The Tennessee family lost one of its all-time greats this week as Bill Anderson passed at the age of 80. Following his career with the Vols, he was co-captain of the 1957 team, Anderson went on to play for the Green Bay Packers and was a member of the first team to win the Super Bowl.

Following his playing career, Anderson returned to Knoxville to join the broadcast booth for the Vol Network. Joining up with John Ward, the two combined to form the most popular broadcast duo in the history of Tennessee football. Their first game together came in the 1968 season-opener against Georgia Tech and they worked until Tennessee’s BCS National Championship Game victory over Florida State in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl.

After learning of his passing, general manager for the Vol Network Steve Early released the following statement:

“The Vol Network and University of Tennessee fans have lost a family member and a giant of a man today in the passing of Bill Anderson. Bill was a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word. So many of us grew up hanging on his breakdown of what happened, and many times what was about to happen. He will be forever missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wonderful family.”

Aside from releasing that statement, the Vol Network paid tribute to Anderson by posting some of the legendary broadcast duo’s best moments from the booth.

Here’s a pic of Anderson during his playing career with the Vols:

The Green Bay Packers also paid tribute to Anderson via Twitter:

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