After one season on the freshman team, it was a sparkling young Condredge Holloway that was set to step onto the field for Tennessee in the season opener of the 1972 season.

The Huntsville, Ala., native had been a two-sport star in high school that led him to being drafted 4th overall in the 1971 MLB draft by the Montreal Expos. Also on the table was a chance to play in college and earn a degree. The latter was something that his mother, Dorothy wanted very much and so just over a year later he prepared as a young 18-year-old sophomore quarterback for Georgia Tech. Most players in that position might have felt the butterflies, but not the ever cool, calm and collected Holloway.

"If you get nervous you get killed," Holloway said. "At quarterback for sure. Anyone that tells you that isn't very smart. You have to fake it anyway. You can't hint that you are nervous."

Holloway earned the chance to start that season. He approached each day and each practice the same. That's why he was so effective. He never allowed himself to get caught thinking ahead.

"I knew my game plan and I didn't worry much about anything. You just have to go out and play," Holloway said. "Sitting around and worrying about what might happen is craziness. I'm from a different era, but that wasn't the way I was coached. You were coached to know your position, know your responsibilities, know your checks and go play. Any adjustment would be made by the coaches on the sideline."

Early in the game, Holloway made a rare mistake. That was followed by an unbelievable save that eventually led to a Tennessee waltz all over the Yellow Jackets.

"I threw an interception and I caught the guy on the 6-yard line and they got three points," Holloway said. "They didn't score again. That's what I remember because if I don't catch him, then I'm on the sideline not playing. That was a no-brainer. If you throw an interception you have to make up for it."

The Vols went onto win the game 34-3 that day in Atlanta. Holloway loved his teammates and that's what stays with him today.

"I enjoyed being around Haskell (Stanback), and (Bill) Rudder, and (Steve) Chancey and Jon Murdic and all of those defensive guys like Ray Nettles and Jamie Rotella," Holloway said. "That's something you enjoy in the locker room and don't share with anyone else."

His impact was felt then and its still felt to this day. During his playing days, he broke down barriers as the first African-American quarterback in the SEC — which made an impact on a young quarterback from Sweetwater, Tennessee named Kippy Brown.

"I had played quarterback my entire high school career," Brown said. "Seeing Condredge do it at the SEC level was special. Condredge just happened to be in my backyard and I went up and met him and we happen to become really good friends.

"Condredge actually was my host on my official visit to Tennessee. The reason I didn't go there was because I didn't want to follow him. I knew he was the Tennessee quarterback and so I went to Memphis. He said I should come there and I knew I didn't want to play behind him. We have remained friends through the years."

While Brown didn't want follow in Holloway's footsteps, a decade later, Charles Davis came to Rocky Top because of what he witnessed from Holloway in 1972. A quarterback who showed great strength and character leaving a impression forever on Davis.

"For us, it equated to Joe Louis fights and Jackie Robinson previously," Davis said of Holloway's influence on the college game. "It's equal to John Thompson winning at Georgetown, Doug Williams in the Super Bowl. Arthur Ashe in tennis. We were always told we couldn't break those barriers, yet here we were, and it marked progress. It was tangible proof that we were capable. It was very important to me."

Holloway would go on to lead Tennessee to a 25-9-2 record during his time as a Vol. He was drafted in the 12th round of the NFL draft by the New England Patriots but as a defensive back. With a strong desire to play quarterback, he went north to the Canadian Football League playing for the Ottawa Rough Riders. From there, he would be a standout in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts where he captured the CFL's Most Outstanding Player award in 1982. He followed that up by guiding the Argos to a Grey Cup championship the following season, which would become Toronto's first title in 31 years. Holloway was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 1999.

All these years later, he can pinpoint what pushed him. It was the two people that left a profound effect on his life and future.

"My parents had the biggest impact on me," Holloway said. "My dad was a coach. Back then your parents were your guides. When your parents sent you to that school, you were ready to deal with it because if it didn't happen at school they called your parents. Back in those days, you came prepared especially with what I went through. I wasn't allowed to make a mistake because I was holding the torch for everyone in my pigmentation. I wouldn't have gotten a second chance. There was no margin for error. I had to do it right the first time."

Tennessee fans still talk about the man known as the Artful Dodger. His ability was second to none, as he turned nothing into something so many times. The ever gracious Holloway just tried to help the team.

"There wasn't anything special," Holloway said. "You do what you have to do and if it breaks down you have to do the best you can to make something positive and not turn the ball over."