Tennessee athletics has produced some of the finest athletes the world has seen. As it turns out, that statement actually has been quantified, at least to some relative degree.
Three of the finest athletes to ever lace them up in Knoxville were included in ESPN's list of top 100 athletes of the 21st century . Peyton Manning, Tamika Catchings, and Candace Parker all saw their names on the list.
Out of all the athletes around the world, how could such a list be determined? On the surface, it seems extremely subjective and preference driven. However, ESPN provided an explanation of its methodology:
Experts in individual sports were asked to vote to rank the top athletes in their sport since Jan. 1, 2000 (no accomplishments before this date were to be considered). Those votes pared down pools in each sport to lists of 10 to 25 athletes each, which constituted the overall candidate pool for the top athletes of the 21st century so far. Each voter was presented two randomly selected names and asked to pick which one has had the better career in the 21st century. Across repeated, randomized head-to-head matchups, more than 70,000 votes were cast at this stage, and using an Elo rating system, the list was pared down from 262 to 100. That list was then evaluated by a panel of experts for any inconsistencies or oversights, resulting in the top 100 ranking seen here.
As it would be, Manning came in highest at 26. The former Vols first-team All-American and first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer (2021) is an NFL-record five-time league MVP, 14-time Pro Bowler, seven-time first-team All-Pro member, and two-time Super Bowl champion across an 18-year career with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. It goes without saying that he's the most decorated Tennessee football alumnus of all-time in the NFL.
ESPN had the following to say about Manning:
Manning already had a Hall of Fame career when he arrived in Denver in 2012 -- 11 Pro Bowl selections, five first-team All-Pro selections, nine 4,000-yard passing seasons and a Super Bowl win in his 14 years with the Colts. He signed with the Broncos after a missed season in 2011, his fourth neck surgery and a bit of uncertainty about whether physically he could play at the level he wished. His four years in Denver answered those questions with four AFC West titles, two Super Bowl trips and a Super Bowl win.
His masterpiece might have been the 2013 season, when the Broncos broke the league's scoring record with 606 points and Manning set records with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns, including seven in the season opener. The Broncos topped 40 points six times and 50 points three times. Current Dolphins associate head coach and former Broncos assistant Eric Studesville said: "I've never seen anything like Peyton and those guys that year. I don't think anybody has. That was just an all-time great with the ball in his hands doing all-time great things at a level nobody else has been to.'' - Jeff Legwold, ESPN.com
Next up was Catchings at #34. The Lady Vols legend helped Tennessee claim a national championship as a freshman in 1998. She followed that up with a stellar career, earning consensus All-American and AP Player of the Year honors in 2000.
Her WNBA career was perhaps somehow even more impressive. She was the league MVP in 2011 and helped the Indiana Fever win the WNBA title in 2012, earning Finals MVP in the process. She's a seven-time all-WNBA first-team member and ten-time all-defensive team member. She was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
ESPN said the following about Catchings:
Skilled as Catchings was, she is likely remembered for her motor more than any other great women's basketball player. That's evident in her constant presence on WNBA All-Defensive teams. Catchings was the No. 3 draft pick in 2001 because she was coming off a knee injury that cut short her senior season at Tennessee. She sat out that WNBA season but rewarded the Indiana Fever for their patience by becoming the face of the franchise. Nothing shows Catchings' impact more than this: The Fever missed the playoffs just twice in her 15-season career but haven't been back to the postseason since she retired in 2016. - Michael Voepel, ESPN.com
Candace Parker checked in at #60. The 16-year WNBA veteran helped deliver the most recent glory to Rocky Top for the Lady Vols, spearheading Pat Summitt's last two national championship teams in 2007 and 2008. She is a seven-time All-WNBA first team member along with a three-time WNBA champion across her storied career.
Here's ESPN's Michael Voepel's write up on Parker:
Parker was known for being able to play any position, but at 6-foot-4 she was lethal as a post player with a diverse skill set. In college, Parker led Tennessee to coach Pat Summitt's last two NCAA titles, in 2007 and 2008. The No. 1 WNBA draft pick by the Sparks in 2008, Parker had an epic first pro season: She was MVP and Rookie of the Year (no other player has done that) and won Olympic gold. She spent 13 of her 16 WNBA seasons with the Sparks, but won WNBA titles with Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas. -- Michael Voepel, ESPN.com
Three of the greatest Vols to ever play at Tennessee. All Hall of Fame athletes (Parker surely will be when she's eligible). All among the elite of the elite not just between their peers in their own professions, but in all of sports.
Simply generational players.
Related: Tennessee Vols' Josh Heupel reveals most likely restaurant you'd bump into him at in Knoxville
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