Photo by Saul Young // Buy this photo
Tim Priest at the Pryor, Flynn, Priest & Harber Law Firm on Tuesday. Priest was an All-SEC defensive back at UT 1968-70. He holds the career interception record of 18. He now does color commentary for Tennessee games and is being inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.
Photo by UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE
Tim Priest strikes a pose for this publicity photo for the 1970 season.
Tim Priest said the same prayer before every football game he played at the University of Tennessee.
He didn't ask for a victory. He didn't ask for an interception.
"I prayed I didn't get killed or make a fool of myself," Priest said with a laugh.
His prayers were answered. He exited college football in 1971 with his body no worse for the wear. And whatever missteps he made in three years as a defensive back were too few to mention.
Priest, a longtime local trial lawyer and color analyst on the Vol Network, made All-SEC his senior season. He will be honored again this summer when he's inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame on July 17.
Even as an All-SEC player, Priest didn't necessarily stick out. Five other UT players made All-SEC in 1970 when the Vols went 11-1. Fellow defensive back Bobby Majors was an All-American.
Much of that team's success could be attributed to a defense that intercepted an SEC-record 36 passes in Bill Battle's first season as head coach. The interceptions weren't a coincidence. They came from a team that was merely practicing what first-year secondary coach Buddy Bennett preached.
"We were really coached that year to get the ball," said Priest, who played high school football in Huntingdon before signing on with the Vols. "We used a lot of zone schemes that people hadn't seen before."
Their success wasn't based solely on talent or schemes. Practice had a lot to do with it. There was no NCAA 20-hour rule limiting practice then. UT's secondary coach took advantage of it.
Priest estimated the secondary ran as much before practice as the rest of the team did in practice. The defensive backs didn't just run. They ran to the ball.
"We had all these drills aimed at increasing your skill of intercepting the ball," he said. "Coach Bennett would be like a quarterback. When he dropped back to pass, everybody would drop into their zone.
"The first three guys had to tip the ball. The fourth had to intercept it.
"You did that several times consecutively before you went in. If the last guy dropped the ball, you had to do it again."
The drill worked. Not only did that secondary excel at interceptions. It rarely tired during a game.
Priest had a chance recently to refresh his memory of playing college football. A friend sent him the film of the UT-Georgia game Priest's sophomore year.
His first take: "Man, we were good tacklers."
His second take: "Those guys we were tackling couldn't get away from anything."
The difference in speed is what distinguishes the game Priest played from the one he analyzes in a radio booth. The different schemes get his attention, too.
"The schemes in pass coverage are much more complicated and involved now," said Priest, who will be entering his 10th year with the Vol Network this fall.
This season, Priest can look forward to watching the work of another strong safety. UT's Eric Berry enters his sophomore season as one of the best players in the SEC.
"I think he's a terrific player," Priest said. "He's fast. He's a hitter. He's got moxie. He's got savvy. He's got instincts that not everybody has.
"By the middle of last season, I think he saw the game in front of him and knew what was going on. He's as impressive as anybody I can remember in the secondary."
Priest's radio work keeps him involved in college football. It also can make for long weekends.
He has been a trial lawyer in the firm of Pryor, Flynn, Priest and Harber since 1980. If the Vols are playing on the road and Priest has a trial on Monday, he will spend most of the weekend preparing his case. Apparently, not everyone is aware of that.
When Priest first became a color analyst on the Vol Network, some fans thought that was his full-time job.
"I hope they don't believe that," Priest said. "If they need to hire a lawyer, call me."
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.
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Comments » 14
ncvol writes:
Congrats Tim Priest. You have accomplished mighty since your football days. Go Vols....
TommyJack writes:
One of the greats. period.
piledriver writes:
A great player then. A great lawyer/commentator now. Not a coincidence. Play like a champion. Live like one. Well-done Tim. BTW, I loved seeing the "old north end zone" in the 1970 fb pic. Thanks for the memories.
givehim6 writes:
GO Tim: GO VOLS!
dgarland1#214014 writes:
To my old ATO buddy, keep on doing it right Tim and making us proud.
snoopbob87 writes:
I happened to attend class with Tim at UT in 1969. I remember he was a quality person who treated me with respect. UT teams was loaded with exceptional players in the late 60s and early 70s. Bob Johnson, Chip Kell, Steve Kiner, Jack Reynolds, Bobby Majors, Bobby Scott the Crossville Comet (Curt Watson), and many others. Tim was a leader amoung these men by his permormance on the field an his scholarship in class. Tim, thanks for what you and your family mean to the University, Knoxville and the State of Tennessee.
MillisaAnn writes:
Congrats to Tim Priest!!! :) :) :)
orangebloodgmc writes:
I remember ya, Tim. There was one Bama game when our boys beat the Bear, picking off 5 or 6 in that game. Go Vawls!
mloaks#222092 writes:
nafslov, where you a nixon young republican, by chance? woof...
Huntingdonvol writes:
I was 9 years old when Tim played QB at Huntingdon High School and he was the best ballplayer in west Tennessee!We ran 2 plays back then,Tim right and Tim left!Congrads Tim on your hof credit and without you we would not have an announcer that has any knowledge of the game of football!By the way nafslov:Here is a link to Tims records including 18 carrier ints.http://www.utsports.com/football/page...
ishrk#298165 writes:
He was SO bad that the 18 interceptions must have all been flukes . . . or maybe Tim also intercepted nafslov's girlfriend while they were in school together.
Volunatic writes:
nafslov is more concerned with a player's complexion than with talent. If the complexion isn't right, the player is no good in the eyes of nafslov.
port1184#267594 writes:
So intent was our desire not to miss a single play while in medical school and watching Tim Priest and the VOLS on Sat afternoon, that if you had a really sick patient that had to be watched you just rolled him/her down to the TV lounge along with iv fluids, injections, etc and heck you had a room full of doctors--what could be better.
Go VOLS.
ClayMolder (Inactive) writes:
tim is first class in every way. why not leave that stupid comment on the thread so we can see how stupid he is.
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