Strange: George leaves mark

Almost on cue, a smiling Eddie George magically appeared at Fulmer's side, looking fit and fresh enough to take 25 handoffs Saturday at South Carolina.

Huh? I wondered if the NCAA had passed some free-agent legislation that I had totally missed.

It turned out George was in town Tuesday on behalf of Gov. Bredesen's "GetFitTn" program, an initiative to promote healthier lifestyles for Tennesseans.

Before departing, George addressed a UT squad with a healthy prognosis for postseason rewards.

The governor made a wise pick for a fit-lifestyle spokesman. Just turned 33, George looks and acts the picture of health.

He survived 2,685 rushing attempts and 268 receptions in a nine-year NFL career that ended in 2004.

He was the first face of the Tennessee Titans when the club moved here from Houston in 1997. George was a four-time Pro Bowler and ranks 17th on the all-time rushing chart with 10,441 yards.

Perhaps his most impressive feat was starting 128 consecutive games, second among running backs only to Walter Payton.

"I played nine years at a position that was pretty much a battering ram,'' said George.

But before George was the face of the fledgling Titans, he was a Heisman Trophy winner -- and, for one afternoon, an adversary of the Tennessee program he addressed Tuesday.

He hasn't forgotten, as was evident by his referencing UT's 20-14 win over Ohio State in the 1996 Citrus Bowl:

"I'm here to inform all of you that game has been forfeited. I just went in the back and saw the 12-inch cleats.''

That got a laugh.

It wasn't amusing to the Buckeyes that rain-drenched New Year's Day nearly 11 years ago in Orlando.

The Vols and Buckeyes shared the No. 4 ranking when they kicked off. Both rosters were loaded with future NFL players.

George had just won the Heisman. Teammate Terry Glenn was the Biletnikoff winner as the nation's top receiver. Offensive tackle Orlando Pace won the Lombardi Award and would win the Outland Trophy the next year.

Tennessee countered with sophomore Peyton Manning, Leonard Little, Terry Fair, Jay Graham, etc.

"I had a pro scout tell me,'' Fulmer said, "that in the junior and senior classes, there were more pro football players on that field than any game he had seen. And he was an old scout.''

Anyway, Tennessee got the best of George in his final college game.

There was a fourth-and-inches at the UT 2 in the first half. George was thrown for a loss.

There was a fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter in which Ohio State called an unexpected option pitch for George. It ended up being botched and recovered by the Vols.

"We were not an option team,'' said George, shaking his head. "We tried to trick you guys.

"The ball hits the fullback in the head, game over.

"It was a great win for you guys, but you guys cheated.''

Another good-natured allusion to the fact that UT subsequently acknowledged that 19 players wore soccer shoes with cleats slightly longer than allowed by NCAA rules. Hey, any traction gained on the slippery field was mere coincidence, wasn't it?

Although it wasn't intended as sour grapes, George would get in one last lick. He voted for Michigan's Charles Woodson in the 1997 Heisman race against Manning.

"I believe to this day Charles Woodson was the best player in the country that year,'' said George.

"Peyton had the stats and the career but it was about the best player that year. He couldn't win the big one.

"If he had beaten Florida and continued to have a great year, he would have won. No question.''

To the everlasting chagrin of Tennesseans, a majority of voters agreed with George.

And on the rare occasion, like Tuesday, when a former Heisman Trophy winner is on campus, you can be assured he's only a visitor passing through.