Two of the most prominent athletes in Tennessee sports history will lead an eight-group Vols’ Hall of Fame class in 2025. No offense to the other six members entering the class, but I’ve always been kind of particular to these two – and they have more in common than you might think.
Former Tennessee safety Eric Berry and point guard Tony White played hard and fast most every time they took the field or court. Sure, there were probably times in which things didn’t come easy for the two, but they sure made things look pretty simple for the vast majority of their careers.
I’m a bit fond of Berry and White for more than just their competitive nature and performance when they were needed most. Those traits just begin to tell the tale of the two athletes who will join basketball standout A.W. Davis, softball star Lindsay Schutzler, golf ace Mike Sposa, as well as swimming and diving standouts Jenny Connolly, Mike Masters and Lauryn McCalley. It’s a star-studded class, which is led by Berry and White for good reason.
“The Wizard,” as White was known, was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2018. Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2014. Personally, for me, that’s not the only thing they have in common. White just happened to be my first favorite Vol when I was a young Tennessee fan. Berry will always be my favorite Vol that I covered during 25 years at Tennessee – and his play was just a part of what made him special.
White was a speedster who would push tempo for the Vols and seemingly only knew one speed: fast. Berry was similar in that regard. Both stood out thanks to their obviously athleticism but also because of their grasp of their individual games. There was no need for either to slow down and think. They each knew the game they played so well. It allowed them to play incredibly fast.
Berry will always hold a special place in my heart because of what he had to go through during his playing career at Tennessee from 2007 to 2009. That was a tumultuous time in Tennessee football history as the Vols replaced legendary coach Phillip Fulmer with up-and-coming, perhaps slightly brash, coach Lane Kiffin. The change made things tough on Berry, who picked Tennessee, where his father, James Berry, played running back for the Vols.
The younger Berry could have gone to any school he chose, but he wanted to carry on the family tradition at Tennessee despite its shaky status at the time.
What I’ll always remember about Berry is that he was always ready to speak to the media. Sure, he had to answer the same questions about a struggling program during his career, but he always did it. That says something about his character, which ended up helping him fight through a myriad of injuries, including a torn ACL and ruptured Achilles tendon.
White is a bit older, but the two will always have their cancer battle in common. They’ll have more than that: The two should be forever remembered as one of the greatest in their respective shorts – and that’s not just my opinion. That’s a fact.
