Mighty Ted, long the stalwart of the Purple and White forward wall, Tatum was a known for his strength and blocking ability on offense while on defense he was anchor on the line plugging up the middle. He was named to the 1940 Little All-America and All-Dixie Conference First Team and capped off a fitting climax to his brilliant collegiate grid career. Tatum went on to serve in the United States Air Force and retired as a Colonel in 1954.