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Tennessee Volunteers football | |||
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First season | 1891 | ||
Athletic director | Danny White | ||
Head coach | Josh Heupel 4th season, 27–12 (.692) | ||
Stadium | Neyland Stadium (capacity: 101,915) | ||
Field surface | Tifway 419 Bermuda Hybrid | ||
Location | Knoxville, Tennessee | ||
Conference | Southeastern Conference | ||
Division | SEC East | ||
Past conferences | SIAA (1896–1920) SoCon (1921–1932) | ||
All-time record | 865–414–53 (.669) | ||
Bowl record | 30–25 (.545) | ||
Claimed national titles | 6 (1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967, 1998) | ||
Unclaimed national titles | 6 (1914, 1931, 1939, 1956, 1985, 1989) | ||
National finalist | 2 (1997, 1998) | ||
Conference titles | 16 (13 SEC, 2 SoCon, 1 SIAA) | ||
Division titles | 6 (1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007) | ||
Rivalries | Alabama (rivalry) Auburn (rivalry) Florida (rivalry) Georgia (rivalry) Georgia Tech (rivalry) Kentucky (rivalry) South Carolina (rivalry) Vanderbilt (rivalry) | ||
Consensus All-Americans | 41 [1] | ||
Current uniform | |||
Colors | Orange and white [2] | ||
Fight song | Down the Field (Official) Rocky Top (Unofficial) Dixieland Delight (Unofficial) | ||
Mascot | Smokey XI | ||
Marching band | Pride of the Southland Band | ||
Outfitter | Nike | ||
Website | utsports.com |
The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Tennessee," "Volunteers," "Vols," "UT," and "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT).
The Vols have played football for 130 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 865–414–53 ranks them eleventh on the list of all-time win–loss percentage records .672 and by-victories list for college football programs as well as second on the all-time win/loss list of SEC programs 405-273-33 .593. [3] [4] Their all-time ranking in bowl appearances is fifth (54) and eighth in all-time bowl victories (29), most notably four Sugar Bowls, three Cotton Bowls, two Orange Bowls, a Fiesta Bowl, and a Peach Bowl. They have won 16 conference championships and claim six national titles, including two (1951, 1998) from major wire-service: AP Poll and Coaches' Poll in their history.
The Vols play at Neyland Stadium on the university's campus in Knoxville, where Tennessee has won 485 games, the highest home-field total in college football history for any school in the nation at its current home venue. Additionally, its 101,915 seat capacity makes Neyland the nation's sixth largest and third largest in the Southeastern Conference.
This section should include a summary of, or be summarized in, another article.(April 2018) |
The Vols' main rivalries include the Alabama Crimson Tide (Third Saturday in October) and Vanderbilt Commodores. Tennessee's longest and most played rivalry is with the Kentucky Wildcats. Since the formation of the SEC Eastern Division in 1992, the Vols have had emerging rivalries with the Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, and the South Carolina Gamecocks. None of their games have trophies, although Kentucky–Tennessee used to battle over a trophy called the Beer Barrel from 1925 until 1999. The Volunteers used to have important rivalries with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Auburn Tigers, and Ole Miss Rebels until Georgia Tech left the SEC and realignment forced them to drop Auburn and Ole Miss from the schedule annually.
