A three-year letterwinner for the Vols, Tommy West helped lead Tennessee to a pair of bowl games and two final rankings among the top-20 in the nation. The Gainesville, Ga., product was named a co-captain of UT's 1975 sqaud and played in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game that same year.

West began his collegiate career as a running back, but saw most of his playing time as a tight end catching 37 passes for 575 yards. He earned second-team All-SEC honors as a senior after recording 16 receptions for 233 yards and three touchdowns. During his junior campaign, he caught an 81-yard pass from Condredge Holloway, still the longest non-scoring play in Tennessee football history.

West earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee in 1976 and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that same year. He also played two seasons of baseball for the Volunteers (1974-1975) and had a career batting average of .305. He hit .367 in 1975 and was named All-Southeastern Conference Eastern Division.

Currently the defensive coordinator at Southern Miss, West has served as the head football coach at three different schools: UTC (1993), Clemson (1993-98) and Memphis (2001-2009). He holds a career coaching record of 84-96, including three bowl victories.