1939 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Last updated

Tn vols went undefeated in 1998.



1939 Tennessee Volunteers football
SEC co-champion
Rose Bowl, L 14–0 vs. USC
Conference Southeastern Conference
Ranking
APNo. 2
Record10–1 (6–0 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive scheme Single-wing
Base defenseMultiple
Home stadium Shields–Watkins Field
Seasons
  1938
1940  
1939 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 2 Tennessee + 6 0 010 1 0
No. 16 Georgia Tech + 6 0 08 2 0
No. 5 Tulane + 5 0 08 1 1
Mississippi State 3 2 08 2 0
Ole Miss 2 2 07 2 0
Kentucky 2 2 16 2 1
Auburn 3 3 15 5 1
Alabama 2 3 15 3 1
Georgia 1 3 05 6 0
LSU 1 5 04 5 0
Vanderbilt 1 6 02 7 1
Florida 0 3 15 5 1
Sewanee 0 3 03 5 0
  • + Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1939 Tennessee Volunteers represented the University of Tennessee in the 1939 college football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Robert Neyland, in his 13th year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of ten wins and one loss (10–1 overall, 6–0 in the SEC), as SEC Champions and with a loss against USC in the 1940 Rose Bowl.

Tennessee entered the season as defending national champions and coach Neyland led the team to their second of three consecutive undefeated regular seasons. The 1939 Vols were also the last team in NCAA history to go undefeated, untied, and unscored upon in the regular season. [1] Tennessee had two All-American performers that year: George Cafego, a single-wing halfback, and Ed Molinski, a guard.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 29at NC State *W 13–012,000 [2]
October 7 Sewanee W 40–018,000 [3]
October 14at Chattanooga *W 28–06,987 [4]
October 21No. 8 Alabama Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 5
W 21–040,000 [5]
October 28 Mercer *No. 1
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 17–06,000 [6]
November 4at No. 18 LSU No. 1W 20–042,000 [7]
November 11 The Citadel *No. 1
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 34–08,000 [8]
November 18 Vanderbilt No. 1
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 13–025,000 [9]
November 30at Kentucky No. 4W 19–019,000 [10]
December 9 Auburn No. 2
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 7–025,000 [11]
January 1, 1940vs. No. 3 USC No. 2L 0–1492,200 [12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

  1. Scott, Richard (2008). SEC Football: 75 Years of Pride and Passion. New York City: MVP Books. p. 50. ISBN   9780760332481 . Retrieved March 12, 2012.
  2. "Tennessee gets scores early in 13–0 victory over Wolfpack". The News and Observer. September 30, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Mighty Vols massacre Sewanee Tigers, 40–0". The Knoxville Journal. October 8, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Chattanooga holds mighty Tennessee to 28–0 before crowd of 6,987". The Chattanooga Times. October 15, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Mighty Vols batter Alabama Tide, 21–0". Johnson City Press. October 22, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Mercer holds Tennessee, 17–0". The Atlanta Constitution. October 29, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Tennessee smashes Louisiana State, 20–0". Monroe Morning World. November 5, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Cafego injured as Tennessee crushes The Citadel". Florence Morning News. November 12, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Vols win, 13–0, but Morrison's team 'is best'". The Nashville Tennessean. November 19, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Rose Bowl bound Volunteers conquer U. of K. Wildcats 19 to 0". The Lexington Herald. December 1, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Vols shade Auburn, 7–0, receive Rose Bowl bid". The Montgomery Advertiser. December 10, 1939. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "U.S.C. wins 14–0 over Tennessee". The Los Angeles Times. January 2, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 via Newspapers.com.