| No. 16 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | (1945-05-07)May 7, 1945 (age 79) Savannah, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Herschel V. Jenkins(Savannah, Georgia) | ||||||||||
| College: | Tennessee | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1968: 6th round, 155th pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Dewey Warren (born May 7, 1945) is a formerAmerican footballquarterback for theUniversity of Tennesseefootball team and theAmerican Football League (AFL)'sCincinnati Bengals. Warren was nicknamed "the Swamp Rat" due to his early years growing up near the marshlands of theVernon River inGeorgia.
In three seasons with Warren as the starting quarterback of the Tennessee Volunteers, their record was 19–6. He was the first UT quarterback to pass for more than a 1,000 yards in a season.
During his sophomore season, he led the Vols to a win against theRose Bowl-boundUCLA Bruins and a berth in theBluebonnet Bowl.
Before Warren took over as quarterback, Tennessee's single-season records were 75 passing attempts, 36 completions (byJohnny Majors in the 1950s), and 552 yards. Under coachDoug Dickey's wide-open T-formation offense, in 1966, Warren threw 229 passes with 136 completions and 1,716 yards.[1]
Warren led Tennessee to an 8–3 record in that transformational 1966 season, followed by an 18–12 win overSyracuse University in the 1966Gator Bowl, for which he was named the game's MVP. The following year, the Vols went 9–2, won theSoutheastern Conference championship and were recognized by Litkenhous as national champions before a 26–24 loss to theUniversity of Oklahoma in theOrange Bowl. He finished eighth in the voting for the 1967Heisman Trophy.[2]
Warren ended his UT career with 3,357 yards passing and 27 touchdowns.[3]
Warren was selected in the sixth round (155th overall) of the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft.[4]
He spent one season with the American Football League'sCincinnati Bengals in the team's expansion year, playing in seven games in1968 and starting three. Sharing time with Bengals quarterbacksJohn Stofa andSam Wyche, Warren completed 47 passes in 80 attempts (58.8 percent) for 506 yards and one touchdown.[5] In 1969, Warren played for theLas Vegas Cowboys of theContinental Football League.
Warren coached atBrigham Young University,Kansas State University, Tennessee, and theUniversity of the South.
Warren was instrumental in revolutionizingcollege football underLaVell Edwards at Brigham Young. Edwards, who had spent his career as a defensive coach, becamehead coach in 1972; he knew that BYU lacked the blue-chip athletes necessary to win consistently with a conventional run-oriented game, so handed the offense to Warren, who had been hired to install a passing attack.
Warren's offense turned every running play into a passing play, and overwhelmed defenses with four and five receivers, coming from every possible position in the offense. Although Warren left BYU after only two seasons, his offense, led by quarterback Gary Sheide, was already setting records. BYU continues to use his offense, with further refinements, today.
Warren is now the host of a sports talk radio show inKnoxville, Tennessee, where he lives, and also plays in charity golf tournaments.[6]