A University of Tennessee legend has passed away.
Harold “Herky” Payne died Tuesday in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was 92.
During his days on Rocky Top, Payne lettered in baseball and football for the Volunteers.
He played football for the Big Orange between 1949-52 and was a baseball player from 1950-52.
Payne, a native of Pensacola, Florida, was a tailback on the Vols’ 1951 team that won a national championship. That squad was coached by General Robert Neyland.
Payne scored 14 touchdowns in 1951 and led the Southeastern Conference in scoring with 84 points. He was a third-team All-SEC selection by both the Associated Press and United Press International.
He amassed 1,145 yards and scored 23 touchdowns in his career at UT.
Payne, who served two years in the United States Army, was a member of Tennessee’s 1951 baseball team.
That year, the Vols won the SEC and played in the College World Series.
Tennessee reached the championship game, coming up on the short end of a 3-2 decision against Oklahoma. UT went 20-3 that season and posted a 16-1 mark in SEC play.
Payne, who played second base for the Vols, batted .354 in 1951 and hit .333 the following year.
He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1952 and enjoyed a brief professional baseball career in Florida before returning to Knoxville.
Payne was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.