Tennessee has been selected as national championships six times from NCAA-designated major selectors, including twice (2) from major wire-services: AP Poll and Coaches Poll. [5] [6] : 112–115 Tennessee claims all six national championships. [7] [8]
The Associated Press (AP) has selected Tennessee as national champions twice, in 1951 and 1998. The No. 1 Vols lost in the Sugar Bowl following the 1951 season after being named AP and UPI national champions due to the polls being conducted before the bowl season prior to 1965 and 1974 respectively. The 1938 and 1950 championships, while not AP titles, were recognized by a majority and a plurality of overall selectors/polls, respectively. [9] [10]
Year | Coach | Selectors | Record | Bowl | Opponent | Result | Final AP | Final Coaches |
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1938 | Robert Neyland | Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, Dunkel, College Football Researchers Association, Houlgate, Litkenhous, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess) | 11–0 | Orange | Oklahoma | W 17–0 | No. 2 | – |
1940 | Dunkel | 10–1 | Sugar | Boston College | L 13–19 | No. 4 | – | |
1950 | Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, National Championship Foundation, Sagarin (ELO-Chess) | 11–1 | Cotton | Texas | W 20–14 | No. 4 | No. 3 | |
1951 | Associated Press, Litkenhous, United Press International (coaches), Williamson | 10–1 | Sugar | Maryland | L 13–28 | No. 1 | No. 1 | |
1967 | Doug Dickey | Litkenhous | 9–2 | Orange | Oklahoma | L 24–26 | No. 2 | No. 2 |
1998 | Phillip Fulmer | Associated Press, BCS, FW, National Football Foundation, USA Today | 13–0 | Fiesta (BCS National Championship Game) | Florida State | W 23–16 | No. 1 | No. 1 |
Tennessee has also been awarded national championships by various notable organizations in six additional years of 1914, 1931, 1939, 1956, 1985, and 1989, though the school claims none. [11]
Tennessee has won a total of 16 conference championships through the 2021 season, including 13 SEC championships. [12] : 273–275
Year | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
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1914 | SIAA | Zora G. Clevenger | 9–0 | 5–0 |
1927† | SoCon | Robert Neyland | 8–0–1 | 5–0–1 |
1932† | 9–0–1 | 7–0–1 | ||
1938 | SEC | 11–0 | 7–0 | |
1939 | 10–1 | 6–0 | ||
1940 | 10–1 | 6–0 | ||
1946† | 9–2 | 5–0 | ||
1951† | 10–1 | 5–0 | ||
1956 | Bowden Wyatt | 10–1 | 6–0 | |
1967 | Doug Dickey | 9–2 | 6–0 | |
1969 | 9–2 | 5-1 | ||
1985 | Johnny Majors | 9–1–2 | 5–1 | |
1989† | 11–1 | 6–1 | ||
1990 | 9–2–2 | 5–1–1 | ||
1997 | Phillip Fulmer | 11–2 | 7–1 | |
1998 | 13–0 | 8–0 |
As winners of the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division, Tennessee has made five appearances in the SEC Championship Game, with the most recent coming in 2007. The Vols are 2–3 in those games.
Year | Division Championship | Opponent | Result |
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1997 | SEC East | Auburn | W 30–29 |
1998 | Mississippi State | W 24–14 | |
2001 | LSU | L 20–31 | |
2003† | N/A lost tiebreaker to Georgia | ||
2004 | Auburn | L 28–38 | |
2007† | LSU | L 14–21 |
† Co-champions
Tennessee has had 24 head coaches since it began play during the 1891 season. Robert Neyland is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 173 victories in 21 seasons (spread out over three stints). John Barnhill has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .846. James DePree has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .306. Of the 23 different head coaches who have led the Volunteers, Neyland, Wyatt, Dickey, Majors, and Fulmer have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
This is a list of Tennessee's ten most recent bowl games. Tennessee holds an all-time bowl game record of 30–25 through the 2023 season. [13]
Season | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
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2004 | Phillip Fulmer | Cotton Bowl Classic | Texas A&M | W 38–7 |
2006 | Phillip Fulmer | Outback Bowl | Penn State | L 10–20 |
2007 | Phillip Fulmer | Outback Bowl | Wisconsin | W 21–17 |
2009 | Lane Kiffin | Chick-fil-A Bowl | Virginia Tech | L 14–37 |
2010 | Derek Dooley | Music City Bowl | North Carolina | L 27–30 2OT |
2014 | Butch Jones | TaxSlayer Bowl | Iowa | W 45–28 |
2015 | Butch Jones | Outback Bowl | Northwestern | W 45–6 |
2016 | Butch Jones | Music City Bowl | Nebraska | W 38–24 |
2019 | Jeremy Pruitt | Gator Bowl | Indiana | W 23–22 |
2021 | Josh Heupel | Music City Bowl | Purdue | L 45–48 OT |
2022 | Josh Heupel | Orange Bowl | Clemson | W 31–14 |
2023 | Josh Heupel | Citrus Bowl | Iowa | W 35–0 |
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2014) |
In 2009, the Volunteers wore black jerseys with orange pants on Halloween night against the South Carolina Gamecocks. [14] The Volunteers had originally worn black uniforms from 1911 to 1920.
