1956 Tennessee Volunteers football team

1956 Tennessee Volunteers football
National champion (SR) SEC champion
Sugar Bowl, L 7–13 vs. Baylor
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 2
Record	10–1 (6–0 SEC)
Head coach	Bowden Wyatt (2nd season)
Home stadium	Shields–Watkins Field
Seasons ←  1955 1957  →

1956 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Tennessee $	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
No. 4 Georgia Tech	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Florida	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	1
Ole Miss	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Auburn	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Kentucky	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Tulane	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Vanderbilt	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Alabama	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	1
Mississippi State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
LSU	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Georgia	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	6	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1956 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously Tennessee, UT, or the Vols) represented the University of Tennessee in the 1956 college football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Bowden Wyatt, in his second 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 Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. The Volunteers offense scored 275 points while the defense allowed 88 points.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 29	at Auburn		Legion Field Birmingham, AL (rivalry)		W 35–7	44,000	[1]
October 6	at Duke *	No. 9	Duke Stadium Durham, NC		W 33–20	22,000	[2]
October 13	Chattanooga *	No. 6	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN		W 42–20	20,000	[3]
October 20	Alabama	No. 7	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)		W 24–0	27,500	[4]
October 27	Maryland *	No. 4	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN		W 34–7	33,500	[5]
November 1	North Carolina *	No. 3	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN		W 20–0	27,000	[6]
November 10	at No. 2 Georgia Tech	No. 3	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)		W 6–0	40,000	[7]
November 17	No. 19 Ole Miss	No. 1	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (rivalry)		W 27–7		[8]
November 24	Kentucky	No. 2	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (rivalry)		W 20–7	45,000	[9]
December 1	at Vanderbilt	No. 2	Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)		W 27–7	28,000	[10]
January 1	vs. No. 13 Baylor	No. 2	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	L 7–13	81,000	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

• HB #45 Johnny Majors, Sr.

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
John Gordy	Tackle	2	24	Detroit Lions
Frank Kolinsky	Tackle	28	329	Pittsburgh Steelers

^[12]

References

1. "Majors stars as Vols whip Auburn 35–7". The Park City Daily News. September 30, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Tennessee routs Duke, 33–20". The News and Observer. October 7, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Stubborn Mocs laced by Vols". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 14, 1956. Retrieved September 10, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Tennessee smacks 'Bama 24–0". Kingsport Times-News. October 21, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Volunteers rap Maryland, 34–7". Richmond Times Dispatch. October 28, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
6. "UT Vols hammer Tar Heels, 20–0". Elizabethton Star. November 4, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Tennessee trips Tech, seeks No. 1". Fort Lauderdale News. November 11, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Vols rally to beat Rebs, 27–7". The Knoxville Journal. November 18, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Majors pilots Vols over Kentucky, 20 to 7". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. November 25, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Majors is star in 27 to 7 romp". The Huntsville Times. December 2, 1956. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Team effort earns Bears bowl victory over Vols". Corpus Christi Times. January 2, 1957. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
12. "1957 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2012.