Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the University of Tennessee’s Athletic Hall of Fame has announced eight new member who comprise the Class of 2025.

The inductees are:

Eric Berry, Football, 2007-09.  Berry was the first and only two-time Unanimous All-American in Volunteers history, and was the 2009 Jim Thorpe Award winner.  A three-time All-SEC Selection, Berry won the 2008 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the 2008 & 2009 Jack Tatum Award winner.  At Tennessee he recorded 14 Interceptions, and went on to have a very successful professional career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jenny Connolly, Women’s Swimming & Diving, 2009-12.  Connolly compiled 14 SEC Medals and 5 NCAA Medals and is one of the most successful backstroke and butterfly swimmers in Tennessee history.

A.W. Davis, Men’s Basketball, 1962-65.  Davis was a two-time All-SEC Selection, and would later serve Tennessee as a Coach and then an Analyst.

Mike Masters, Men’s Swimming & Diving, 1985-88.  Masters was a 12-time All-American, two-time SEC Champions and won the Bronze in the 1987 100m Freestyle.

Lauryn McCalley, Women’s Swimming & Diving, 2001-05.  McCauley won the 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year and was a five-time All-American diver. 

Lindsay Schutzler, Softball, 2004-07.  A three-time All-American, Schutzler hold the school record for Hits (362), Triples (20), At-Bats (946) and Games Played (296).  She led the Lady Vols to their first Women’s College World Series appearance.

Mike Sposa, Men’s Golf, 1988-91.  A two-time All-SEC Selection, Sposa was the third Volunteer to win the individual SEC Title.

Tony White, Men’s Basketball, 1983-87.  White is the only player in Volunteer history to lead the team in scoring and holds the single-game record for points (51) in school history.

The event will take place on April 11-12 this year.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the University of Tennessee Athletic Hall of Fame.

The problem with running a Hall of Fame-related website is that many of the big ones we cover all have announcements within months of each other.  The backbone of what we do is list-related, resulting in a long push to revise what we already have, specifically now with our Football and Basketball Lists.

At present, we have a minor update as we have completed the next twenty-five of the 2024 Football List, which you can comment on and vote on:

The new 151 to 175:

151. Brian Mitchell
152. Lomas Brown
153. Tiki Barber
154. John David Crow
155. Byron “Whizzer” White
156. Gene Washington
157. Cameron Wake*
158. Boyd Dowler
159. Mike Alstott
160. Roger Brown
161. Chris Hinton
162. Eric Berry
163. Harlon Hill
164. George Christensen
165. Jimmy Smith
166. Michael Dean Perry
167. Fred Taylor
168. Drew Bledsoe
169. Billy Wilson
170. Wes Welker
171. James Brooks
172. Brandon Marshall
173. Mike Curtis
174. Eddie George
175. Art Powell 

*Denotes first year of eligibility. 

Rankings are impacted annually based on your comments and votes.

Thank you all for your patience. We will soon unveil more changes to the football and basketball lists.

It is time for a massive update here at Notinhalloffame.com where one of our core lists have been revised. The list in question is those worthy of Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration.

The first thing that we obviously do with the football list is remove those who were inducted. This took out:

Ronde Barber

Chuck Howley

Joe Klecko

Darrelle Revis

Ken Riley

Joe Thomas

Zach Thomas

DeMarcus Ware

Many of the above were in our top ten, resulting in a monstrous shift at the top of our mountain.

With those remaining, we factored votes and comments that came from all of you, to alter ranks.

We then added those who are worthy who are now eligible for the first time in 2024.

Here is or new top ten!

We have a brand new #1, with first-year eligible defensive superstar, Julius Peppers. The Defensive End recorded 159.5 Sacks, was named to the 2000s and 2010s All-Decade Team and was a three-time First Team All-Pro. Peppers also went to nine Pro Bowls and was the 2002 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Randy Gradishar, who won the 1978 Defensive Player of the Year and was a Finalist in the Centennial Class of 2022, moves up one spot to #2.

The best Pittsburgh Steeler left from the 1970s dynasty is L.C. Greenwood, who climbed from #6 to #3. The four-time Super Bowl winning Defensive End, went to six Pro Bowls and was a 1970s All-Decade Selection.

