1971 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Last updated

1971 Tennessee Volunteers football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 14–13 vs. Arkansas
Conference Southeastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 9
Record10–2 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach
Captain Jackie Walker
Home stadium Neyland Stadium
Seasons
  1970
1972  
1971 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Alabama $ 7 0 011 1 0
No. 7 Georgia 5 1 011 1 0
No. 12 Auburn 5 1 09 2 0
No. 15 Ole Miss 4 2 010 2 0
No. 9 Tennessee 4 2 010 2 0
No. 11 LSU 3 2 09 3 0
Vanderbilt 1 5 04 6 1
Florida 1 6 04 7 0
Kentucky 1 6 03 8 0
Mississippi State 1 7 02 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1971 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1971 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 second year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of ten wins and two losses (10–2 overall, 4–2 in the SEC) and a victory over Arkansas in the 1971 Liberty Bowl.

Contents

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 18 UC Santa Barbara *No. 8W 48–665,114 [1]
September 25No. 5 Auburn No. 9
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
ABC L 9–1062,990 [2]
October 2at Florida No. 12W 20–1361,112 [3]
October 9 Georgia Tech *No. 13
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 10–663,671 [4]
October 16at No. 4 Alabama No. 14L 15–3273,828 [5]
October 23vs. Mississippi State No. 18W 10–737,529 [6]
October 30 Tulsa *No. 16
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN
W 38–362,513 [7]
November 6 South Carolina *Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 11
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 35–663,507 [8]
November 20at Kentucky No. 11W 21–735,000 [9]
November 27 Vanderbilt No. 11
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 19–756,244 [10]
December 4No. 5 Penn State *No. 12
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN
ABCW 31–1159,542 [11]
December 20vs. No. 18 Arkansas *No. 9
ABCW 14–1351,410 [12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1971 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
OL 76Joe Balthrop
QB 21Dennis Chadwick
RB Steve Chancey
OL 64Bill Emendorfer
G 65 Phillip Fulmer Sr
OL 73Gaylon Hill
WR Chip Howard
OL Tom Johnson
TE 84Sonny Leach
WR Emmon Love
QB 16Jim Maxwell
QB Phil Pierce
FB Bill Rudder
RB George Silvey
RB Haskel Stanback
TE 20Gary Theiler
WR Joe Thompson
WR Stan Trott
RB Curt Watson
TE Jimmy Young
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DB 13David AllenJr
DL 86Tom BennettSr
DB Eddie Brown
CB Conrad Graham
DL Frank Howell
DL Carl Johnson
DE Ken Lambert
S 44 Bobby Majors Sr
LB 58 Ray Nettles Sr
LB Jamie Rotella
DE Claude Simonton
DB Tim Townes
DL John Wagster
OLB Jackie Walker  (C)Sr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 9 George Hunt Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • Injury icon 2.svg Injured
    • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

Season summary

At Florida

#12 Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators
Quarter1234Total
Tennessee 3107020
Florida 0130013

at Florida Field, Gainesville, Florida

  • Date: October 2, 1971
  • Game attendance: 61,112
  • New York Times, 1971 Oct 03.
Game information

Third-string quarterback Phil Pierce led Tennessee on a 99-yard drive in the third quarter, capped by a 20-yard touchdown pass to Stan Trott to take the lead for good. The Volunteers lost their first and second-string quarterbacks to knee injuries during the game.

Penn State

#5 Penn State Nittany Lions (10–0) at #12 Tennessee Volunteers (8–2)
Quarter1234Total
Penn St 030811
Tennessee 71401031

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee

Game information
First quarter
  • TENN – Conrad Graham 76-yard fumble return (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 7–0.

Second quarter

  • PSU – Alberto Vitello 27-yard field goal. Tennessee 7–3. Drive:
  • TENN – Bill Rudder 1-yard run (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 15 yards.
  • TENN – Bobby Majors 44-yard punt return (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 21–3.

