KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Paul Naumoff, co-captain and All-American on the 1966 Tennessee Volunteers football team, died on Friday at the age of 73.
Naumoff, a Columbus, Ohio, native led the Vols to an 8-3 mark and a win over Syracuse in the 1966 Gator Bowl by starring at linebacker for head coach Doug Dickey.
He entered the 1966 season slated to lead UT as a defensive end, where he started in 1965, but he volunteered to change positions after linebacker Tom Fisher’s sudden death earlier in the year.
Naumoff also started at wide receiver for the Vols in 1964.
An All-SEC First Team selection and the co-captain of his team in addition to his consensus All-America honors, Naumoff is perhaps best remembered for tackling Syracuse’s Larry Csonka in the 1966 Gator Bowl to keep the star from scoring and preserving an 18-12 victory for the Vols.
In 1965, he helped the Vols go 8-1-2 and finish No. 7 in the nation, closing the season with a win over Tulsa in the Bluebonnet Bowl.
Following his collegiate career, Naumoff was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the No. 60 overall pick in the third round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He went on to play for 12 years for the Lions, earning a Pro Bowl invitation in 1970 and playing in 142 consecutive games at one point.
He was selected to the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Tennessee and a master’s degree from Eastern Michigan.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Melva Naumoff, a son and two daughters.
The family will receive friends from noon to 1:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24, in the sanctuary of Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church followed by a Celebration of Life service at 2 p.m.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.
Click Funeral Home Farragut Chapel is serving the Naumoff family.
Tom Mattingly, freelance contributor to the Knoxville News Sentinel, contributed to this story.
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