Vols mourn the loss of two former players over the last week

Tennessee athletics is a tight-knit community made up of many great players, staffers, and one of the best fan bases in the entire nation. Much like the basketball moniker over the past season — “One Fly, We All Fly”.

Vol Nation is mourning the loss of two former football players in the last five days.

On the evening of April 17th, former Tennessee defensive lineman Matt McGlothlin passed away suddenly in his sleep at the age of 36.

McGlothlin was a walk-on in the 2002 class and would red-shirt his first season. Come 2003, he would work his way onto the roster and into the rotation providing depth as a huge part of the defensive line.

After sitting out for the 2004 season, he would make a comeback in 2005. With the Vols losing three of four starters on the defensive line and Justin Harrell suffering a season-ending injury, McGlothlin was thrust into a starting role. He would be a key contributor in wins over Alabama and South Carolina that season.

Tragedy struck again just three days later on Saturday, April 20th as it was revealed that standout Tennessee running back Reggie Cobb passed away at age 50.

Cobb was a star at Central High School before playing for the Vols from 1987-89. He rushed for 2,360 yards in his career, tallying 29 total touchdowns. He ranks 11th in Tennessee history for rushing yards.

In 1987, he led the SEC with 20 touchdowns to go along with his 1,197-yards rushing. Cobb would be named to the All-SEC second team. Ending that season with 1,721 all-purpose yards, he would hold that record until the 2012 season.

After a great college career, Cobb was drafted in the second round with the 30th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He would go on to also play for the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the New York Jets.

For eight years following his playing career, Cobb worked in the scouting departments for the Buccaneers and the Washington Redskins. He would then join the San Francisco 49ers where he was entering his 11th season. In 2011, he was named NFC Scout of the Year by the Fritz Pollard Alliance.