On October 5, 2013, the team debuted its "Smokey Gray" uniforms in an overtime loss to the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium. [15]
The orange and white colors worn by the football team were selected by Charles Moore, a member of the very first Tennessee football team in 1891. They were from the American Daisy which grew on The Hill, the home of most of the classrooms at the university at the time (now housing most of the chemistry and physics programs et al.). Tennessee football players did not wear the color until 1922 however. [16]
The orange color is distinct to the school, dubbed "UT Orange", and has been offered by The Home Depot for sale as a paint, licensed by the university. Home games at Neyland Stadium have been described as a "sea of Orange" due to the large number of fans wearing the school color; the moniker Big Orange, as in "Go Big Orange!", derives from the usage of UT Orange.
The color is spot color PMS 151 as described by the university. [17]
In addition to the famous orange and white, UT also has had the little-known Smokey Gray color since the 1930s and debuted the color in the October 5, 2013, rivalry game against Georgia in an alternate jersey. [18]
Tennessee first sported their famous orange and white checkerboard end zone design in 1964 under coach Dickey and remained until artificial turf was installed at Neyland Stadium in 1968. They brought the design back in 1989. The idea was inspired by the checkerboard design around the top of the clock tower at the historic Ayres Hall.
The checkerboard was bordered in orange from 1989 until natural grass replaced the artificial turf in 1994. The return of natural grass brought with it the return of the green (or grass colored) border that exists today. [19]
Rocky Top is not the official Tennessee fight song (Down the Field is the official fight song), as is widely believed, but is the most popular in use by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band. The Band began playing the fight song during the 1970s after it became popular as a Bluegrass tune by the Osborne Brothers. The fight song is widely recognized as one of the most hated by opponents in collegiate sports. [20] The song became one of Tennessee's state songs in 1982.
Smokey is the mascot of the University of Tennessee sports teams, both men's and women's. A Bluetick Coonhound mascot, Smokey X, leads the Vols on the field for football games. On game weekends, Smokey is cared for by the members of Alpha Gamma Rho's Alpha Kappa chapter. There is also a costumed mascot, which has won several mascot championships, at every Vols game. [21]
Smokey was selected as the mascot for Tennessee after a student poll in 1953. A contest was held by the Pep Club that year; their desire was to select a coon hound that was native to Tennessee. At halftime of the Mississippi State game that season, several hounds were introduced for voting, all lined up on the old cheerleaders' ramp at Neyland, with each dog being introduced over the loudspeaker and the student body cheering for their favorite. The late Rev. Bill Brooks' "Blue Smokey" was the last hound announced and howled loudly when introduced. The students cheered and Smokey threw his head back and barked again. This kept going until the stadium was roaring and UT had found its mascot, Smokey. The current Smokey is Smokey X, after Smokey IX was retired at the conclusion of the 2012 season. The most successful dog has been Smokey VIII who saw a record of 91–22, two SEC titles, and the 1998 National Championship. [22]
Head coach Johnny Majors came up with the idea for the Vol Walk after a 1988 game at Auburn when he saw the historic Tiger Walk take place. The walk became an official part of gameday in a Tennessee-Alabama match on October 20, 1990. Prior to each home game, the Vols will file out of the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex, down past the Tennessee Volunteers Wall of Fame, and make their way down Peyton Manning Pass and onto Phillip Fulmer Way. Thousands of fans line the street to shake the players' hands as they walk into Neyland Stadium. Through rain, snow, sleet, or sunshine, the Vol faithful are always out in full force to root on the Vols as they prepare for the game. The fans are always pumped up with Rocky Top played by The Pride of the Southland Band. [23]
The "T" appears in two special places in Vol history and tradition. The "T" first appeared in 1964 when coach Doug Dickey added the familiar block letter T onto the side of the helmets; a rounded T came in 1968. Johnny Majors modified the famous orange helmet stripe to a thicker stripe in 1977. [24]
The Vols also run through the T. This T is formed by the Pride of the Southland marching band with its base at the entrance to the Tennessee locker room in the north end zone with team personnel holding the state flag and the UT flag, Smokey running in on the field, and the entire UT team storming in to loud cheers and applause from the 100,000-plus Vols fans in Neyland. When Coach Dickey brought this unique and now-famous tradition to UT in 1965, the Vols' locker room was underneath the East stands. The Vols would run through the T and simply turn back to return to their sideline. However, beginning in 1983, the team would make the famous left turn inside the T and run toward their former bench on the east sideline when the locker room was moved from the east sideline to the north end zone. It was announced on January 24, 2010, that the Vols would switch their sideline from the east sideline to the west sideline for all home games from then on. This resulted in the Vols making a right out of the T instead of a left. This change took effect with Tennessee's first home game of the 2010 season against UT-Martin.
