Best Football Team of All Time in TN

[strongx]

They still don't have as many titles as Alcoa or Maryville, but as far as the best team in one year my vote would have to go to the Cleveland team of 1993. That team was LOADED & beat Brentwood Academy in the SC game...

 

BTW - Before there were playoffs, Maryville's 1964 team was virtually unscored on & rated one of the top teams in the nation that year as well.

 

Was that the same cleveland team that beat murvil like 78-12? I saw that game and they were awesome!

 

I would have to vote for Murvil's 2009 team. If it wasn't for coaching, they would have won it all that year.

[JSamson7]

Was that the same cleveland team that beat murvil like 78-12? I saw that game and they were awesome!

 

I would have to vote for Murvil's 2009 team. If it wasn't for coaching, they would have won it all that year.

 

I agree strongx that the Maryville 2009 team was good, but I'd have to say that was one of the weakest Maryville teams to make the state title game. They overcame a lot moving up to 6A, but they got beat down by Alcoa & in the 6A title game too. Juhlin was real good that year after blowing the title game the year before against Hillsboro, but I doubt he would start over Patton now.

 

This year's Maryville team could go down as one of the greats for sure, but I feel Maryville's strongest team IMO is either the '98 team with Toki McCray at QB or the year that Tyler Maples was a Sr. I'm not sure the year, but having Maples, Burnette, & Douglas was real scary for opposing D's.

 

As far as Cleveland goes, they beat us 70-28 that year at Maryville during Hammontree's 1st year. They had legitimately 7-8 guys that ran 4.4 times, a monstrous OL, depth for days, & ran the wing T better than any team I've ever seen. They eaked out a 7-6 victory over Brentwood Academy that year in the title game, but against us they scored on 3 out the 1st 4 times they touched the ball against us that game. One Cobb twin left for 60 yards, one Cobb twin right for close to 70 yards, then the double reverse with Dante Hickey for about 75 yards was all it took. heck, even Chris Whaley's opening carry up the middle from FB went 20 yards. It was bad...

 

Thankfully, we tied the game up at 21-21 before they scored again right before halftime to put it 28-21. We tied it again at 28 all after half, but then they just rattled off 42 unanswered to finish us off at 70-28. Their 2nd & 3rd stringers ran up & down on our starters like they didn't even miss their starters... Definitely BRUTAL!

 

One of my wrestling teammates at UT Chatt played NG for those great Cleveland teams & we talked about that game a lot. He said they were pissed at half b/c we scored that many on them & he claimed there were a few Maryville fans yelling racist comments at them when they left the field for the half (I don't believe that part so much). We ended up scoring more points on them than any one else that year & Benny Monroe was really unhappy we were making him look bad in his return to Maryville. I think that the worst Maryville's ever been beaten in the modern era as far as I know...

Edited November 16, 2011 by JSamson7

[STARSNBARS]

Was that the same cleveland team that beat murvil like 78-12? I saw that game and they were awesome!

 

I would have to vote for Murvil's 2009 team. If it wasn't for coaching, they would have won it all that year.

 

Now sx...Hit was onlee 70-28....Onlee 42 points so ewe woodun't haiv got a mad-on at Bennie....lol...Best Offense eye've evur seed.....Tha Cobb twins, Dante Hickey, and Prigmore....

 

Eye agree on that '09 teem...If'un hit haid'un been fer that voluntear heppin' us that yeer we woodn't haiv gott that fer.....

Edited November 21, 2011 by STARSNBARS

[rlh]

Just a thought: can we compare teams from the 70's to teams in the 90's and 2000's? Think of the advances in weightlifting, playing football at a younger age, and advances in medical fields for injury recovery. What do you all think? Would it make that much of a difference?

 

Its a hard question to answer. I think there are some 60s and 70s and 80s team that could run the table like they did and vice verse. Some of those guys in SP in the 60s and 70s used to man handle the slag out of the molds at Lodge Skillet. That is a serious weight program. :roflol:They were still fast and had a special kind of mean and tough. On top of that, making the playoffs in the 70s wasn't easy. Until after 1992 they had the A, AA and AAA system and all the privates still in there. Winning a semi-final game was a lot like winning a state title in difficulty level, probably slightly more.

 

 

On of the best Tennessee small school teams of all time was probably the 1976 Alcoa team. The 1963 SP and 1969 SP teams were something also as far as small schools go. Over the years, the big schools a case could be made for one of the Gallatin, Oak Ridge, Germantown or Marryville teams.

[rlh]

Oh no doubt, there were probably a few teams from the 60's-80's that would succeed against teams these days. I was just wondering if all the new opportunities such as college scout camps, medical advancements, and state of the art equipment would play a factor. If only there were a way to see teams from years past play against the teams of today!

