All of this talk about the top basketball players has made me ponder on who the best ETSU football players of all time are.

Give your top 3 or 5.

I dont have an in depth knowledge of ETSU players from way back but some recent players that come to mind are:

Cecil Moore
Tony Tiller
Brandon Walker

How about Thane Gash whom I graduated with

Or Earl Ferrall and Donnie Abraham

Greg Ryan
Greg Ryan
Greg Ryan

Sensabaugh
Tiller
Gash
Calton (was a great lineman)
Moore
Varner (for the overrall lack of O-line, he was a pretty good runner)

I also heard that Dave Walker wasn't too shabby, neither was Doug Linebarger.

Just a 'semi-interesting' fyi that I'm sure no-one has followed...

Chris Beatty (WR, '91-'94), who was in the ETSU top 5 in receptions and receiving yards was recently picked up as the Offensive Coordinator at Hampton University. He had a STELLAR career in Virginia as a head high school football coach. The following are excerpts from an article in the Virginian Pilot...

"Beatty, 32, compiled a 56-7 record in five seasons at Salem and Landstown. He guided the Eagles to a state title in 2004 and to perhaps the best three-year run in South Hampton Roads high school football history. The Eagles went 40-2, including 30-0 in Beach District play, under Beatty. In his first season at Salem, the Sun Devils made the playoffs for the first time . After guiding Landstown to the Group AAA Division 6 state championship game each of the past three seasons, Chris Beatty said Friday he has resigned as the Eagles

I am disappointed that more people aren't choosing Ryan. The greatest ETSU QB ever. Who was coached by the greatest ETSU coach ever...Mike Cavan a man who knew how to win, unlike his succeeder Goofball Hamilton.

He was kind've a jerk, but Mark Hutsell (QB, late 70s) was picked as Division I Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated. That was during that period when ETSU was Division I, before Division I-AA came back on the scene.

He might have been a top 5 all time. He was certainly one of the best of the 70s.

Never heard of Mark Hutsell. Got any more info on him?? I'd like to know more about him. I did a google search for him and came up empty, except for some ETSU athletics hall of fame page.

I don't have any stats on Mark. He was a beach blonde, from Florida. Seems like he might have gone to the Canadian League after ETSU, but I'm not sure. It's been a long time, but it seems like we might have beaten UTC, who was a big favorite, something like 35-0. That was the week he was named Sports Illustrated Player of the Week.

He was quite the jerk, personally. But probably the best quarterback ETSU has had in my lifetime.

UTC was a big favorite?? Wow times have really changed I don't remember the last time UTC has ever been a big favorite in football. lmfao

There was a time - seems like the late 70's - when they were big dogs in football.

Killing time at the airport, I did a google search on Mark Hutsell. I learned that he was inducted into the ETSU Hall of Fame in 1997. I found this tidbit on a Southern Conference site:

This Date In SoCon History

Sept. 29, 1984: East Tennessee State scored two touchdowns in the span of seven seconds to overcome a 6-2 fourth quarter deficit and defeat The Citadel, 16-6 at Johnson Hagood Stadium.


Sept. 29, 1979: East Tennessee State came from behind to post a 28-24 win over Furman as Mark Hutsell tossed a two-yard scoring pass to Charles Pittman with just 12 seconds left in the game.