chattanooga MOCS

Howard Clark – Football – 1954-57
Howard Clark was an All-American end for the Mocs from 1954-57.  He broke UTC’s career record with 56 catches over four years.
Clark started his last two seasons, posting 23 receptions for 394 yards and three scores as a junior.  That set the school’s single-season mark for catches.  He beat that with 26 receptions for 349 yards and a touchdown as a senior in 1957.

His lone TD catch is a famous one in the annals of UTC football.  With a scoreless tie in the third quarter of the season finale against Memphis State, Clark wrestled away a 30-yard pass from Johnny Green on the goal line to give UTC its only score in a 7-0 win. 

Clark went on to make the Associated Press First Team Little All-American squad after the season.  The team captain also took part in the Blue-Gray All-Star game in 1957.

Clark played two seasons with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers.  He caught 38 passes for 613 yards in 23 games in those two seasons.

Tim Collins – Football – 1973-76
Tim Collins was a two-time All-American linebacker for the Mocs from 1973-76.  He led the team in tackles for three seasons and was captain on the 1976 squad.  Collins was named honorable mention Little All-American after his junior season and made the first team in 1977.  He was selected to play in the Blue-Gray All-Star in 1976 and spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles during the 1977 season.   

Wayne Farmer – Football – 1960-63
Wayne Farmer was a two-time All-American guard and linebacker for the Mocs from 1960-63.  The hard-hitting defenseman was captain both his junior and senior seasons.  He made the 1962 Little All-American third team, following that up with first team recognition in 1963 and team MVP honors.  Farmer also competed on the wrestling team.  He won the SEIWA title at 190 pounds in 1962.

John Green – Football – 1955-58
John Green was a two-time All-American quarterback for the Mocs from 1955-58.  He was widely remembered as the quarterback for UC in the 14-6 win over Tennessee on Nov. 8, 1958.

In the historic win over the Vols, he was 12-20 passing for 117 yards and also ran for the first score of the game.  He handled the punting duties, connecting on seven kicks for 233 yards.  Playing both ways, he also had a huge impact on defense.  Leading 7-0 in the third quarter, Green picked off a Bill Majors pass in the endzone that could have tied the game.

Green was honorable mention Little All-American as a junior in 1957 before making the first team as a senior in 1958.  His 3,419 passing yards and 238 career completions were both school records.  He also passed for a school-record 27 touchdowns. 

Green graduated from the University of Chattanooga in 1959 and played professional football for the Toronto Argonauts, Buffalo Bills, and New York Titans. 

Jack Gregory, Sr. - Football - 1937-39
Jack Gregory, Sr., was an All-American lineman for the Mocs from 1937-39.  He played tackle for the Mocs and threw the shot and discuss on the track team. 

Gregory earned his Little All-American honor as a senior in 1939.  He was later named to the UC/UTC All-Century team in 2003.  After graduation, he played in seven games for the Cleveland Rams in 1941. 

Gregory’s son, Jack, Jr., also played for the Mocs from 1963-65.  The younger Gregory had a 13-year NFL career with the Browns and Giants. 

Jerry Harris – Football – 1961-64
Jerry Harris was an All-American defensive back for the Mocs from 1961-64.  He was primarily a halfback for his first three years at UTC but moved over to the defensive side of the ball as a senior.

Harris was captain of the 1964 team that posted a school-record four shutouts on the way to a 7-3 season.  He had an interception in the Mocs’ narrow 10-6 loss at Tennessee that season.  He was one of two safeties named to the 1964 Associated Press Little All-American team. 

Ralph Hutchinson – Football – 1946-48
Ralph Hutchinson was an All-American lineman for the Mocs from 1946-48.  He was captain of the 1948 team that accepted an invitation to the Azalea Bowl against Southern Miss before it was cancelled by the organizers.

Hutchinson was a first team Associated Press Little All-American in 1948.  He competed in the Blue-Gray All-Star game following his senior season and was taken in the eighth round (56^th overall) of the NFL Draft by the New York Giants.  He went on to play in 10 games with a start with the Giants in 1949. 

Bob Klein – Football – 1933-36
Bob Klein was a two-time All-American end from 1933-36.  He was also a three-time All-Dixie Conference selection and named to the Mocs All-Century Team in 2003.  He earned 10 letters in his UC career in football, basketball and track. 

Art Koeninger – Football – 1929-31
Art Koeninger was an All-American football student-athlete at the University of Chattanooga from 1929-31.  He guided UC to a 9-2 record and the Dixie Conference Championship as a senior in 1931.  He was named to the Associated Press First Team All-American that season.    

Following his playing career at UC, he played three seasons in the National Football League with the Frankford Yellow Jackets, Staten Island Stapletons and Philadelphia Eagles.

