One of the University of Tennessee’s greatest running backs, “Hank” Lauricella was one of the fabled single-wing tailbacks who played under General Robert R. Neyland. Playing from 1949 to 1951, Lauricella guided two of Tennessee’s most powerful teams to a pair of bowl games and the national championship. Leading the Volunteer offensive attack with grace and poise, the New Orleans native accounted for almost 2600 yards of total offense in three years, running for 1463 and passing for 1105. But even with such impressive numbers, the Lauricella legend was truly born on one very special day. In the 1951 Cotton Bowl, he dazzled the Texas Longhorn defense on a seventy-five-yard run that helped the Vols to a 20-14 victory and a national title. Legendary NBC Radio broadcaster Bill Stern, calling the game that day, said of the run: “Wait ‘til you see that run on the newsreel. That was a thriller… They hit him from behind at about the forty and somehow he managed to elude the grasp of four Texans.” His heroic efforts earned him consensus All-America recognition and second place in the Heisman balloting. After his great college football career, “Hank” went on to success in the real estate development business in the New Orleans area, as general partner of Lauricella Land Company. Active in politics as well, Lauricella retired from the Louisiana State Senate in 1996 after thirty-two years of service.
