Tennessee legend, 4-sport letterman Ron Widby passes away at age 75
By Jake Rill
Published:
Ron Widby played multiple sports at Tennessee, and he excelled at all of them. He played football (1964-66), basketball (1965-67), baseball (1965) and golf (1966) for the Vols, so he was always staying busy.
This week, Tennessee announced that Widby died at the age of 75 on Tuesday. According to the release, Widby was the only Vols athlete in the modern era to earn varsity letters in four sports. And he is one of seven student-athletes to earn eight varsity letters in school history.
In football, Widby was Tennessee’s punter for three seasons. He later went on to be selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 1967 NFL Draft, and he spent six seasons in the NFL, playing for the Dallas Cowboys (1968-71) and Green Bay Packers (1972-73).
In basketball, Widby twice was a first-team All-SEC selection. He was also named the 1967 SEC Player of the Year, as he helped Tennessee win the conference championship that season. He scored 1,432 points over his three-year career.
Widby was selected by the New Orleans Buccaneers in the 1967 ABA Draft and taken by the Chicago Bulls in the 1967 NBA Draft. He went on to play one season for the Buccaneers before moving to the NFL.
In baseball, Widby hit .300 with 17 RBIs in 24 games, playing first base in his lone season for the Vols. He also excelled in his one golf season, earning a medal at his first event and shooting a 75 in the second round of the SEC Championships.
Widby is a member of the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame (1990 inductee), Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (1997) and University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame (2016).
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
