Two Tennessee footballers who made headlines at UT during the middle portion of the last century have died.

The St. Augustine (Fla.) Record is reporting the death of Walter Slater, 92, in his Florida hometown. Slater is best remembered for his famous 1946 punt return of 78 yards that beat North Carolina 20-14 in a showdown of top-10 teams.

And tailback Billy Tomlinson, 68, died April 7 in Memphis, where he lived most of his adult life. Tomlinson was a three-year letterman from Nashville who was recruited by UT head coach Bowden Wyatt, played the only season of Jim McDonald’s head coaching career and then played two years under Doug Dickey.

Tomlinson lettered three seasons from 1963-65. He not only served as a multi-purpose tailback but also returned both kickoffs and punts during his career. Tomlinson’s UT career was hampered during his junior season when he broke his arm in the September game against Auburn and missed the rest of the 1964 campaign.

... read the rest of the story by Subscribing now.