Randall Cobb Always Surprising his Mother With All he Does

Her son was an all-Southeastern Conference player at Kentucky who went on to play 13 years in the National Football League but Tina Cobb continues to be surprised by what Randall Cobb accomplishes.

That includes his latest honor when he was one of the nominees for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Cobb was one of 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from the divisional ranks nominated.

“It is just hard to believe how he has excelled and when I think I can’t be any more proud and I think he cannot do more and then he does more,” said Tina Cobb.

Randall Cobb was never one who enjoyed talking about himself and he didn’t even tell his mother about his Hall of Fame nomination. Instead, Cobb’s father sent her an article about it but she thought it was for the Kentucky Hall of Fame.

“I was in tears when I found out what it really was. It’s such an honor, but it truly was a big surprise for me. I just never expected anything like that,” she said. “Any nomination that he gets for anything is an honor to me. I am just so proud of him for who he is and what he has done coming from a small town (Alcoa, Tenn.) and always being told he was too small and not tall enough to play.”

He set a career record for touchdowns (37) at UK and a SEC single-season record for all-purpose yardage (2,396 yards in 2010). He was a two-time first-team all-SEC pick and first-team all-American as a junior in 2010. During the 2010 season, Cobb was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player and was the only FBS player to rank first or second on a team in rushing, passing and receiving.

His freshman season in 2008 he started four games at receiver and the last four at quarterbacks. He beat Mississippi State in his first game as a college starting quarterback, something no other UK true freshman has done on the road in over 50 years. He wore uniform No. 12 in the Arkansas game as a tribute to receiver Dicky Lyons, who had suffered a season-ending injury the previous week. By the end of the season, was the only player in the nation who was the team’s starting quarterback and punt returner.

Cobb, 34, scored five game-winning fourth-quarter touchdowns in his career — at Georgia, at Auburn and at home against Arkansas, Louisville and South Carolina.

Cobb was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Kentucky Pro Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

“College was my favorite time watching him,” Tina Cobb said. “I thought it was more exciting than the NFL. He is a little burst of energy and that was so much fun to see at Kentucky.”

Cobb was part of four-consecutive state high school championships at Alcoa, including the last two with Cobb at quarterback — a position he thought he could play at Kentucky.

“I think they recruited him to be a receiver but told him they would give him a shot at quarterback and see how it would go. I think he shocked them because of what he did at quarterback,” Tina Cobb said. “I think Randall just thought of himself as a player. He also played defense (in high school) and was always on the field and trying to make sure he played. He just loved the game.”

Cobb ran track in high school and was third in the state meet in the 100-meter dash his senior year and was part of the 4×100 relay team that placed second his junior year. He played travel league baseball growing up and was an all-district basketball player his junior year before giving up the sport his senior year to concentrate on football.

“He just liked playing sports. I don’t know what made him that way but his boys are the same way. If you name a sport, they are in it,” Tina Cobb said.

Cobb’s sons are ages 6, 5 and 1 and Tina Cobb says they have played basketball, football, tennis, golf, lacrosse and even pickleball.

“Randall just always played ball because there was not a lot else to do in our town and he obviously wants his boys to enjoy sports, too,” she said.

Cobb continued to “enjoy” sports during his NFL career with four teams where he had over 7,600 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns, including a career-high 1,287 yards in 2014 when he was named to the Pro Bowl.

Cobb joined the SEC Network last summer and works with co-host Alyssa Lang. He recently did an exclusive interview with UK coach Mark Stoops.

“I have enjoyed that so much. What is so funny is that when he started that show I was just as proud of him as the first time I watched him play on TV,” Tina Cobb said. “Every time I see him on there it is like I am watching it for the first time. I get excited, I am recording the shows so I can watch it again.

“His degree was in broadcasting. That was what he wanted to do when he finished his football career. I like Alyssa. They have a good rapport and make the show exciting. You ever know what the next episode will be and I like being surprised.”