99 Days Until Tennessee Football: A Look at the Number
![99 Days Until Tennessee Football: A Look at the Number 99 Days Until Tennessee Football: A Look at the Number](https://www.si.com/.image/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/MTcyOTAzOTkyMDA5OTU4OTQ0/kongbo.jpg)
If football stays on schedule, Tennessee will take the field in 99 days on September 5th against the University of Charlotte at Neyland Stadium.
To get in the football mood, we are going to start our countdown series which will focus on an array of different things around the Tennessee football program each day.
One former player to recently don the 99 jersey was Jonathan Kongbo. Coming to Tennessee, Kongbo was the top-rated JuCo prospect in the nation at Arizona Western College.
Jonathan Kongbo had an interesting path to arrive at Tennessee. The linebacker went from playing high school football in British Columbia to redshirting at Wyoming before transferring to Arizona Western College. #Vols pic.twitter.com/q8VluhvCTK
— WATE Sports (@WATESports) August 16, 2018
Kongbo played in 23 games at Tennessee, and he totaled 51 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions. He started to hit a stride during his senior campaign for Jeremy Pruitt, but it was cut short due to a knee injury.
He had a massive interception against Auburn that helped the Vols thwart the Tigers on the plains.
Kongbo would go on to be drafted by the Winnipeg Bombers with the 5th pick in the CFL Draft, and he would play on the 2019 team that won the Gray cup. He was later signed to a reserve contract by San Francisco.
There has been one 99 yard touchdown run in Tennessee's history, that I could find at least. In 1977, Kelsey finished rambled for a 99-yard touchdown run against Florida.
Oct. 22, 1977 | 99 Yards
— Tennessee Athletics (@Vol_Sports) August 29, 2019
Junior running back Kelsey Finch rumbled down the field for what is still the longest rushing touchdown in Tennessee history.
Finch bested the previous mark of 91 yards set by Dick Dodson against Transylvania in 1927.#CFB150 pic.twitter.com/0VuO2RZpjS
99 is not the most historic number for the Vols, but it is a starting point for getting towards football.