fans have watched some of the most talented athletes in school history in the 2023-24 school year.
Dalton Knecht was one of the top basketball players in the country and the SEC Player of the Year. Lady Vols basketball player Rickea Jackson was the No. 4 player picked in the WNBA draft. Lady Vols center fielder Kiki Milloy ranked with the best softball players in the country and in the program’s history.
Tennessee’s national championship baseball team was loaded with potential pro players − including Christian Moore, the program's all-time home run leader − and Dylan Dreiling, the College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
Perhaps, if UT’s stars of this era achieve more success at the next level, fans will one day compare them to Tennessee’s sports stars of the mid-1990s.
I thought about that in January when Todd Helton was announced as a member of the 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame class. He will be inducted in Cooperstown, New York, on July 21. And maybe, if Peyton Manning can fit an induction ceremony into his busy schedule, he will be there to see his former teammate honored.
Manning and Helton were football teammates at UT in 1994. Both were quarterbacks but wisely followed different sports paths.
Manning became one of the NFL’s all-time best quarterbacks and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Helton, a Knoxville native, became one of baseball’s elite hitters, compiling a .316 batting average for his 17 seasons with the Colorado Rockies.
They aren’t just two of UT’s greatest athletes. They remind us how good Tennessee sports were in the mid-to-late 1990s.
Manning led the Vols to 32 victories in 37 games from 1995-97. He finished his All-American career with 42 NCAA, SEC, and Tennessee records.
Few UT athletes in any sport could come close to Helton’s success. A three-time All-American, Helton compiled a three-year batting average of .370 while hitting 38 home runs from 1993 through 1995.
Those stats only account for his hitting. He also excelled as a pitcher. He had a 19-5 record and a 2.24 ERA for the Vols.
In 1995, when the Vols reached the College World Series, Helton batted .407 with 20 home runs. He also posted an 8-2 record with a 1.66 ERA.
Helton and Manning aren’t the only reasons why the-1990s will be remembered for Tennessee star power.
Helton’s first UT season coincided with Allan Houston’s last season (1992-93). Tennessee basketball didn’t enjoy much team success during Houston’s four seasons. But his career stats qualify him as one of UT’s all-time best basketball players.
Houston averaged 21.9 points per game for his 128-game college career. That average is magnified by the fact he had little complementary talent, which enabled opponents to focus most of their defensive attention on Houston.
Nonetheless, he made 46% of his field-goal tries. He also was good on 42.4% of his 3-pointers. And he never failed to make at least 40% of his 3-point tries in a single season.
Helton’s career bridged the gap between Houston and another Tennessee superstar, Lady Vols basketball player Chamique Holdsclaw.
Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker had better pro careers. But Holdsclaw was the most dominant women's basketball player at Tennessee.
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She became a four-time All-American while helping carry the Lady Vols to three national championships. They went 131-17 in Holdsclaw’s four seasons from 1995-99, and she became the program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
What separated Holdsclaw from so many other exceptional players was her ability to raise her game when it mattered most. Tennessee won 21 of 22 NCAA Tournament games with her in the lineup.
UT has had so many outstanding athletes in many different sports since then. But for now, the 1990s still qualify as the Golden Era for Tennessee’s best athletes.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 orjohn.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
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