In-state pride fueled Westmoreland as a Vol

Growing up in Marion County, Eric Westmoreland was always fond of Tennessee football. But the love for the orange and white really started to shine through after his official visit to campus.

"On my visit I felt the chemistry with the other guys," Westmoreland said. "There were a lot of guys from Tennessee that were key players from the year before and in my eyes that made it feel important to stay in state."

A standout athlete, Westmoreland played almost every position on the field during his time at Marion County. And during that time period, Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis made a living in taking great athletes and moving them to linebacker. Westmoreland joined the likes of Al Wilson, Dominique Stevenson and others in making the switch.

"I think one of the things is we were not only running backs, but we were good defensive players in high school," Westmoreland said. "I think when we got to college, they saw the toughness of a defensive player and then the quickness and explosiveness of an offensive player. You have to buy into it, but we all loved to run, hit and be physical."

The stories that come out of this weekly feature are always a blast to convey to the reader and this week is no different. As head coach Phillip Fulmer pulled one over on the entire team during 1997.

"I can remember my sophomore year in 1997 and during two-a-days and our curfew was at eleven," Westmoreland said. "At midnight, all the upperclassmen are going around and say they are going out. Everyone went out and the next day we had a special teams walk-thru. In the meeting, coach Fulmer stands up and says he has a list of guys that missed curfew. He gives everyone a chance to own it before he calls the names. Guys are looking around and then guys start standing up so we had to do some extra conditioning. Years later after we all graduated, coach Fulmer told us that he only had two names on the paper and it was Leonard and Peyton. He got us good and those two guys actually never stood up and confessed."

One year later during Westmoreland's junior season, he delivered a hit that left many in the stands feeling the pain on that November night in Nashville as Tennessee pounded Vanderbilt.

"We knew they loved to run crossing routes," Westmoreland said. "They loved to get the linebackers in high/low situations. Our job was to stay back and keep then in front and then run and tackle. I always remember that play. I saw the formation and I knew the route combination. I knew I had help behind me so all I did was fluff off on the tight end. I never thought the quarterback was going to throw it. It's one of my best hits. I had another one in the National Championship. I didn't know how hard I hit him and I looked at the sideline and they were going crazy. I turned back around and the guy was laying there. Then I looked up and Chris Ramseur was running in for a touchdown."

Playing during a golden era of Tennessee football, "E-Mo" as his teammates call him, has numerous memories. With all that said, he's most proud of his contributions during 1999.

"My senior year, getting voted a captain and just being a leader of that team," Westmoreland said. "Looking at the young guys coming into the program and lead them in a direction. I had Eddie Moore that came in and turned into a standout linebacker. Helping young guys was special to me because Tyrone Hines helped me out when I was a young freshman. It's a legacy that every older player has to uphold."

He'll be at Saturday's matchup with Vanderbilt, and loves to come up and hang out with his teammates. It's seeing people that made his time in Knoxville count that will always bring a smile to his face.

"It's two people," Westmoreland said. "Condredge Holloway and Judy Jackson were both so good to me. Judy was the team mom and she would scold you when you got in trouble, but she was also so uplifting. Condredge helped me out in so many different ways that wasn't about football. Actually there is a third and that's Carmen Tegano. Anytime I get the chance to see them and sit down with them are special times."

Westmoreland currently coaches for Chattanooga Baylor. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the playoffs last week, but his eyes on Friday will still be on high school football. His alma mater, Marion County will be playing for the chance to get to the state championship game against Hampton.

"It gives me a lot of pride," Westmoreland said. "We had a down stretch for some years, but they have a guy in coach Ross that has brought back the winning tradition. I think they are going to be back on top for a while."