At #4, we have our second debut in Tight End, Antonio Gates, who is also our highest ranked offensive player. The undrafted player from Kent State became an All-Decade player, earned three First Team All-Pros and was an eight-time Pro Bowl. He amassed 11,841 Receiving Yards with 116 Touchdowns.

We have to way back in time for #5, who is Lavvie Dilweg, a three-time NFL Champion with Green Bay. He was named to the 1920’s All-Decade Team, and moves from #13.

Multi-time Finalist at Wide Receiver, Torry Holt, goes up one to #6. The former Super Bowl Champion with the Rams compiled seven Pro Bowls, 71 Touchdowns and 12,382 Yards.

Roger Craig, the first man to rush for 1,000 Yards and gain another 1,000 through receptions is at #7, after climbing up one rank.

The highest ranked Quarterback remains Ken Anderson, who at #8, moved up three spots. He was a Finalist twice before, but like his fellow Bengal, Ken Riley, has to enter via the Senior pool.

At #9 is former San Francisco 49er, Patrick Willis, who was a Finalist last year. The Linebacker was the 2007 Defensive Rookie of the Year, led the NFL in Tackles twice, and was a five-time First Team All-Pro.

The second Wide Receiver in the top ten, Reggie Wayne, was also a Finalist last year, and moved up from #12 to #10. The Super Bowl Champion with the Colts went to six Pro Bowls, and compiled 14,345 Yards and 81 Touchdowns.

There are many more new entrants on the list, which included:

Defensive Tackle, Haloti Ngata, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens and was a two-time First Team All-Pro is at #44.

Safety, Eric Berry, who played his entire career with the Kansas City Chiefs comes in at #156. He went to five Pro Bowls, and was a three-time First Team All-Pro.

Wide Receiver, Brandon Marshall, enters at #166. He was a six-time Pro Bowl.

The final new entry is Linebacker, Derrick Johnson, a four-time Pro Bowl Selection.

You know what we want you to do!

Cast your votes, offer your opinions, and as always, we thank you for your support!

Last night, TCU was destroyed by Georgia in the National Championship Game, but for us at Notinhalloffame.com, the true story was the announcement of 18 new members chosen for the College Football Hall of Fame.

The inducted players are:

Eric Berry, Tennessee, 2007-09, Defensive Back:  Berry was a two-time All-American with the Volunteers, winning two Jack Tatum Awards as the nation’s top DB.  He also won the 2008 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the 2009 Jim Thorpe Award.  Berry accumulated 241 Tackles and 14 Interceptions in his three college seasons, and he would professionally go to five Pro Bowls and collect three First Team All-Pros as a Kansas City Chief.

Michael Bishop, Blinn Junior College 1995-96 & Kansas State, 1997-98, Quarterback:  Bishop led Blinn to two consecutive NJCAA National Championships and he was given a chance at QB with the Wildcats.  With Kansas State, Bishop threw for 4,401 Yards and 36 Touchdowns and rushed for 1,314 and 23 TDs, and was the 1998 Heisman runner-up.  He won the Davey O’Brien Award as a Senior, and as a pro led the Toronto Argonauts to a Grey Cup win.

Reggie Bush, USC, 2003-05, Running Back:  Bush may have had his 2005 Heisman taken away due to his family receiving gifts during his time as a Trojan, but he is now a College Football Hall of Famer.  Bush had 6,890 All-Purpose Yards.  Leading USC to a now-vacated BCS National Championship in 2004, Bush not only won the Heisman, but also captured that year’s Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp Award, and was named the AP College Football Player of the Year.  Bush would all go on to win a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints and had 58 Touchdowns with nearly 9,000 Yards From Scrimmage.

Dwight Freeney, Syracuse, 1998-01, Linebacker:  Freeney recorded 36 Sacks and 104 Tackles with the Orange and was a two-time All-Big East Selection.  He played most of his pro career with the Indianapolis Colts, where he went to seven Pro Bowls and was the leader in Sacks in 2004.

Robert Gallery, Iowa, 1999-01, Offensive Lineman:  Gallery won the Outland Trophy and the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2003, and he was later taken second overall by Oakland and had an eight-year NFL career.

LaMichael James, Oregon, 2009-11, Running Back:  James won the Doak Walker Award in 2010 as the nation’s top Running Back and was third in Heisman voting.  In his three years as a Duck, James rushed for 5,082 Yards and 53 Touchdowns.  He would only rush for 193 Yards as a pro.

