university of Tennessee morn Chip Kell the VFL of College Football Pass Away at…
During his playing days at Tennessee (1968–1970), Chip Kell was selected three times as an All-SEC player and twice as a consensus All-American. He passed away on May 25, 2024, in Cohutta, Georgia, at the age of 75.
The 21st Vol to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame was Kell in 2006.
Kell arrived at the Vols from Avondale High School in Decatur, Georgia, as a member of the 1966–67 recruiting class. As a sophomore in 1968, he played center, and without skipping a beat, switched to guard in 1969. He was a member of teams that finished 8-2-1 in 1968, 9-2 and the SEC championship in 1969, and 11-1 and the final No. 4 rating in 1970. While he was a varsity player in Tennessee, he and his senior
On Shields-Watkins Field, classmates have never lost; the sole blemish on their record is a 17–17 draw with Georgia in the 1968 season opener. After finishing their tenure at Tennessee on a 10-game winning run and 28-5-1 overall, Kell and his Vol teammates celebrated the end of their careers with a thrilling 34-13 victory over Air Force in the 1971 Sugar Bowl.
In addition to winning the Jacobs Memorial Award twice as the greatest blocker in the SEC, Kell was named the SEC’s most outstanding lineman by the Birmingham Quarterback Club during his senior year. He competed in the Senior Bowl in 1971 as well. Following the 1970 Kentucky game, he was selected national lineman of the week.
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