Saturday will be a memorable day on Rocky Top as No. 5 Tennessee is set to host Kentucky in a critical SEC East game. During halftime, Tennessee will also honor VFL and basketball legend Chris Lofton as the Vols make him the fifth retired jersey in program history.
It’s fitting that the Vols will be ranked No. 5 as they retire the No. 5 jersey from Lofton.
Lofton was an unquestionable superstar for Tennessee during the mid-2000s, leaving countless basketball fans with memories that will last a lifetime. Lofton’s career saw everything from game-winning shots to 30-point classics as he spent four years with the Vols in Knoxville.
In March of 2006, Lofton and the 2-seed Volunteers were stuck in a 61-all matchup with 15-seed Winthrop in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Knotted up in a tie game with less than three seconds on the clock, VFL Dane Bradshaw inbounded the ball to Lofton, who jacked up a prayer from the corner while smothered by his defender. The jaw-dropping shot flew through the air and landed in the basket to give Tennessee the two-point win in the tournament.
During the next season, on Dec. 23, 2006, Lofton gave Tennessee fans everywhere an early Christmas present with his shot against Texas. The Longhorns, led by Rick Barnes, had an 87-85 lead over Tennessee with just about 20 seconds left in the game. Chris Lofton took a deep three over Kevin Durant and planted the ball in the basket to give the Vols the lead.
Tennessee would eventually go on to win that game by a score of 111-105 in overtime.
Just a few weeks after that game, Lofton would hit a memorable shot against Vanderbilt in Nashville. Basically shooting from Knoxville’s 37996 area code, Lofton drilled a three-pointer right before halftime.
Stay tuned into Rocky Top Insider’s coverage of Chris Lofton’s jersey retirement ceremony in Knoxville on Saturday when the Vols host John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats.
More from RTI: Chris Lofton’s Tennessee Career: By The Numbers
Chris Lofton: ‘He Loves This University’: Rick Barnes Compliments Chris Lofton Prior to Jersey Retirement
In the meantime, check out some of Lofton’s best plays below.
