The Colquitts
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July 23, 2020 | farragutpress The Colquitts asked that question.” The unique family Colquitt, punter and kick-hold- that holds a special er for the Super Bowl LIV cham- pion Kansas City Chiefs and a place in sports history recent Walter Payton “NFL Man of the Year” nominee, completed ALAN SLOAN a unique trifecta after what his n [email protected] younger brother, Britton Colquitt, and their father, Craig Colquitt, About his family’s unique place already accomplished: it put this in professional team sports history family in a rare — if not unprec- The revenoors chased him but in the United States and Canada, edented — place in history as three The legend of they couldn't run him Dustin Colquitt said, “My mind’s immediate family members each Down blown right now. … That’s a very Each time they thought they had interesting point. I’ve never been See COLQUITTS on Page 3 THUNDER him, His engine would explode He'd go by like they were standin' still on Thunder Cavernous sound is ROAD Road. closer than you think MICHELLE HOLLENHEAD (Chorus); n [email protected] “And there was thunder, thunder TAMMY CHEEK over Thunder Road n [email protected] “Now let me tell the story, I can Thunder was his engine, and tell it all white lightning was his For a nonpareil music ex- About the mountain boy who ran Load perience, The Caverns brings illegal alcohol There was moonshine, moon- performances underground to His daddy made the whiskey, son, shine to quench the devil's thirst feature artists including Ricky he drove the load The law they swore they'd get Skaggs and Alison Krouse. When his engine roared, him, but the devil got Located at 555 Charlie Rob- They called the highway Thun- Him first. erts Road in Pellham, past der Road. On the first of April, nineteen Sometimes into Ashville, some- See CAVERNOUS on Page 5 times Memphis town See THUNDER ROAD on Page 1 Amazing ingles-markets.com 2 West Side Story July 23, 2020 | farragutpress The Colquitts came together as a family dur- ing pre-game activities. From left are Dustin Colquitt, KC Chiefs punter/kick holder; mother, Anne Colquitt; Britton Colquitt, Minne- sota punter/kick holder; and their father, Craig Colquitt. Colquitts being part of an all-time great his stadium seat to nervously walk On field with family From page 1 NFL team. He earned back-to-back around the concourse when things With Dustin and wife, Christia Super Bowl rings (XIII and XIV) looked bad early in the fourth Colquitt, gathered with Colston winning at least one Super Bowl, as a rookie and second-year punt- quarter — Colston couldn’t bear to and the couple’s other four chil- World Series, NBA Finals or Stan- er for the “Steel Curtain” Pitts- go back to his seat and watch. dren in celebration on the field ley Cup (National Hockey League) burgh Steelers in the 1978 and 1979 Hearing a crowd roar without after the game, “I think we almost championship. seasons. seeing what happened, he thought broke each other’s teeth out kiss- With a 21-0 fourth quarter rally Doubting Colquitts San Francisco scored “and it was ing,” said Dustin, finishing his 15th last February in Miami, beating However, judging by fourth quar- 27-10, and it might as well be over,” season in Kansas City after earn- San Francisco 31-20, “Much later ter nerves, there was lots of doubt- the two-time Pro Bowler said. ing 2003 All-American and Ray Guy in the night, before we got going ing Colquitts in Miami. “When he talked himself to walk- Award finalist (top college punter with some of the Super Bowl par- Described as “digging his nails ing back down the (stadium) stairs, in the nation) honors for the Vols. ties — I put the little kids down (to into his legs” in terms of inten- Colston realized they punted back His sports notoriety began as a bed), they were exhausted about sity whenever his dad’s Chiefs are to us, and we had the ball back and football and soccer star at Bearden being up all day and watching the playing, then 11-year-old Colston we were about to score” and cut the High School (Class of 2000). game — outside of the room I got Colquitt was quite upset while wit- 49ers’ lead to 20-17. “Brinkley almost tackled me,” he to talk to Britton and my dad, and nessing a late–game turnover in As for the senior Colquitt, “I was added about the reaction of his old- just kind of be in that inner circle,” Super Bowl LIV. a nervous wreck in Super Bowl 50 est child, 13. Dustin said. Already tied in knots emotion- for Britton, but more so for Dustin Britton, his advice “I finally got to tell a Super Bowl ally with his dad’s Chiefs trailing in