1970 Tennessee Volunteers football team

1970 Tennessee Volunteers football
Sugar Bowl champion
Sugar Bowl, W 34–13 vs. Air Force
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 4
Record	11–1 (4–1 SEC)
Head coach	Bill Battle (1st season)
Captain	Tim Priest
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
Seasons ←  1969 1971  →

1970 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 LSU $	5	–	0	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 4 Tennessee	4	–	1	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 10 Auburn	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 20 Ole Miss	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Florida	3	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Georgia	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Alabama	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	1
Mississippi State	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kentucky	0	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1970 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Bill Battle, in his first year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of eleven wins and one loss (11–1 overall, 4–1 in the SEC) and a victory over Air Force in the Sugar Bowl. The 1970 Tennessee defense holds the record for most takeaways in a single season with 57, not including the bowl game in which they recorded 8 more. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	SMU *		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		W 28–3	54,158	[2]
September 26	Auburn	No. 17	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (rivalry)		L 23–36	65,306	[3]
October 3	Army *		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		W 48–3	59,817	[4]
October 10	at No. 13 Georgia Tech *	No. 20	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)		W 17–6	59,624	[5]
October 17	Alabama	No. 14	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)		W 24–0	64,947	[6]
October 24	Florida	No. 11	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	ABC	W 38–7	64,069	[7]
October 31	Wake Forest *	No. 9	Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN		W 41–7	26,381	[8]
November 7	at South Carolina *	No. 8	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)		W 20–18	42,788	[9]
November 21	Kentucky	No. 8	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)		W 45–0	63,452	[10]
November 28	Vanderbilt	No. 7	Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)		W 24–6	33,850	[11]
December 5	UCLA *	No. 5	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		W 28–17	63,242	[12]
January 1	vs. No. 11 Air Force	No. 4	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	W 34–13	78,655	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1970 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 10 Bobby Scott Sr G 65 Phillip Fulmer Sr G 50 Chip Kell Sr WR 85 Lester McClain Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 13 David Allen So DL 86 Tom Bennett Jr S 44 Bobby Majors Jr LB 58 Ray Nettles Jr OLB 52 Jackie Walker Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 9 George Hunt Jr	Head coach Bill Battle Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Lester McClain	Wide receiver	9	220	Chicago Bears
Bobby Scott	Quarterback	14	340	New Orleans Saints
Chip Kell	Center	17	429	San Diego Chargers

^[14]

References

1. Kersey, Jason (June 18, 2019). "The art of the takeaway: There are specific traits to..." The Athletic. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
2. "SMU spilled by Vols". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 20, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Dr. Pat operates nicely as Vols go down, 36–23". The Anniston Star. September 27, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Tennessee pours it on, tramples Cadets, 48–3". The Record. October 4, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Vols bash Ga. Tech, 17–6". The Clarion-Ledger. October 11, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Tennessee hauls down 'Bama, 24–0". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. October 18, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Volunteers greet Dickey with smashing 38–7 loss". Tallahassee Democrat. October 25, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Tennessee rips Deacons, 41 to 7". The News and Observer. November 1, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Last-grasp Tennessee FG spoils S.C. upset bid". The Times and Democrat. November 8, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tennessee rips Kentucky 45–0". Battle Creek Enquirer. November 22, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Vols tumble Vandy 24–6". The Tennessean. November 29, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Vols' late rally nips UCLA 28–17". The Sacramento Bee. December 6, 1970. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Tennessee demolished Air Force defense". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. January 2, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1971 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2012.