J. Miles Cary

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, left, is helped with his gown by University of Tennessee officials Fernandez West, center, and Dan Carlson before an informal graduation reception on Tuesday= at the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center. Witten, who last played for the Vols in 2002, re-entered the school through the Renewing Academic Commitment program in 2005 and will complete his bachelor's degree in sports management later this month.

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To most, Jason Witten needs a college degree like the Dallas Cowboys need more fans.

The four-time Pro Bowl tight end already has more than the vast majority of the planet can hope for: an adoring public, a family with two young sons and a multi-million dollar contract.

Yet, Witten wasn't satisfied. The diploma many would have deemed frivolous was instead an absolute necessity.

"It's something I always wanted to do, even though it took me a little longer than I wanted," Witten said during an event Tuesday at UT's Thornton Center to honor his graduation.

Athletes often refer to a promise made to their family, especially their mothers, as the reason why they continued to pursue a degree.

Witten had another generation in mind, like 1,400 children at his football camp this weekend in Elizabethton, the young Tennessee football fans who rank him as one of their all-time favorite players or the kids in Dallas who don No. 82 jerseys every Sunday.

"That's probably the biggest thing of it all," Witten said, "to be a role model."

And so he is, now perhaps as much academically as athletically. Witten, who will begin his eighth year with the Cowboys this fall, admitted he thought about calling off the return trip to academia more than once, especially in the beginning.

That's when UT's coaches and support staff stepped in, led by academic counselor Dan Carlson.

"Dan helped me at first," Witten said. "I didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel."

But the motivation never completely disappeared.

"It always kind of ate at him just a little bit, not having that college degree," Carlson said. "It wasn't because he wasn't a good student. Jason had over a 3.0 GPA and was academic All-SEC every time (while) he was here."

Witten left UT in 2003, lacking about 25 hours to secure his undergraduate degree. Through correspondence and online classes, he completed his coursework despite some fierce battles with anthropology and world geography.

"I wasn't too good with the maps," Witten said with his customary grin.

So now, Witten isn't just a star football player, but a college graduate with a sports management major. Could that mean a career as a sports agent?

"We (players) can be kind of high maintenance at times," Witten said. "I don't know that I want to deal with all that."

Witten doesn't seem like a high-maintenance player. He is a highly productive professional just starting to be included among the elite group of tight ends in the NFL. Add Witten to a list that includes Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers and Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs, two of his personal favorites.

Not bad for a player who slipped into the third round and had many wondering if he should have returned to UT for his senior season.

"It's rewarding to overcome all that, to be in that group (of elite tight ends)," Witten said.

Witten had a career year in 2007. Earning his first All-Pro designation, Witten broke the Cowboys' single-season tight end record for receptions with 96, becoming only the third tight end in NFL history to catch that many passes. His 15 receptions against Detroit matched the single-season NFL tight end record, set by Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow.

Off the field, Witten was nominated for the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

Personal honors have been achieved. Now, Witten is looking for team success.

His Dallas Cowboys were one of the hottest teams in the league last season until they stumbled down the stretch and were bounced out of the playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, a team Dallas had defeated twice in the regular season.

"I think our team understands you have to have a little more momentum going into the playoffs," Witten said.

To keep that momentum - especially in the good times - will take something more than outside praise. It will take the same approach that Witten took to securing his degree.

"Ultimately," Witten said, "it has to be something driving within you."