Super Bowl LIV because he was Also at Super Bowl LIV was Brit- experience, as opposed to just lis- the 49ers 20-10 early in the fourth further along in his career,” Craig ton — who helped UT fan favorite tening to theirs, which I enjoyed,” quarter, a Patrick Mahomes inter- said. Peyton Manning end his NFL Hall he added about the trio, all honing ception killing a promising Kansas After Mahomes’ fourth-quarter of Fame career by going out on their NFL skills as First-Team All- City drive sent Colston racing out interception with the Chief trail- top (see photo) — as punter and SEC punters for the Tennessee Vol- of his stadium seat. ing by 10, “I got up and started kick-holder for the Super Bowl 50 unteers. “He literally stood up and started walking around the perimeter of champion Denver Broncos. A First- “Just seeing my dad and just how walking out … he went straight to the indoor of the stadium,” Craig Team All-SEC punter at UT in 2006, excited he was.” the concourse and threw up in a said, adding he followed the game he also was a soccer and football “I was so excited,” said Craig, a trash can,” Dustin said. “He was on concourse TV monitors “while I star at BHS (Class of 2003). two-time First Team All-SEC punt- absolutely sick about it. He was was walking.” Seeking family advise on what to er at UT groomed by legends John- devastated.” However, when the comeback expect when playing in Super Bowl ny Majors, head coach, and special Perhaps taking after his grand- was complete, “We went nuts. We teams guru George Cafego before father — Craig admitted leaving were like little children,” he added. See COLQUITTS on Page 9 July 23, 2020 | farragutpress West Side Story 3 Thunder Road roadblocks up ahead running “white lightening.” suit-and-tie governmental officials From page 1 The mountain boy took roads While Mitchum fictionalized at a local service station early one that even angels feared his own character’s backstory, April morning in the early 1950’s, fifty-four To tread. “Thunder Road” was a well-known overhearing whispered mentions A federal man sent word he'd bet- “Blazing' right through Knox- moonshine route that ran from of “Thunder Road.” ter make his run no ville, out on Kingston Pike Kentucky, through Maynardville, The following is Tedasco’s ac- More Then right outside of Bearden, then into Knoxville on what is now count, reprinted with permission: He said two hundred agents were there they made the fatal Kingston Pike, and he incorporated “That cool spring morning, John coverin' the state Strike a legendary car crash that disput- and his friends had inadvertently Whichever road he tried to take, He left the road at ninety, that's ably occurred either in Bearden, stumbled upon a federal operation they'd get him sure as all there is to say near Asheville Highway or in Con- to capture a notorious Kentucky Fate. The devil got the moonshine and cord (now Farragut), depending on moonshiner known only as “Twee- Son, his daddy told him, make the mountain boy who is talking. dle-o-twill,” Tedesco wrote. this run your last That day," While no newspaper accounts “In the early morning hours, just Your tank is filled with hundred- have been found to verify the story, down the Pike from Galyon's (gas proof, — “Thunder Road” song lyrics several members of the communi- station), Tweedle-o-twill, the son of You're all tuned up and gassed ty have gone on record with their an elusive mountain moonshiner, Now, don't take any chances, if More than 60 years ago, a Hol- accounts. was racing against time,” Tedesco you can't get through lywood movie and chart-topping Knoxville-area writers Laura Te- wrote. “As the sun peeked through I'd rather have you back again song highlighted the dangers of desco and Brooks Smith both con- the trees, he rocketed down the than all that mountain moonshining up close for the world ducted extensive research about highway, sweeping across the last Dew to see. the infamous incident, publishing leg of his journey down Route 33 “Thunder Road,” starring leg- lengthy articles on their findings. from Kentucky through Maynard- (Chorus); endary actor Robert Mitchum They also relied on “Return to ville and into Bearden. “Roarin' out of Harlan, revving' — who also wrote the 1958 movie Thunder Road,” a book written by “Federal agents devised a make- up his mill and helped craft the song — told Alex Gabbard, who interviewed a shift roadblock, two cars nudged He shot the gap at Cumberland, a tale of bootleggers who tangled young eye-witness, John Fitzger- nose-to-nose across the two-lane And screamed by Maynordsville with the law, with one horrifically ald, among others.