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Vols' Martin returns to practice
Posted: Wednesday December 29, 1999 05:18 PM
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin is recovering from a viral infection that struck him and several members of his family but says he'll be ready for his final collegiate game Sunday night against Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl. "I'm feeling good," Martin said before practice Wednesday. "I have a lot of my strength back, a lot of my enthusiasm back. I'm not down. My eyes are opening. My eyes were kind of closed and my throat was hurting a couple of days ago, but now I'm fine. I feel I can go out there and practice and do a lot more." Martin wasn't the only quarterback fighting off illness. Nebraska's Eric Crouch was slowed by what coach Frank Solich called flu-like symptoms on Tuesday. Martin began to get sick on Christmas Day when he was home with his family in Mobile, Ala. "I was in my mother's house talking to her in her bed and fell asleep right there laying across the bed," Martin said. "Later on that day I started getting sick, and the next day it was horrible." He said five members of his family eventually became ill. His mother was still in a Mobile hospital with the illness on Wednesday. "I'm the kid in the family who hardly ever gets sick," Martin said. "I've only had two colds my whole life. If I'm sick, I guess it shows there's really something going around." He flew from Mobile to Phoenix on Sunday. "I slept the whole flight here," he said. "I had a nice flight attendant who was from Nashville. It just goes to show you people from Tennessee take care of each other." Offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said he feels Martin's missed practice time won't have much of an effect on the team. "When I saw him Monday in the training room and saw how sick he was, it was a little bit of a concern," Sanders said. "But I knew Tee would have to be on his deathbed before he wouldn't play in this game. "If there was a player on our team who could miss a little practice time right now, it would probably be Tee. You've got to have your quarterback for continuity on your offense. But I'm not concerned with that. We've still got a few days to get that going." Martin, who said he lost three pounds while he was sick, stayed in bed and missed practice Monday, but worked out with the team for about 30 minutes on Tuesday. "I was 6-for-7 in passing. My running game was fine, and I made some great calls, some good throws," he said. "The guys were happy to see me back. I was happy to be back around my teammates. I don't think we skipped a beat. Actually, I think we picked it up a whole level once I got out there. I'm just ready to be back. I'm tired of being sick. I hate being sick." He planned to be careful the rest of the week. "I can't be stupid. I can't go out and practice a whole lot and lose a lot of fluid and be sick again," he said. "If I can last a whole practice, I will, but I'm not going to push the issue."
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