 

The rules changes over the past 45 years would be something that has effected the games as well. The medical improvements would have helped those old teams no doubt as well. Plus, I am sure playing by the old rules would slow down some of the passing teams.

[matback]

The rules changes over the past 45 years would be something that has effected the games as well. The medical improvements would have helped those old teams no doubt as well. Plus, I am sure playing by the old rules would slow down some of the passing teams.

IMHO it is almost impossible to compare teams with a 20 year or more difference. I had an uncle who played at Maryville in the early 50's and I've heard stories all of my life about what an absolute giant he was and how he dominated because of it. The problem lies in the fact that he was 6'2" and weighed about 220 and played tackle both ways. Now even by today's standards that is not small but I seriously doubt he could even start at MHS much less dominate!! I think due to nutrition and medical science that people are just bigger overall. Look at wrestling for instance when I was in school in the early 80's the lowest weight class was 98 lbs this year it has been moved to 106 from 103 because over half the teams couldn't field a 103. Again just my opinion but I don't think there is any way a team from the 60's, 70's or probably even the 80's could even stay on the field with today's teams.

 

Here is another example, My brother played on the Maryville 1978 championship team and on the offensive line they averaged about 170 from tackle to tackle maybe 175 but I doubt it. Yes we were 2a then but there were only 3 classifications and privates were still in. This year my son played at Greenback a very small (227 students 9-12) 1a school where they averaged about 200-210 across the line from tackle to tackle. Greenback played 10 games this year and all ten teams were at least 30 pounds heavier across the line than we were. My point is kids are just bigger now than we were as kids and much bigger than our fathers and so on.

Edited November 22, 2011 by matback

[rlh]

IMHO it is almost impossible to compare teams with a 20 year or more difference. I had an uncle who played at Maryville in the early 50's and I've heard stories all of my life about what an absolute giant he was and how he dominated because of it. The problem lies in the fact that he was 6'2" and weighed about 220 and played tackle both ways. Now even by today's standards that is not small but I seriously doubt he could even start at MHS much less dominate!! I think due to nutrition and medical science that people are just bigger overall. Look at wrestling for instance when I was in school in the early 80's the lowest weight class was 98 lbs this year it has been moved to 106 from 103 because over half the teams couldn't field a 103. Again just my opinion but I don't think there is any way a team from the 60's, 70's or probably even the 80's could even stay on the field with today's teams.

 

Here is another example, My brother played on the Maryville 1978 championship team and on the offensive line they averaged about 170 from tackle to tackle maybe 175 but I doubt it. Yes we were 2a then but there were only 3 classifications and privates were still in. This year my son played at Greenback a very small (227 students 9-12) 1a school where they averaged about 200-210 across the line from tackle to tackle. Greenback played 10 games this year and all ten teams were at least 30 pounds heavier across the line than we were. My point is kids are just bigger now than we were as kids and much bigger than our fathers and so on.

 

Size isn't the only thing though. Those teams were also quick. Those old guys were also a whole lot tougher than most people that wasn't around can imagine. Go do some research on an old defensive end named Jack Youngblood that used to play for the UF Gators and Los Angeles Rams. Plus, like I said, if you level the playing field with nutrition and modern medicine, that size advantage is suddenly not as important.

[plumb69]

I'm expecting a Kingsport DB fan to voice an opinion at any moment on this unanswerable question.

[rlh]

I'm expecting a Kingsport DB fan to voice an opinion at any moment on this unanswerable question.

 

I have been waiting on that one for weeks.

[extremefury]

Size isn't the only thing though. Those teams were also quick. Those old guys were also a whole lot tougher than most people that wasn't around can imagine. Go do some research on an old defensive end named Jack Youngblood that used to play for the UF Gators and Los Angeles Rams. Plus, like I said, if you level the playing field with nutrition and modern medicine, that size advantage is suddenly not as important.

 

I agree that size isn't everything, but with the advancements of training and nutrition, there are linemen who are bigger, stronger, and just as quick as some of those players from back then. You now have lineman that are just as fast as some of the backs back in the 60-70's. As a whole I would say those players where tougher but it still would be hard for them to face some of todays genetic freaks.

[GoddardField]

I can only go by the teams Ive seen play, Im sure there were/are better teams out there but its unfair for me to judge based on just word of mouth....As for my top two choices...

 

1998 Maryville Rebels

2004 Alcoa Tornadoes

[SweetScience]

I can only go by the teams Ive seen play, Im sure there were/are better teams out there but its unfair for me to judge based on just word of mouth....As for my top two choices...

 

1998 Maryville Rebels

2004 Alcoa Tornadoes

For me it was 1991 OR Wildcats

2010 Alcoa Tornadoes and probably 1990 Lincoln County.