the crowd immediately.”
You had to imagine that Gene McEver did likewise in the late-1920s and early 1930s. Gen. Neyland said McEver was the best player he ever coached. He had a 98-yard kickoff return in the 1928 Alabama game that set the Vols’ gridiron express in motion. He was part of the famed “Hack, Mack, and Dodd” backfield trio that delighted Vol fans over the course of his career.
George Cafego did likewise in the late 1930s, being the typical Tennessee tailback of that era, small in stature, but able to accomplish great things with the ball in his hands. Called the “Hurrying Hungarian,” Cafego had one of the key plays in the 1939 Orange Bowl with a solid block on Oklahoma great Waddy Young that set the tone early in a 17-0 Vol victory.
Andy Kozar was a bull-in-a-china-shop fullback in Neyland’s final three years as Vol head coach. He was bigger than most Vol players of his day, and opposing defenders had to have hated seeing Andy coming their way with the ball in hand or as a devastating blocker.
Steve Kiner and Jack Reynolds were solid citizens at linebacker from 1967-69, each three-year starters. Both were All-American selections – Kiner in 1968 and 1969, and Reynolds in 1969. Jackie Walker joined Steve and Jack as a sophomore in 1969, giving the Vols three linebackers without parallel.
Condredge Holloway was one of the dominant players of his day, creating excitement under center. He drove opposing defensive coordinators crazy with his ability to wreak havoc in an open field. Condredge specialized in making something out of nothing and dazzling fans wherever the Vols played.
Reggie White’s 1983 season caught everybody’s attention. “He could turn a football game around like no one else,” said Majors. “He could dominate not only the man in front of him, but also the side of the line of scrimmage he was on. People changed their game plans to run to the other side, and he could still make plays.”
Johnnie Jones had 1,000-yard seasons in 1983 and 1984, scoring the winning touchdowns against Alabama and Vanderbilt in 1983. His famous run against the Tide fulfilled a prophecy made by Vol track legend Ed Murphey, who helped recruit Johnnie. “Someday you’ll score the winning touchdown against Alabama,” he said, and Jones did exactly that.
A four-year starter, Dale Jones from Cleveland, TN, made one of the most memorable plays in Vol history. He intercepted a Mike Shula pass at point-blank range late in the 1985 Alabama game to help save a 16-14 Vol victory. He also led the way up front in a monumental defensive effort against Miami in the 1986 Sugar Bowl.
These are a few of the many Vols, including Harper, who did great things at Tennessee. Their performance in an orange and white jersey caused Vol fans to proudly call each of them a “heck of a player.”
And they were right.
