Tennessee mourns passing of Hall of Fame defender Steve Kiner

Tennessee is mourning the loss of a legendary Volunteer. Steve Kiner, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, has passed away.

Kiner was a standout defender for Tennessee from 1967-69. The Volunteers were 26-6-1 over that period, going 15-2-1 in conference play to win 2 SEC championships.

In 1967, Kiner had an instant impact as a sophomore following his year on the freshman team. Kiner had 2 interceptions to help the ’67 Vols to a 9-1 record with an SEC title and berth in the Orange Bowl.

Kiner was a consensus All-American as a junior in 1968, despite playing with a broken wrist for much of the season. He had a game to remember in a 31-0 rout of Ole Miss, recording 12 tackles and 2 interceptions.

In his senior season, Kiner helped Tennessee to its second SEC title in 3 seasons. He was again a consensus All-American and earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year recognition after snagging 5 interceptions. Kiner had a legendary performance against Alabama, logging 14 tackles (5 for loss), an interception and a forced fumble.

After his Tennessee career, Kiner played 9 seasons in the NFL for Dallas, New England, Washington and Houston. He was was selected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999, the SEC Legends class in 1999 and the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

Kiner was 77.

The Tennessee Football Family mourns the loss of College Football Hall of Famer Steve Kiner, who has passed away at the age of 77.

— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) April 24, 2025

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.