Eugene Tucker McEver (September 15, 1908 – July 12, 1985) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player and coach. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

, where he was an All-American halfback. McEver served as the head football coach at

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

from 1936 to 1943 and at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

in 1944, compiling a career record of 22–54–5. He was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

as a player in 1954.

Playing career

McEver attended Virginia High School, just outside of Bristol, Tennessee. He was the first-ever All-American for the

Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Tennessee", "Vols", "UT", or "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 130 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 862� ...

team. He played for the Volunteers in 1928, 1929, and 1931 under

Robert Neyland Robert Reese Neyland (; February 17, 1892 – March 28, 1962) was an American football player and coach and officer in the United States Army, reaching the rank of brigadier general. He served three stints as the head football coach at the Univ ...

, missing the 1930 season with a knee injury. McEver scored 130 points for the Vols in 1929, helping them to a 9–0–1 record. The total led the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

in scoring that season, and his mark still stands at the single season scoring record at Tennessee. In December 2008, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' undertook to identify the individuals who would have been awarded the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

in college football's early years, before the trophy was established. McEver was selected as the would-be Heisman winner for the 1929 season. McEver also holds the record for career scoring at Tennessee among non-

kickers Kickers is a youth brand created in 1970 in France that produces a wide range of footwear and clothing. Kickers was bought in 2007 by the Royer group. Kickers are primarily popular amongst British school children, with Kickers 'Lo' style shoe ...

. McEver finished his career at Tennessee with 44 touchdowns and 12 points after touchdown for 276 points. He was named to the All-Southern team in 1928, 1929, and 1931, joining teammates

Bobby Dodd Robert Lee Dodd (November 11, 1908 – June 21, 1988) was an American college football player and coach, college baseball coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Georgia Tech from 1945 to 1966, compil ...

and

Herman Hickman Herman Michael Hickman (October 1, 1911 – April 25, 1958) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Tennessee and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Brooklyn Dodgers. ...

. He stood 5'10", weighed 185 pounds, and wore number 28.

Coaching career

McEver coached at

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

from 1937 through 1943. His record there was 21–47–4. McEver also coached the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

to a 1–7–1 record in 1944. He was an assistant coach at Virginia Tech from 1945 to 1947.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McEver, Gene 1908 births 1985 deaths All-American college football players American football halfbacks Davidson Wildcats football coaches North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches Tennessee Volunteers football players Virginia Tech Hokies football coaches All-Southern college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Birmingham, Alabama People from Bristol, Virginia People from Davidson, North Carolina Coaches of American football from Virginia Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama

Playing career

Coaching career

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links