Defense by DeLong, Steve and Keith
By Tom Mattingly
If you wanted to go to war on the gridiron, you’d need to have Steve DeLong on your side. Steve DeLong could play the game… and play it at a high level.
Steve died Aug. 18, 2010, at age 67, but left Vol fans a marvelous collection of memories. His career ended 60 years ago in the 1964 Vanderbilt game.
DeLong played for three coaches during his time at Tennessee: Bowden Wyatt (1962), Jim McDonald (1963), and Doug Dickey (1964).
His teams never had a winning record, but fans found Steve hard to miss from his middle guard position. He wore No. 65 on his orange jersey, and you found him by locating who had the ball. Steve was generally in the vicinity, always in a bad humor.
DeLong was the anchor of a defense that season that allowed 121 points in 10 games.
“Steve was a tremendous player,” said Dickey. “He had quick hands, strong arms, and good use of leverage. He could hit with his hands and move a blocker out of the way. Middle guard was an advantageous position for him.”
Steve was good enough for media types to take notice, despite playing on television only twice in his career. He became one of the most honored Vols of all time.
He was a 1993 selection to the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame.
He was the 1964 Outland Trophy winner as the nation’s best interior lineman.
He was twice named All-SEC and All-American.
He was captain of the 1964 Vols.
He was the MVP of the 1965 Senior Bowl.
Consider the names of some of his contemporaries.
In the 1965 AFL draft, the San Diego Chargers took him with pick No. 6 in the first round, just after Kansas City took University of Kansas running back Gayle Sayers. The formidable Dick Butkus was a step or two behind, chosen No. 1 in the second round by Denver.
On the NFL side, the Chicago Bears drafted him, also at No. 6, ahead of Donny Anderson of Texas Tech and behind Craig Morton of California. Butkus and Sayers were picks No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
He signed with the Chargers and played on the west coast from 1965-71. His final NFL season was with the Bears in 1972.
Brother Ken signed on in 1965 and played tight end from 1967-69. He was an All-SEC player himself, earning that honor in 1968 and 1969. He was an alternate captain of the 1969 team. He was a load with ball in hand, much the way Austin Denney was the previous two years. When Ken ascended to the varsity after Denney left (after the 1966 season), Vol fans quickly found out the tight end position was in good hands.
Steve came back into prominence among Vol fans in 1985, when son, Keith, came to Knoxville, playing linebacker from 1985-88.
Keith followed in Steve’s footsteps as a hard-nosed defender. He was captain of the 1988 team. Keith was also an All-SEC and All-American selection that season.
During Keith’s career, Vol publicists came up with a poster titled “Defense by DeLong,” featuring Keith and Steve as Vol defensive stalwarts. Keith was a first round draft choice by the San Francisco 49ers in 1989 and played in the 1990 Super Bowl.
One of the most famous plays in Tennessee football history has Steve’s fingerprints all over it. It came at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., Oct. 24, 1964. LSU and Tennessee were embroiled in a 3-3 tie. They recovered a fumble at the Vol 15 and had it first-and-goal at the 5. On fourth-and goal at the Vol 1, they went for the touchdown that would give the Tigers the lead and likely the game.
Steve led the charge up front, getting under the LSU center and blowing up the play. It was one of those “inspirational ties” that showed fans that Dickey had things going in the right direction.
Steve spent much of the later years of his life at Hillcrest North, following a 2002 fall that left him with a broken neck and bruised spinal cord. He did take particular delight in helping out and cheering up his fellow residents. He was always glad to see any of his friends from the University of Tennessee, no one more than Dickey, his senior season coach.
There was an emotional moment when Dickey visited one day. There was an instant connection between player and coach. Words didn’t come easily to either man, the rough-and-tumble player who battled so hard in the trenches, and his coach, a man given a bad rap for being unemotional and calculating.
No one spoke for a brief moment, but a vintage time of storytelling and reminiscing followed quickly. No one who was there would trade the moment.
“We just played football then,” said Steve about his Vol career. “It was all football, just rock ‘em, sock ‘em.”
For Steve DeLong, it was much more than that. The DeLongs are, without a doubt, one of the great families in Tennessee football history.
Steven Cyril DeLong (July 3, 1943-Aug. 18, 2010) led the way in setting that tradition in motion.