13 for '13 tileAny great sports debate begins with a difference of opinion. Athletes from the current generation are compared with those who played before them, and fans take sides on who is the best they've ever seen play. With that in mind, for the next month leading up to the start of another football season, the Times Free Press sports staff will release their lists of 13 for 2013.
The lists, which will appear each in the Tuesday and Friday editions each week, will list alphabetically the top 13 area players at each position, and readers can cast their votes to rank those players at each position.
So who are the area's best players at each position? You help us decide. Taking into account not only their prep careers but also college and any professional achievements, we begin today with the top 13 area quarterbacks.
Chattanooga area's top 13 prep quarterbacks of all time
(listed alphabetically)
• Patrick Baynes (Murray County, Furman) -- His 4,602 yards were a Chattanooga-area record for more than 20 years, and he still owns several school marks. He later helped Furman University win a I-AA championship and reach another final.
• B.J. Coleman (McCallie, Tennessee, UTC, NFL) -- He was a two-time all-state player for the Blue Tornado, throwing for more than 7,000 yards in his career, and then threw for more than 6,800 at UTC, ranking second all-time with a school-record 52 TD passes. He is in his second year with Green Bay.
• Will Healy (Boyd-Buchanan, Richmond) -- A state Mr. Football finalist and two-time all-state performer, he holds the city's career passing record with more than 7,700 yards. He was a team captain on Richmond's 2008 FCS National Title team and played in 31 games in his college career and now is an assistant coach for UTC.
• Jacob Huesman (Baylor, UTC) -- As a Baylor senior he was a Mr. Football award winner who totaled more than 2,800 yards and led his team to the state title game. He averaged more than 237 yards of total offense as a freshman for the Mocs last season.
• Andy Kelly (Rhea County, Tennessee, Arena League) -- He won two SEC titles at UT and set several passing records in a 14-year AFL career. He is best known for rallying UT from a 31-7 first-half deficit to beat Notre Dame on the road.
• Taylor Lamb (Calhoun, Appalachian State) -- The two-time Georgia all-state player and Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior passed for 7,000 yards and more than 70 touchdowns in two seasons. He's headed to Appalachian State this summer.
• Marty Lowe (Red Bank, Louisville) -- He set city passing records in leading the Lions and threw for more than 4,800 yards and 27 TDs at Louisville.
• Reese Phillips (Signal Mountain, Kentucky) -- A two-time all-state performer, he threw for more than 4,000 career yards and is battling for playing time already as a freshman at Kentucky.
• Terrell Robinson (South Pittsburg, UTC) -- A Mr. Football winner who won one state title and finished state runner-up once, he compiled more than 3,000 total yards as a senior and is the Pirates' career passing leader. He was the SoCon freshman of the year at UTC and is versatile enough that he now plays both quarterback and receiver for the Mocs.
• Freddy Rohrdanz (Brainerd, MTSU) -- A star at Brainerd, he later became a starter for Middle Tennessee State.
• Bobby Scott (Rossville, Tennessee, NFL) -- He played 10 years with the New Orleans Saints and finished his pro career in the USFL.
• Steve Sloan (Bradley Central, Alabama, NFL) -- He played on 1964 and '65 national championship teams for the Crimson Tide with Joe Namath and Ken Stabler.
• Chad Voytik (Cleveland, Pitt) -- A U.S. Army All-American, he was rated among the top 11 prep pocket-passers nationally as a senior. He threw for 358 yards in Pitt's spring game, leading to speculation he could become the Panthers' starter this fall.