Fourth quarter

  • TENN – George Hunt 21-yard field goal. Tennessee 24–3. Drive:
  • TENN – Jackie Walker 43-yard interception return (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 31–3.
  • PSU – Lydell Mitchell 14-yard pass from John Hufnagel (run good). Tennessee 31–11. Drive:

Before the game, Bobby Majors was honored alongside his brothers, Iowa State head coach Johnny and the late Billy, for the family's overall contribution to the school's football program. Majors finished his final home game with 195 return yards on kicks and punts. With the win, the Volunteers accepted a bid to play in the Liberty Bowl against Arkansas. [13]

Team players drafted into the NFL

PlayerPositionRoundPickNFL club
Bobby Majors Defensive back376 Philadelphia Eagles
George HuntKicker5122 Cleveland Browns
Jackie Walker Linebacker6148 San Francisco 49ers
Curt WatsonRunning back6150 New Orleans Saints
Ray Nettles Linebacker6155 Miami Dolphins
Gary TheilerTight end12308 Baltimore Colts
Joe BalthropGuard16397 New Orleans Saints

[14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Dickey</span> American football player and coach

Douglas Adair Dickey is an American former college football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Dickey is a South Dakota native who was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida, where he played college football. He is best known as the head coach of the University of Tennessee and the University of Florida football teams, and afterward, as the athletic director of the University of Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team</span> American college football season

The 1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Tennessee entered the 1998 season coming off an 11–2 record in 1997. The Volunteers were given a preseason ranking of No. 10 in the AP Poll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Robinson (American football)</span> American football player (born 1964)

Kevin Altona"Tony"Robinson is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Super Bowl-winning Washington Redskins as a replacement member of their team during the 1987 players' strike. Along with other Redskins replacement players from that year, he was eventually awarded a Super Bowl ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida–Tennessee football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Florida–Tennessee football rivalry, also called the Third Saturday in September, is an American college football rivalry between the Florida Gators football team of the University of Florida and Tennessee Volunteers football team of the University of Tennessee, who first met on the football field in 1916. The Gators and Vols have competed in the same athletic conference since Florida joined the now-defunct Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1910, and the schools were founding members of the Southeastern Conference in 1932. Despite this long conference association, a true rivalry did not develop until the early 1990s due to the infrequency of earlier meetings; in the first seventy-six years (1916–91) of the series, the two teams met just twenty-one times. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) expanded to twelve universities and split into two divisions in 1992. Florida and Tennessee were placed in the SEC's East Division and have met on a home-and-home basis every season since. Their rivalry quickly blossomed in intensity and importance in the 1990s and early 2000s as both programs regularly fielded national championship contending teams under coaches Phil Fulmer of Tennessee and Steve Spurrier at Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950 Florida Gators football team</span> American college football season

The 1950 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1950 college football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's first of ten as the new head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Woodruff was a former college football player and assistant for coach Robert Neyland's Tennessee Volunteers, who made his name as an up-and-coming young head coach leading the Baylor Bears for three seasons in the late 1940s. Like Neyland, Woodruff emphasized stout defense, the kicking game and a ball control offense. In Woodruff's first season of 1950, the Gators offense, led by quarterback Haywood Sullivan and offensive coordinator Frank Broyles, posted record numbers. Sullivan was the first sophomore in SEC history to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He set nine school records. The highlights of the season included two Southeastern Conference (SEC) victories over the Auburn Tigers (27–7) and the No. 13-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores (31–27)—the first season since 1940 in which the Gators won two or more SEC games. The Gators' No. 20 ranking after the Vanderbilt game marked their first-ever appearance in the top twenty of the weekly Associated Press Poll. Woodruff's 1950 Florida Gators finished 5–5 overall and 2–4 in the SEC, placing tenth among twelve conference teams.

The 1990 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. The season marked the return of the Gators' Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier to his alma mater as the new head coach of the Florida Gators football team.

