Jason Hall is already the answer to one obscure sports trivia question.

Who was the last defensive MVP in NFL Europe history?

“That could be an Aflac trivia question,” quacks Hall, the former McCallie School standout last seen spending the final season of NFL Europe’s existence slamming quarterbacks to the ground.

And speaking of ducks, Hall’s newest employer is a sitting one for criticism and could make the defensive end part of another sports trivia question: Which was the other football league that closed after one season?

The All American Football League, which held its inaugural draft last Saturday to supplement a core of local players, hopes the emphasis on school spirit will help it avoid the fate of one-year wonder XFL. And if Hall wants to know more about the demise of the XFL, he can just ask his teammate, Rod Smart.

Yeah, He Hate Me plays for Tennessee.

The Tennessee squad protected Smart, a Western Kentucky graduate, along with former Vols like Hall, receiver C.J. Fayton, linebacker Jason Mitchell, kicker James Wilhoit and national championship quarterback Tee Martin. The team also protected former Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler and used its first-round draft pick on former Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall, perhaps a sign that Martin isn’t going to participate.

Training camp starts next month and Tennessee, coached by former quarterback Andy Kelly of Rhea County, plays its season opener against Michigan on April 12 at Neyland Stadium. Most players will make $50,000 per year.

“There’s no guarantee with Tee,” Wilhoit said. “I think he’s going to go to training camp and see how he feels. You know, be like Brett Favre and see what type of team we’re going to have, what kind of offensive line we’ll have.”

And that’s what some of us are doing — kind of waiting and seeing if the AAFL is going to work before passing judgment. Will it? Hard to say.

There’s not a whole lot of success stories with upstart leagues. I do know that, if any fledging league is going to work, it’s going to be this one because it makes the most sense — assign college stars to teams based on geography.

Football fans demand name recognition, and they’ll get some with the AAFL. Chris Leak and Peter Warrick, for instance, are playing for Team Florida. Freddie Milons is playing for Alabama. Clint Stoerner — and won’t he get a nice ovation when he visits Neyland Stadium in May? — is playing for Arkansas.

But for young players like Hall, some name recognition is also needed. That’s the story of his life, isn’t it?

He starred at McCallie and was ignored by most college recruiters. He was an all-SEC defensive end and wasn’t invited to the combine. He wasn’t drafted. He went to NFL Europe, threatened to shatter the sacks record, won defensive MVP and came home only to get cut again, this time by the Tennessee Titans.

But this time, he was cut due to a cartilage injury in his knee. It wasn’t about name recognition or 40 times or weight. It was about timing. He was so close.

“I played well out there, and the last week before cuts I sat down with the line coach and the coordinator and (head coach) Jeff Fisher and they told me how much they liked having me on the team,” Hall said. “A few days after that, my knee started having some issues and it was downhill from there.”

The AAFL gives Hall another chance. He’s got a degree — a necessity to play in this league — and he could probably land a great job like his grandmother wants, but he can’t give up now. He’s too close. The latest setback just adds to the Jason Hall story. He can still be the answer to another goofy sports trivia question.

Who was the first defensive MVP of the AAFL?

E-mail Darren Epps at depps@timesfreepress.com