Derrick Johnson, Texas, 2001-04, Linebacker.  As a senior, Johnson won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Dick Butkus Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Jack Lambert Trophy, and had 10.5 Sacks, 9 Interceptions and 458 Tackles over his four-year career.  Later, with the Kansas City Chiefs, he went to four Pro Bowls.

Luke Kuechly, Boston College, 2009-11, Linebacker.  Kuechly was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2009, and the two-time All-American won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2011.  It was a monster season for Kuechly, who also won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award, Lott Trophy, Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Award.  He went to be a five-time First Team All-Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowl and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.

Terance Mathis, New Mexico, 1986-89, Wide Receiver.  Mathis accumulated 4,524 Receiving Yards and 36 Touchdowns for the Lobos.

Bryant McKinnie, Miami, 1998-2001, Offensive Lineman.  McKinnie was a member of Miami’s 2001 BCS National Championship Team, and would win the Outland Trophy and Jim Parker Award that year.  He later won a Super Bowl with the Ravens.

Corey Moore, Virginia Tech, 1996-99, Defensive Lineman.  In Moore’s senior year, he won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year (he also won it as a junior), Bronko Nagurski Award and Vince Lombardi Award.

Michael Stonebreaker, Notre Dame, 1986-90, Linebacker.  Stonebreaker was a two-time All-American and a key member of the 1988 undefeated NCAA Championship Team.

Tim Tebow, Florida, 2006-09, Quarterback:  Tebow was a phenom with the Gators, leading Florida to two BCS Championships (2006 & 2008), while also winning the 2007 Heisman.  The two-time All-American also added two Maxwell Awards (2007 & 2008), the Davey O’Brien Award (2007), Manning Award (2008), and the AP and Sporting News also named Tebow their 2007 Player of the Year.  He passed for 9,286 Yards and 88 Touchdowns while rushing for 2,947 Yards and 57 Touchdowns.  Tebow’s NFL career was not good, but there are few in his league collegiately. 

Troy Vincent, Wisconsin, 1988-91, Defensive Back:  Vincent was the co-winner of the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1991, and would enjoy a long NFL career, that included the 2002 Walter Payton Man of the Year.

DeAngelo Williams, Memphis, Running Back, 2002-05.  Williams was a three-time Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, and won the MVP in the 2005 Music City Bowl.  Rushing for 6,026 Yards and 55 Touchdowns as a Tiger, Williams was a two-time NFL leader in Rushing TDs.

The Inducted Coaches are:

Monte Cater, Lakeland 1981-86 & Shepherd 1987-2017.  Cater won 19 Conference Championships (3 IBFC, 12 WVIAC, 4 MEC) and was also a 12-time Conference Coach of the Year.  He had an overall record of 275-117-2.

Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech 1997-2001, Navy 2002-07 & Georgia Tech 2008-18.  Johnson had an overall record of 189-100, and he led Georgia Southern to back-to-back NCAA D-I-AA Titles in 1999 and 2000.  He was a seven-time Conference Coach of the Year.

Roy Kramer, Vanderbilt 1978-90, SEC Commissioner 1990-2002.  Kramer had a record of 83-32-2 with the Commodores but was more instrumental in his work as the SEC Commissioner where he elevated the conference.

Mark Richt, Georgia 2001-15 & Miami (FL) 2016-18.  Richt won three conference Coach of the Year Awards (SEC 2002 & 2005, ACC 2017), and was also named the 2017 Walter Camp Coach of the Year.  He had a 10-7 record in Bowls, including two Sugar Bowl wins, and Richt’s overall record was 171-64.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like congratulate the newest members of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Eric Berry played his college ball at Tennessee, where he was one of the most prolific Defensive Backs in school history.  With the Volunteers, Berry was a two-time Consensus All-American and was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, so it was little wonder that Berry was the first Defensive Back taken in the 2010 Draft.

Berry was drafted 5th overall in 2010 from the University of Tennessee and the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year did not disappoint.  A Pro Bowl selection as a rookie, he would sit out almost all of the 2011 season only to come back better than ever in 2012 returning to the Pro Bowl.  He would do it again in 2013 this time adding a First Team All-Pro to his accolades.