Joe Kopcha – Football – 1926-29
Joe Kopcha was a lineman who led Chattanooga to three-straight Southeastern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Titles from 1927-29.  The Mocs posted a 30-7-2 record in his four years and he was named to the UC/UTC All-Century Team in 2003.  He won 10 varsity letters with the Moccasins while competing in football, basketball, baseball, track and swimming.

Kopcha went on to play six seasons in the National Football League, with Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. Kopcha played for the Bears in 1929 before enrolling in Medical School in Alabama.  He put his studies on hold and returned to the Bears in 1932 where he won two NFL Championships. 

Kopcha, an offensive lineman, was named second team All-Pro in 1932 and first team from 1933-35.  The Chicago Tribune named him No. 45 on its list of the 100 greatest Bears of all-time in 2019.  He was also on the Football Digest 1930's NFL All-Decade Team.

He continued his medical studies at the Rush Medical College while playing for the Bears.  He used his knowledge to redesign the shoulder pads worn by players, with his basic designs still in use today.  Kopcha finished his career with the Detroit Lions when he obtained an internship at Harper Hospital.

Chester Lagod – Football – 1949-52
Chester Lagod was a two-time All-American for the Mocs from 1949-52.  He led UC to a 7-3 record as a senior and was named to UC/UTC’s All-Century Team in 2003. 

Lagod made his mark as a tackle and was captain of the 1951 team.  That squad went from 1-9 in 1950 to 6-5 in 1951.  He was a first team Little All-American tackle in both 1951 and 1952. 

Lagod went on to become the first Moc to play in the Senior Bowl in 1953.  He was drafted by the N.Y. Giants in the 25^th round in 1953 and played in 11 games as a rookie. 

Charles Long – Football – 1956-60
Charles Long was a two-time All-American for the Mocs from 1956-60.  He earned four letters and started 40 games during his career. He was named to the UC/UTC All-Century Team as a linebacker in 2003.

Long earned honorable mention Little All-American recognition as a junior in 1959.  He went on to make the first team as a tackle his senior year in 1960.   

In 1961, Long joined the Boston Patriots of the American Football League (AFL). He played there for nine seasons and was a two-time AFL All-Star selection, and a member of the Patriots' All-1960s (AFL) Team.

A.C. “Scrappy” Moore – Football – 1931-67
Andrew Cecil “Scrappy” Moore was a legendary football coach and athletic director at the University of Chattanooga from 1931-67.  He served as Director of Athletics from 1934-70.

In 35 seasons as head football coach, Moore posted a 170-148-14 overall record.  He guided the Mocs to Dixie Conference titles in 1931, 1940 and 1941.  UC also won the Southeastern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship in 1931. 

Moore once held the title of longest coaching tenure at one school.  He started at Chattanooga as an assistant coach for Frank Thomas in 1927. 

Moore was the AFCA College Division National Coach of the Year in his final season as head coach in 1967.  He was elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1969 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.  In 2003, he was named one of two coaches on the UC/UTC All-Century Team. 

Gene Roberts – Football – 1945-46
Gene Roberts was a record-setting, two-time All-American fullback at Chattanooga from 1945-46.  He set UTC’s career and single-season rushing records, and still holds the Mocs single-season scoring mark.

He joined the Mocs when UC reinstated football in the fall of 1945.  That season, he led UTC with 819 yards and 10 rushing scores in just eight games.  He put up 202 yards against Ole Miss and earned honorable mention Little All-American honors that season. 

Roberts came back as team captain as a senior and posted 1,113 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 10 games.  He led the nation with 117 points that season.  Roberts 18 TDs and 117 points are still UTC’s single-season records, while his 1,113 yards is the sixth-highest mark in school history.

For his career, Roberts posted 1,932 career yards on eight 100-yard rushing games, both school records at the time.  His 28 rushing TDs stood as the Mocs high-water mark until it was broken by Jacob Huesman in 2014. 

After his collegiate career was over, Roberts participated in the 1946 Blue-Gray All-Star Game and the 1947 college all-star game. 

That exposure earned him a spot with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) from 1947 to 1950. He set the NFL and the New York Giants single game rushing record with 218 yards on November 12, 1950 against the Chicago Cardinals.

The NFL record was broken by Thomas Wilson of the Los Angeles Rams on December 16, 1956, but it stood as the Giants single game rushing record stood for over 55 years.  It was eventually broken by Tiki Barber on December 17, 2005.

Roberts left the Giants in 1950 and played in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes in 1951 and the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1952 to 1954. He is the only person to lead the NCAA, the NFL (102 points in 1949) and the CFL (88 points in 1953) in scoring.

Roberts was named to the UC/UTC All-Century Team in 2003.

