KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Tennessee safety Eric Berry has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday evening.
Berry played for the Vols from 2007 to 2009. The superstar Vol finished his Tennessee career with 245 tackles, three sacks, and 14 interceptions. That success made him the 5th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, securing a spot to play for the Kansas City Chiefs.
He is the only Tennessee player ever to earn unanimous first-team All-America honors twice (2008-09) and he became the first player in program history to win the Jim Thorpe award as the nation's top defensive back in 2009.
He said in his press conference for the College Football Hall of Fame that he was proud to represent Tennessee.
“It definitely means a lot to me, following in my father’s footsteps and then have my younger brothers come in and carry on the tradition and legacy,” he said. “To represent not only the university but my hometown and my family, I think we do a great job of doing that. Having a great example of the great players that came through, especially like Al Wilson and Peyton Manning, those are the two guys that really set the standard for how you perform at Tennessee.”
Earlier this year, he was honored at halftime of Tennessee’s game against Texas A&M.
Berry was honored with a plaque that will be permanently displayed inside the University of Tennessee. The VFL also entered Neyland Stadium alongside the Vols during the Vol Walk before kickoff.