Mattingly: Father-son story a shocking tragedy

These father-son duos at Tennessee are often iffy deals. Sometimes they work.

Sometimes they don't.

There are success stories. You could think about Steve DeLong and son Keith or James Berry and son Eric, maybe even Al Rotella and sons Jamie and Mike.

Then there's Fuad Reveiz and sons Nick and Shane. Ralph and Steve Chancey, Norb and Bert Ackermann, and Bob Neyland and Bob Neyland Jr. Try Rory and Chad Cunningham and David and Aaron Douglas, the latter one of each duo playing for the Vols today.

There's Dick and John Fisher, even though Dick played hoops and John played football. There's even a father-in-law and son-in-law football combination, Ernie Christmas and Bob Davis.

Coming out of Bearden High School in 1970, Jack Stroud Jr. looked to follow in the exceptionally large footprints his father had left as 1950 team captain, leading the 11-1 team that defeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

His dad came to the Vols from Cleveland and played professionally for the New York Giants 1953-64, becoming an All-Pro guard. He was a stockbroker in New York City and an occasional announcer on network radio and television. Young Jack lived with his mother in Knoxville after his parents divorced.

The No. 10 prospect in the state his senior season, he caught the eye of college scouts, particularly during a 1969 game against Fulton. He scored 36 points and gained 345 yards on 27 carries in a 41-0 victory. He was the KIL scoring leader that season with 156 points, scoring three or more touchdowns in five straight games. He gained 1,288 yards his senior season.

Jack's dad came in from New York to see the Fulton game. "I did try extra hard to please him," Jack said.

He was Associated Press Back of the Week after a 26-7 upset of Oak Ridge, with 37 carries for 198 yards and 80 yards on 3 kick returns.

His coach, former Vol Jim Smelcher (1955-57), talked about Jack being in a "class with Curt Watson (1969-71) as a high school running back." Smelcher also said Stroud "was the best back we've had at Bearden, and he certainly was the best runner."

Jack said he chose to play for the Vols "because my dad went to Tennessee and did pretty well here." Georgia Tech and a few other big-time schools made offers.

Jack played defensive back and fullback for the 1970 freshman team. He carried 9 times for 39 yards, returned a punt for 12, and returned five kickoffs for 96 yards.

Steve Chancey, Eddie Brown, Haskel Stanback, Emmon Love, Bill Rudder, Gene Killian and Hank Walter come to mind quickly as members of his class who contributed to the Vol program during that era.

Jack also would have made it, from all indications, except for a mind-numbing and heartrending 72 hours or so, just as the Volunteers were to begin preparations for the Sugar Bowl game against Air Force.

Jack had suffered a shoulder injury in high school, and, with surgery, he could be ready for spring practice. The surgery was set for Tuesday, Dec. 15.

The headline of the Knoxville News Sentinel's front-page story the next afternoon brought home the news.

"Stroud, UT Freshman Gridder, Dies, Complications Follow Surgery for Former High School Star"

He died at 11:30 p.m., the KNS story referencing a condition known as "idiopathic hyperpyrexia," causing his temperature to shoot up to 107. J.D. Lee, Mrs. Stroud's attorney, said the reaction was very rare, occurring once in every 200,000 cases.

"The apparent conclusion," the story said, "was that the Vol freshman reacted violently to the anesthesia, but one highly placed hospital official said, 'We cannot say for certain at this time why the patient reacted the way he did.'"

The story described head coach Bill Battle as "shocked" at the news of young Stroud's death. Battle postponed the first day of Sugar Bowl drills so the team could attend the funeral en masse.

"It was a real pleasure to be associated with Jack, even for such a short time," Battle said. "This is one of those inexplicable things."

That's the way things appeared in Big Orange Country in mid-December 1970.

Postscript: The name Jack Stroud Jr., came back into the news recently as Bearden High School began a campaign last fall to build a fieldhouse adjacent to the school's football stadium.

The fieldhouse is named after Jim Smelcher, Bearden's coach 1964-73, and is estimated to cost $700,000. Groundbreaking is set for July 3.

The Team Room, where the Bulldogs will assemble just before each game, is named in former Bulldog Jack Stroud's honor.

Fans may donate to the Bearden High School Fieldhouse Fund at 118 N. Peters Road, #176, Knoxville, TN 37923, or call project coordinator Kim Louth (865-951-2757) or Smelcher (865-693-0566).

Tom Mattingly is the author of "The Tennessee Football Vault: The Story of the Tennessee Volunteers, 1891-2006" (2006), to be published in second edition in 2009, and "Tennessee Football: The Peyton Manning Years" (1998). He may be reached at tjmshm@comcast.net. His News Sentinel blog is called "The Vol Historian."

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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