Tom Tracy

Yet no sooner did Robinson leave after the season than Tracy followed him a short time later. New coach [[Bowden Wyatt]] planned to build his Single Wing offense around highly regarded junior [[Johnny Majors]], a former Tennessee prep star whose family had deep football roots. In an attempt to toughen up his squad, the coach called on Tracy to run a wedge play against a 15-man defense in practice on day. The senior halfback was injured in the drill, but rather than halt the session while he struggled to get off the field, Wyatt immediately called on the next man to take his place. Tracy felt unappreciated if not betrayed, so much so that he quit the team the following day without resistance from his coach.

Yet no sooner did Robinson leave after the season than Tracy followed him a short time later. New coach [[Bowden Wyatt]] planned to build his Single Wing offense around highly regarded junior [[Johnny Majors]], a former Tennessee prep star whose family had deep football roots. In an attempt to toughen up his squad, the coach called on Tracy to run a wedge play against a 15-man defense in practice on day. The senior halfback was injured in the drill, but rather than halt the session while he struggled to get off the field, Wyatt immediately called on the next man to take his place. Tracy felt unappreciated if not betrayed, so much so that he quit the team the following day without resistance from his coach.

== Professional career ==

Ottawa Rough Riders

Tracy wasn’t out of football for long. Only months earlier, his former line coach [[Chan Caldwell]] had left Tennessee to become head man of the Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League. He brought Volunteers freshman coach [[John Idzik]] with him to serve as backfield coach. While the two coaches clashed over personnel and play-calling matters, Tracy didn’t disappoint as the bell cow back of the Split-T attack. The Big Four All-Star selection finished the season as the team leader in rushing yards (729), attempts (102) and average per carry (7.1). In addition, he returned eight kickoffs for 169 yards (21.1 average) and booted four field goals and 23 extra points.

Detroit Lions

All the while, the hometown Lions had eyes for Tracy south of the border. On Jan. 17, they selected him in the fifth round (50th overall) of the [[1956 NFL Draft]]. Still under contract with the Rough Riders, Tracy remained with the team long enough to play three more games before his release was finalized.

On Oct. 21, three days after his contract became official, Tracy made his Lions debut. In a come-from-behind 20-17 victory over the [[San Francisco 49ers]] in Detroit. he rushed for 26 yards on nine attempts and gained five more yards on two pass receptions. Because the Lions were a deep, experienced team in a tight Western Division race, opportunities became scarce. The 22-year-old rookie touched the ball only four additional times the rest of the way.

The season wasn’t without its positives, however, as Tracy gained valuable experience on and off the field with a championship contender. Moreover, veteran quarterback and unquestioned team leader [[Bobby Layne]] took the rookie under his wing, which meant frequent late-night forays with several teammates who were known to party as hard off the field as they played on it.

After their second-place finish of the previous season, the Lions had their championship hopes furthered dampened by the abrupt resignation of coach [[Buddy Parker]] only days before the 1957 regular season opener. Under new head man [[George Wilson]], Tracy earned a back-up role behind fullback [[John Henry Johnson]] and halfback [[Gene Gedman]] in training camp. The team struggled the split its first six games in the regular season, during which he touched the ball a mere 16 times.

Finally, in Week 7, Wilson turned to Tracy for a spark. The second-year back managed only 11 yards in six carries in a 27-16 victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia, however, which did little to discourage the notion that he was too small to be a fullback and too slow to be a halfback. While the Lions closed with five wins in their final six games of the regular season to claim a piece of the Western Division crown, a growing number of local fans and media began to question the legitimacy of Tracy on the roster. In that span, he saw action in only one game and that in a mop-up role.

==References==

==References==