Strange: More jersey retirements unlikely

If you're offered a chance to get in the office pool on who will be the next University of Tennessee football player to have his number retired, take this one:

Nobody.

Under the criteria UT set forth last week, I can't find another qualified candidate.

Any concerns about the Vols running out of jersey numbers, forget it.

UT announced last week that the numbers of Doug Atkins, Reggie White and Peyton Manning will be retired this season in separate ceremonies.

Those three names were not especially puzzling, but the revelation of the criteria by which they were selected was.

A candidate must achieve three items on a list of five collegiate achievements. Since one of the five is the Heisman Trophy and the Vols have famously not produced a Heisman winner, it's essentially three out of four.

Three guys survive the collegiate career cut:

Beattie Feathers. George Cafego. Johnny Majors.

All three are in the college hall of fame. All three were consensus All-America. All three were SEC player of the year.

However, college is only half the battle. UT requires that candidates also negotiate a checklist of pro football accolades.

Since Atkins is the only exVol in the NFL Hall of Fame, all other candidates have to go 3-for-3 on the pro checklist: five Pro Bowls; an MVP trophy; a "major" season or career record.

Only Feathers even scratches. His 8.44 yard-percarry rushing average from 1934 still stands as the NFL season record.

Bottom line: From a pool of players since football was introduced at UT in 1891, there are zero remaining candidates for number retirement.

So, after Atkins is honored on Nov. 19, we aren't likely to witness another such ceremony in the foreseeable future.

The next Vol to have his number retired, in fact, might not be born yet.

No UT product currently in the NFL has a shot at beefing up his resume enough to ever qualify.

Take Al Wilson. No matter how many Pro Bowls Wilson plays in, he didn't do enough in college to pass the checklist muster.

Well, there is one way.

UT states that anyone inducted into both the college and NFL halls of fame will get strong consideration.

That was Atkins' ticket. As dominating a player as he was at both the college and NFL levels, he didn't ace the checklist test in either.

There are 18 UT players currently in the college hall of fame. Other than White, none is likely for future induction in the NFL hall.

UT's combined college and NFL criteria are rigorous, to say the least. They are also arbitrary.

Some have even suggested they appear designed to rush Manning into qualification.

Manning, whose NFL career is still going full blast, will have to wait no longer than Sept. 29 to join his dad Archie as the only father-son combo in the SEC and possibly college football to have their numbers retired.

Retiring numbers -- as opposed to just jerseys -- is a weighty matter. Until last week, UT had done so only for four players killed in World War II.

Many schools, including tradition-rich Alabama, don't do it at all.

Florida retired Steve Spurrier's No. 11 after he won the Heisman Trophy in 1966. When he returned as head coach in 1990, he un-retired his number and it remains active to this day.

Arkansas retired Clyde Scott's No. 12, then, with Scott's permission, un-retired it to woo prized kicking recruit Steve Little who wanted to wear No. 12.

After Little's career ended, it was retired again.

Tennessee this week made the disclaimer that it may unretire a number with the permission of the player or his surviving family.

Which could present a ticklish situation. Say the top prep quarterback prospect in the class of 2011 insists on wearing No. 16 in college, would Manning give the OK?

Such a scenario just might be the only future opportunity to revisit the number business.

Given the unlikelihood of anyone playing his way into contention, this issue is all but retired.