Jeffrey O'Neal Powell (born May 27, 1963) is a former American football player who was a running back in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). Powell also won recognition as an elite

hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. Powell played college football for 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, ...

and is famous for his 60-yard touchdown in the third quarter during the 1986 Sugar Bowl. He was drafted by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in the sixth round of the

1986 NFL Draft The 1986 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott Marq ...

, and after his football career, Powell earned a law degree from

Vanderbilt University Law School Vanderbilt University Law School (also known as Vanderbilt Law School or VLS) is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law School has consiste ...

. He currently practices law in Tennessee.

Early life

Powell was born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. He attended Whites Creek Comprehensive High School where he lettered in both track and football. In addition to his athletic achievements, he was an honor student there. In 1981, Powell set a

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), along with the affiliated Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA), is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee. The TSSAA ...

(TSSAA) record in track for the 110-meter high hurdle event. Powell's peers elected him "Most Athletic" among the senior superlatives of the Class of 1982. That summer, Jeff Powell represented the United States during the second

Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The Pan American U20 Athletics Championships are a biennial sports event for track and field organized by the Association of Panamerican Athletics (APA) open for junior (U20) athletes from member and associate member associations. They were first h ...

held in

Barquisimeto, Venezuela Barquisimeto (; guc, Watkisimeeta) is a city in Venezuela. It is the capital of the state of Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial and transportation center of the country, recognized as the fou ...

where he earned the silver medal in the 110-metre hurdles.

College career

Jeff Powell's athletic versatility is evident through the numerous awards he earned as a hurdler and as a running back. Powell's academic talent equaled his athletic abilities. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (with honors) in Accounting from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1986.

William & Mary

Powell enrolled at the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula ...

in 1982. During his freshman year, he earned the State Champion title for the 60-meter high hurdles. Powell was also a member of the

Tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

football team in 1982. On April 26, 1984, Jeff Powell set a William & Mary record for outdoor track events. At the Penn Relay Carnival, he completed the 110-meter hurdles in 13.90 seconds. Powell was also named a 1984 All-American for the indoor track 55-meter hurdles event.

Tennessee

To increase opportunities to run track, in 1984, Powell transferred to the University of Tennessee, located in Knoxville, Tennessee. That same year, he finished fourth in the 110-meter high hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Powell would join the Volunteers' football team during spring practice in 1985, when he was awarded the team's final scholarship by Coach

Johnny Majors John Terrill Majors (May 21, 1935June 3, 2020) was an American professional football player and college coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Confe ...

. He was a backup for most of the season, but received substantial playing time late in the season after starters Charles Wilson and Keith Davis struggled with injuries. He ran for 60 yards on 13 carries against Ole Miss, and 88 yards on 16 carries against

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

.
1985 Football Press Guide - UT vs. Miami (Sugar Bowl)
' (University of Tennessee, 1985), p. B-7. Retrieved: June 29, 2013. For the regular season, he ran for 235 yards on 55 carries. Exhibiting his talent on special teams, Powell returned seven kickoffs for 145 yards.

1986 Sugar Bowl

Jeff Powell is perhaps best remembered among Vol fans for his performance in Tennessee's 35–7 victory over

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

in the 1986 Sugar Bowl, in which he ran for 104 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. On January 1, 1986, the #8 ranked Tennessee Volunteers were matched with the #2 ranked University of Miami Hurricanes at the Superdome located in New Orleans, Louisiana. During the 3rd quarter, Powell ran off-tackle and out-sprinted Hurricane safeties

Bennie Blades Horatio Benedict "Bennie" Blades Sr. (born September 3, 1966) is a former American football cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami. College career Blades played a big ...

and Selwyn Brown for 60 yards to the end zone. It was during this run that legendary Volunteers broadcaster John Ward made his well-known "5-4-3-2-1 ... sixty yards ... Jeff Powell!" call. Powell's touchdown and the ensuing

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

gave Tennessee a 28-7 lead over the Hurricanes and blew the game wide open.

NFL career

As Powell was completing his undergraduate degree requirements, the

drafted him in the sixth round (166th overall) of the

and later traded him to the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. Powell's career in the NFL did not last very long. He appeared for only one game during the 1987 season. He did not record any statistics other than his appearance.

Law career

Powell enrolled in

in Nashville, Tennessee in the fall of 1989. He earned a

Doctor of Jurisprudence The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree in May 1992, and passed the Tennessee

bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...

shortly thereafter. Today, he is an attorney practicing law in Tennessee.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Jeff 1963 births Living people American football running backs American male hurdlers Players of American football from Nashville, Tennessee San Diego Chargers players Sportspeople from Nashville, Tennessee Tennessee lawyers Tennessee Volunteers football players Tennessee Volunteers men's track and field athletes Vanderbilt University Law School alumni William & Mary Tribe football players William & Mary Tribe men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes in the National Football League