By Ron Wynn A Tennessee team picked in preseason polls to finish 13th wrapped a stunning surprise season Saturday in Knoxville, clinching a share of the Southeastern Conference Championship with a 66-61 comeback victory over the Georgia Bulldogs. It was their first time atop the league in any capacity since 2008, and the 10th time in their history they’ve either been champions or co-champions. Admiral Schofield had 23 points and Grant Williams 22, but the winning free throws came from Jordan Bowden, while Lamonte Turner had a trio of key second half three pointers. The Volunteers completed a 13-5 league…
Author: Ron Wynn
For many decades there was an ugly, unwritten rule in the National Football League: Blacks couldn’t be quarterbacks. It didn’t matter how great they were in college, or how gaudy their statistics, once they were drafted they would be shifted to other positions, and not even get a chance to play QB. The rare ones who were able to break through like Eldridge Dickey and Marlin Briscoe were either frustrated by their team’s reluctance to offer them the chance to show their skills on a fulltime basis, or converted to other positions (Briscoe became a Pro Bowl caliber receiver). Some…
Until Sunday, no Black driver had raced in either a top tier NASCAR event or the Daytona 500 since 1971. That was the final year for pioneering Wendell Scott, the first Black NASCAR regular driver, whose best finish at Daytona was 13th in 1966. But Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. not only changed all that, he made history by finishing second in NASCAR’s biggest event. This followed a week where Wallace was the talk of Daytona. He finished third in a qualifying race Thursday. Plus NASCAR had named him earlier as one of the new racers they would be touting during…
Usually when there’s a story about a guy who is six feet, six inches and 238 pounds, chances are pretty good he’s a basketball or football player, possibly a baseball player. But Jordan Greenway not only doesn’t play any of those sports, he’s something even more rare. He is a Black American hockey player, the very first African American to play on the United States Olympic hockey team. Greenway already made a name for himself in the 2017 World championships. He played for the United States Junior team that ended up winning the gold medal. He finished as the number…
Dynasties used to be regular occurrences in professional sports. Whether it was the Boston Celtics in the NBA, Montreal Canadiens in the NHL, New York Yankees in MLB, or at various times the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, there would regularly be at least one team that stood head and shoulders over others in their era and would string together impressive and lengthy runs of championships. But over the last few years, only one team has consistently proven itself worthy of being called a dynasty. Like or loathe them, that team was and…
By Ron Wynn It wasn’t the postseason MVP award he truly wanted, but Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker capped off another sterling season Sunday by being named Offensive Most Valuable Player in the AFC/NFC Pro Bowl. Walker scored two touchdowns, including the game-tying reception with less than two minutes remaining. His second TD catch helped the AFC overcome a 20-3 deficit and win 24-23 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Walker led the Titans in receiving yards during the season with 807: but was originally a Pro Bowl alternate. But injuries to other receivers resulted in Walker being added…
Sports View by Ron Wynn The recent hirings of Allen Greene and Carla Williams haven’t gotten nearly as much attention that they deserve, despite their historical significance. But their ascension to their new roles are critical events in the quest for more fairness and equity in hiring, especially at the college level. Greene was named Athletic Director at Auburn University two weeks ago, while Williams was named to that same position at the University of Virginia in October. There has been so little progress when it comes to upper management in college sports that it often looks like none has…
The hiring last week of Houston Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel as the new head coach of the Tennessee Titans is indicative of many things, but the most important reflects the role of General Manager Jon Robinson. Unlike some teams, particularly the Patriots where Robinson worked with Vrabel for seven years, where the head coach has the final word in regards to on the field affairs, it is now clear that Robinson’s position with the Titans carries far more weight than just making the selections for the draft and doing an occasional trade or free agent pickup. Indeed, Robinson picked…
By Ron Wynn The Tennessee Titans knew it would take a flawless effort to upset the New England Patriots at home Saturday night, and they came up with something far less than that, getting blasted 35-14 by the Patriots in an AFC divisional playoff game. The win put Patriots into their seventh straight AFC championship game. The loss ended the Titans season at 10-8, and it was a symbol of just how wide a gap exists between the Patriots and an emerging team like the Titans. After scoring an early touchdown on an impressive 95-yard march, the Titans didn’t score…
Nothing better illustrates the volatile environment in today’s NFL than what happened this week to now former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Mularkey. He went from being hailed as a savior for spearheading an 18-point comeback and first Titans playoff win in 15 years to being on the unemployment line after defending Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots ended the Titans season last Saturday 35-14. Prior to the Patriots game Titans management had denied reports that Mularkey was in trouble. Principal owner Amy Adams Strunk had even issued a statement of support, saying he was definitely returning as coach.…