Before the 'Air Raid' years of Chris Sanders, the revitalization of the program under B.J. Coleman and the championships won by Jacob Huesman, the king of quarterback records at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was Kenyon Earl. 

Earl was the Mocs' signal-caller from 1991-94 and graduated with almost every quarterback record in the book. 

He was the one who threw four touchdown passes to future NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens in the 33-31 win over No. 1 Marshall on Oct. 2, 1993. 

He was the one who piloted the 18^th-ranked Mocs to a 35-20 win at Boise State on Sept. 5, 1992. 

He was also the one who set a UTC freshman record that still stands today with 296 passing yards in a 38-31 win over Marshall on Oct. 26, 1991. 

This weekend, Earl is one of five new inductees into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame. 

Earl came to UTC as a 5-11, 180-pound, South Carolina Player of the Year from Airport High School in West Columbia.  Recruited to UTC by Frank Sadler, he redshirted his first season under head coach Buddy Nix. 
 

Coach Nix was the first of three head coaches to guide the Mocs during Earl's career.  Tommy West and Buddy Green were the other two.  Despite the constant change, he still managed to throw for a then-school-record 6,400 yards.  His 42 touchdown passes were also a UTC record at the time and still rank No. 4 on the Mocs' all-time list.

"I redshirted my freshman year," recalled Earl in a recent visit with GoMocs.com.  "And then I had three different coaches and three types of offensives. 

"When I first got there we were running more of an option-type game.  We ran a split back veer, but when that staff left we spread it out a little bit more."

Despite running the option early on, Earl set a UTC freshman record with 1,643 passing yards.  His 13 passing touchdowns are still tied for the UTC freshman mark and his passing yards held for 21 years, until Huesman topped it in 2012.    

During that first year, Earl's breakout game came in the win over the Herd.  The Mocs were ranked in the top-10 early in the season, but were on a three-game losing streak.  Earl stopped the slide by going 15-26 passing for 296 yards and three scores.

One of his scoring strikes was a 66-yarder to Muhammed Shamsid-Deen.  The two teams posted 62 points in the first half and went into the locker room tied 31-31.  The defenses took over in the second half, but Earl hooked up with James Roberts for a 22-yard connection for the game-winning score with nine minutes left to play. 

"Looking back at that '91 year, there was a lot of talent on that particular team," said Earl.  "We finished 7-4 and we thought we got snubbed out of the playoffs that year. 

"I think that's one of the best teams I've ever played on high school or college."

Back when Marshall was still in the Southern Conference, the Thundering Herd was the Mocs' biggest rival. 

"They were fun games to play, because that was pretty much our rival back then," added Earl.  "We had two victories when I was playing there, both at home. They were fun to play against and the team got pretty hyped-up for those games."

The 1993 game is still one of the biggest wins in UTC history, partly because of the coming out party for TO, and partly because Marshall was the top-ranked defending national champions. 

Owens caught five passes for 145 yards and four scores in that game, but it was Earl who put up career numbers in the win.  He was 21-29 for 331 yards and four TDs.  At the time, it was the third-highest single-game passing yards in school history. 

Many long-time Mocs fans remember how the endzone in Chamberlain Field, closest to Lupton Library, was slightly elevated in the back right corner.  Earl led the Mocs on the game-winning drive that ended in that corner. 

Training 31-27 with under four minutes left to play, he perfectly placed one up from 18 yards out that only Owens could get, giving UTC the 33-31 edge.  A late interception by Jack Parks sealed the win. 

"Coach West had a great game plan," recalled Earl.  "We were just trying to take advantage of the things they did, and taking what they were giving us."

Earl graduated in 1995 with a degree in Spots Management, and has spent the last 16 years in the insurance business in Columbia.  His parents, Kenneth and Brenda, rarely missed a game, and his brother, Chris, played at UTC in the late 1990s.  Earl's wife, Jan, is also a UTC alum.  She graduated in 1995 with a degree in Economics. 

"My brother is actually the principal at Howard High School, and my wife and I got married my freshman year at UTC," recalled Earl.  "Along with my sister, they were always there for me.  I am blessed to have two parents that were always there for me as well."

Many of them will return to Chattanooga this weekend for the Hall of Fame ceremonies.  The banquet is Friday, Feb. 24, at the Chattanooga Country Club.  It is open to the public, but seating is limited and reservations are required.

The cost is $40.00 per person and includes dinner. Submit payments and RSVP's to the UTC Office of Alumni Affairs at (423) 425-4785.  For more information, email Jayne-Holder@utc.edu.