LAS VEGAS – Stories of Al Wilson’s steadfast leadership during his legendary Tennessee football career have reverberated through campus and Neyland Stadium for two decades. On Tuesday, hours prior to accepting the biggest accolade of his Volunteer career, he credited his College Football Hall of Fame induction to the cornerstone of each of those Wilson leadership tales – the team.
Wilson will be formally enshrined into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021 at the annual National Football Foundation Awards Dinner at ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. It will be carried live on ESPN3 at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday.
“It means the world to me as a player to have the opportunity to represent my teammates,” he said. “It’s an emotional thing too because at the end of the day it is a team sport. We do it as a team. I told my teammates that this award has my name on it, but it represents us as a team. To be a part of something like that and be the representative for that (1998) team, it’s one of the most amazing feelings I can imagine. It also was humbling and something I take with great pride.”
Wilson is the 25th Vol to be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame and first since Peyton Manning in 2017. Of the 25 inductees, 21 were enshrined as players and four as coaches. The 25 inductees are the most in the SEC and sixth-most nationally.
Wilson was a consensus first-team All-American in 1998 from the perfect 13-0 Vols squad that won the inaugural BCS National Championship at the Fiesta Bowl against Florida State. He also guided Tennessee to three other bowl games, including consecutive wins at the Citrus Bowl in 1996 and 1997. During his career in Knoxville, Wilson led the Vols to back-to-back Southeastern Conference titles (1997, 1998) and four top 10 finishes (No. 3 in 1995, No. 9 in 1996, No. 7 in 1997 and No. 1 in 1998).
A finalist for the 1998 Nagurski Trophy, the 1998 team captain posted 12 tackles and a school-record three forced fumbles in the Vols’ win over No. 6 Florida that season. The heart of the UT defense, the linebacker tallied 77 tackles during the undefeated campaign despite missing three games to injury.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Wilson reflected on the challenges it took to be perfect in a season full of adversity.
“When you have a ton of talent on the field, sometimes you bump heads,” he said. “It’s just one of those situations where you have to pull the best out of one another. I had the opportunity to play with a lot of guys at the next level. We just found a way to get it done as a unit and as a team. To go 13-0 in college football is very hard to do. You have to have some good breaks go your way during the season. You just have to find a way to grind it out, and we found ways to do that.”
A 1999 Senior Bowl participant, Wilson finished his stellar career with 272 total tackles. The Jackson, Tennessee, native was enshrined in the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016 and the state of Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
A first-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 1999 NFL Draft, Wilson was a five-time Pro Bowl selection while playing for the team from 1999-2006.
2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class
Harris Barton – OT, North Carolina (1983-86)
David Fulcher – DB, Arizona State (1983-85)
Rudy Hubbard – Head Coach, Florida A&M (1974-85)
Dan Morgan – LB, Miami (Fla.) (1997-2000)
Carson Palmer – QB, Southern Cal (1998-2002)
Tony Romo – QB, Eastern Illinois (1999-2002)
Kenneth Sims – DT, Texas (1978-81)
C.J. Spiller – RB/KR, Clemson (2006-09)
Darren Sproles – RB, Kansas State (2001-04)
Bob Stoops – Head Coach, Oklahoma (1999-2016)
Aaron Taylor – OT, Notre Dame (1990-93)
Andre Tippett – DE, Iowa (1979-81)
Al Wilson – LB, Tennessee (1995-98)
Tennessee All-Time College Football Hall of Famers (year inducted)
Doug Atkins, T (1985)
George Cafego, QB (1969)
Steve DeLong, G (1993)
Doug Dickey, Coach (2003)
Bobby Dodd, QB (1959; elected as a coach at Georgia Tech in 1993)
Nathan Dougherty, T (1967)
Frank Emanuel, LB (2004)
Beattie Feathers, B (1955)
Phillip Fulmer, Coach (2012)
Herman Hickman, G (1959)
Bob Johnson, C (1989)
Chip Kell, G (2006)
Steve Kiner, LB (1999)
Hank Lauricella, TB (1981)
Johnny Majors, TB (1987)
Peyton Manning, QB (2017)
Gene McEver, HB (1954)
John Michels, G (1996)
Ed Molinski, G (1990)
Robert R. Neyland, Coach (1956)
Bob Suffridge, G (1961)
Reggie White, DT (2002)
Al Wilson, LB (2021)
Bowden Wyatt, E (1972)
Bowden Wyatt, Coach (1997)
-UT Athletics
