KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football legend Bert Rechichar passed away at age 89 on Friday.

Rechichar was a captain on the 1951 consensus national championship football team, collecting All-SEC First Team honors as a wingback for the Vols.

A three-year starter, he also was named to the All-SEC Second Team in 1950.

He also lettered in baseball at Tennessee in 1951 and 1952, helping lead the Vols to their first College World Series appearance in 1951 as he collected All-SEC First Team honors as an outfielder.

Rechichar was the second Vol selected in the first round of the NFL Draft after the Cleveland Browns picked the Belle Vernon, Pa., native with the 10th overall selection in 1952.

He played 10 years in the NFL, most notably with the Baltimore Colts as a defensive back and kicker. He went to three Pro Bowls in sevens years with the Colts and set the NFL-record for longest field goal when he booted a 56-yarder in his first career attempt in the league. Rechichar won two NFL Championships with the Colts.

Rechichar was born on July 16, 1930. He is survived by his son, Donald Rechichar, and his daughter, Gail Davis.

You can read his obituary in the Baltimore Sun HERE.

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