Vincent Sarratore – Football – 1946-49
Vincent “Stumpy” Sarratore was a two-time All-American guard for the Mocs from 1946-49.  He earned honorable mention Little All-American honors as a junior in 1948 and made the first team as a senior in 1949. 

Sarratore went on to coach for 40+ years in North Georgia, including lengthy stops at Rossville Junior High and Lakeview Middle School.  He is a member of the Rossville Hall of Fame and the Greater Chattanooga Old Times Sports Hall of Fame.

Paul Squibb – Football – 1915-16
Paul Squibb was an All-American back for the Mocs from 1915-16.  He scored five rushing touchdowns in a 93-0 win over Carson-Newman on Oct. 2, 2015.  He was named to the All-Southern team in 1915 after leading the Mocs with 10 rushing touchdowns.

Injuries slowed him down in 2016, but he still earned All-American recognition.  He opened the year with a pair of scores in a 20-6 win over MTSU, followed by another touchdown in a 49-0 win against Mercer. 

Thomas “Bo” Stewart – Football – 1945-46
Bo Stewart was an All-American tackle for the Mocs from 1945-46.  He was a first team Little All-American as a junior in 1945, after transferring from Tennessee.  One of his best games came in a 31-6 Thanksgiving win over Ole Miss in 1945 when he had a TFL and two fumble recoveries for the Mocs.  

Bob Sutton – Football – 1936-38
Bob Sutton was an All-American guard for the Mocs from 1936-38.  He earned first team Little All-American honors for the Mocs as a senior in 1938.  Sutton was a three-time member of the All-Dixie Conference team and also participated in track & field for the Mocs.

Parker Talman – Football – 1916, 1921
Parker Talman was a standout football player and Athletic Director at UC in the mid-1910s and early 1920s.  He was on the 1916 football team at UC but made his biggest mark the three seasons he spent at Rutgers from 1913-15. 

In 1913, he became the first Rutgers Scarlet Knights football player to receive All-American honors, earning recognition at the guard position.  He is the only individual to earn Walter Camp All-American selections at three different positions (guard, halfback and fullback) in three different seasons (1913-15). 

Talman also holds the Rutgers football single-game scoring record with 48 points scored (6 touchdowns, 12 extra points) in a game played against RPI on October 9, 1915.  He also competed for Rutgers in baseball and track and was selected as the captain of the 1915 Rutgers football team.

He came to Chattanooga for the 1916 season and sat out as an ineligible transfer.  Talman left Chattanooga to play pro football with Massillon Tigers in 1916 and part of 1917 – with teammates Jim Thorpe and Knute Rockne – before serving a two-year hitch in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant. He rejoined Massillon for part of the 1919 season before signing with the Detroit Heralds.

Talman returned to Chattanooga and was on the 1921 football team.  He managed nine rushing touchdowns and 63 points in his one season with the Mocs, earning All-American recognition.  He graduated in 1922 and immediately took over as Athletic Director.  He held that position, along with various coaching duties, until 1923.

Dick Young – Football – 1951-54
Dick Young was an All-American back at Chattanooga from 1951-54.  He led the Mocs with a school record 151 carries for 855 yards and nine touchdowns in 1954.  He was a team captain and first team Little All-American as a senior in 1954. 

As a junior, Young posted 107 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries in a 44-6 win over Johnny Unitas’ Louisville team on Oct. 30,1953.  In his final game against Dayton on Thanksgiving 1954, he scored twice and had 183 yards on 18 carries. 

After his senior season, he participated in both the Senior Bowl and the Blue-Gray All-Star games.  He was selected in the 18^th round by the Chicago Cardinals and spent three seasons in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts (1955-56) and the Pittsburg Steelers (1957).  In 1957, he played in 11 games with three starts, posting 153 yards and two scores on 56 carries. 

He was named to the UC/UTC All-Century Team in 2003. 

Davis “Sandy” Sandlin – Meritorious Service
Davis “Sandy” Sandlin served as the Head Athletic Trainer at UC/UTC from 1938 to 1974.  He was at Chattanooga for all of those years except a brief interlude in 1944-45 when the University did not field a football team due to World War II.  He spent those two years as the trainer at Georgia Tech.

A native of Huntsville, Ala., Sandlin was one of the most respected in his profession.  Described as a ‘Humanitarian,’ Sandlin was noted as always worried about the welfare of others before his own. 

In 1973 Sandy was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, at a time few non-athletes were chosen.  He received the NATA 25 Year Award in 1974 and was inducted posthumously into the NATA Hall of Fame in1987.  In 1994, Sandy was inducted into the Tennessee Athletic Trainers’ Society Hall of Fame which further honored him with the establishment of the annual Sandy Sandlin High School Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.