The 1969 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Doug Dickey, in his sixth year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of nine wins and two losses and a loss against Florida in the Gator Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 Tennessee Volunteers football team</span> American college football season

The 1985 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Johnny Majors, in his ninth year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of nine wins, one loss and two ties, as SEC champions and with a victory over Miami in the 1986 Sugar Bowl. The Volunteers offense scored 325 points while the defense allowed 140 points. At season's end, the Volunteers ranked fourth in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll.

The 1932 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1932 Southern Conference football season. Playing as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon), the team was led by head coach Robert Neyland, in his seventh year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The 1973 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Bill Battle, in his fourth year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of eight wins and four losses and a loss to Texas Tech in the 1973 Gator Bowl.

The 1970 Tennessee Volunteers football team 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 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.

The 1961 Tennessee Volunteers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1961 college football season. In their seventh year under head coach Bowden Wyatt, the team compiled a 6–4 record. tied for fourth place in the SEC, and outscored opponents by a total of 221 to 149.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Georgia Bulldogs football team of the University of Georgia and Tennessee Volunteers football team of the University of Tennessee. The series is led by Georgia 29–23–2. Both teams are founding members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Georgia and Tennessee are the second (867) and third (855) winningest football programs in SEC history, behind only Alabama. The rivalry has never been contested anyplace besides Knoxville, Tennessee or Athens, Georgia, and alternates between the two respective campuses. Games in odd-numbered years are played in Knoxville, and even-numbered years in Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Tennessee Volunteers football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2015 season. This was the 119th overall season, 82nd as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and its 24th within the SEC Eastern Division. The team was coached by Butch Jones, in his third season with UT, and plays their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. This season was also the debut season of Mike DeBord as UT's offensive coordinator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn–Tennessee football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Auburn–Tennessee football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Auburn Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers. The game was traditionally played prior to the 1992 football season, when the Southeastern Conference split into its Eastern and Western divisions. Auburn leads the series 29–22–3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Tech–Tennessee football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Georgia Tech–Tennessee football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Tennessee Volunteers. The series dates back to 1902 and features two of the most prominent programs in college football history, with Georgia Tech claiming four national championships, 15 conference titles, and 21 consensus All-Americans, and Tennessee claiming six national championships, 16 conference titles, and 38 consensus All-Americans. Tennessee leads the series 25–17–2. The series ended in 1987, but it was renewed in the September 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Tennessee Volunteers football</span>

The Tennessee Volunteers football team represents the University of Tennessee in American football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by fifth-year head coach Butch Jones until his firing on November 12. Brady Hoke was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Tennessee Volunteers football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers were led by third-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt.

Tennessee Volunteers football rivalries refers to the college football rivalries for the University of Tennessee in the sport of college football. As one of college football's winningest teams, and a founding member of the SEC in 1933, Tennessee has developed several long and historic rivalries.

References

  1. "Tennessee wallops Gauchos". The San Francisco Examiner. Associated Press. September 19, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Sullivan finally whips Auburn past Vols 10–9". The Selma Times-Journal. September 26, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Tennessee sidesteps Florida's bid for an upset, 20–13". The Palm Beach Post. October 3, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Vols nip 'Jackets". Pensacola News Journal. October 10, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Alabama dashes by Vols". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 17, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Vols win 10 to 7". The Tennessean. October 24, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Maxwell rouses Vol offense to 38–3 victory over Tulsa". The Paducah Sun. October 31, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Tennessee bowls over South Carolina, 35–6". The Times and Democrat. November 7, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Vols edge Kentucky". The Miami Herald. November 21, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Tennessee erupts for 19 in fourth to end Vanderbilt's upset attempt". The Spokesman-Review. November 28, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Tennessee ends Penn St. streak, 31–11". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 5, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Vols take Liberty". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 21, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Vols Win, 31–11." New York Times. 1971 Dec 05.
  14. "1972 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2012.