The Volunteers (or Vols as it is commonly shortened to) derive that nickname from the State of Tennessee's nickname. Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State", a nickname it earned during the War of 1812, in which volunteer soldiers from Tennessee played a prominent role, especially during the Battle of New Orleans. [25]
Around 200 or more boats normally dock outside Neyland Stadium on the Tennessee River before games. The fleet was started by former Tennessee broadcaster George Mooney who docked his boat there first in 1962, as he wanted to avoid traffic around the stadium. What started as one man tying his runabout to a nearby tree and climbing through a wooded area to the stadium has grown into one of college football's unique traditions. Many fans arrive several days in advance to socialize, and the Vols have built a large walkway so fans can safely walk to and from the shoreline. UT, the University of Pittsburgh, Baylor University, and the University of Washington are the only schools with football stadiums built next to major bodies of water. [26]
As of the end of the 2023 regular season, Tennessee is ranked eleventh all-time won-lost records by percentage and tenth by victories. The all-time record is 864–414–53 (.669). [27] At Neyland Stadium, the Vols have a record of 478–141–17 (.765). [28]
The UT football season records are taken from the official record books of the University Athletic Association. They have won 13 conference championships and six national titles in their history and their last national championship was in the 1998 college football season. [29]
The Vols play at Neyland Stadium, where Tennessee has an all-time winning record of 478 games, the highest home-field total in college football history for any school in the nation at its current home venue. The stadium surrounds Shields–Watkins Field, the official name of the playing surface.
Tennessee boasts the most college football hall of famers in the SEC, seventh most in major college football, and the ninth most of all college football programs, with 24.
Tennessee has retired eight jersey numbers: [52] [53]
No. | Player | Pos | Career | No. ret. | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 | Peyton Manning | QB | 1994–1997 | 2005 | [54] [55] |
32 | Billy Nowling [n1 1] | FB | 1940–1942 | 1946 | [54] |
45 | Johnny Majors | HB | 1954–1956 | 2012 | [56] |
49 | Rudy Klarer [n1 1] | G | 1941–1942 | 1946 | [54] |
61 | Willis Tucker [n1 1] | FB | 1939–1940 | 1946 | [54] |
62 | Clyde Fuson [n1 1] | FB | 1942 | 1946 | [54] |
91 | Doug Atkins | DE | 1950–1952 | 2005 | [54] [55] |
92 | Reggie White | DE | 1980–1983 | 2005 | [54] [58] |
From 1992 to 2023, Tennessee played in the East Division of the SEC and played each opponent in the division each year along with several teams from the West Division. The SEC will expand the conference to 16 teams and will eliminate its two divisions in 2024, causing a new scheduling format for the Volunteers to play against the other members of the conference. [159] Only the 2024 conference schedule was announced on June 14, 2023, while the conference still considers a new format for the future. [160]
Opponent | Site | Result |
---|---|---|
Alabama | ||
at Arkansas | ||
Florida |
| |
at Georgia | ||
Kentucky |
| |
Mississippi State |
| |
at Oklahoma | ||
at Vanderbilt |
Announced schedules as of June 22, 2023. [161]
2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
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vs. NC State (Charlotte) | vs. Syracuse (Atlanta) | Furman | Nebraska | vs. West Virginia (Charlotte) | at Washington | Washington |
Chattanooga | UAB | at Nebraska | ||||
Kent State | Western Michigan | |||||
UTEP |
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In January 2021, Danny White was introduced as the Volunteers' Director of Athletics.
Douglas Leon Atkins was an American football defensive end who played for the Cleveland Browns, the Chicago Bears, and the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers under head coach Robert Neyland. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Atkins was also drafted to the NBA in the 17th round by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1953 NBA draft.
Dewey Warren is a former American football quarterback for the University of Tennessee football team and the American Football League (AFL)'s Cincinnati Bengals. Warren was nicknamed "the Swamp Rat" due to his early years growing up near the marshlands of the Vernon River in Georgia.
Timothy Dwayne Hatchett McGee is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins from 1986 to 1994. Before his NFL career, he played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he set school career records for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions, and was named an All American his senior year.
Carl August Zander, Jr is a former American football linebacker who played for the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) from 1985 to 1991. Selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft, he was a member of the Bengals' starting lineup in Super Bowl XXIII. He played college football at Tennessee, where he was a captain of the Vols' 1984 squad.
Smokey is the mascot of the University of Tennessee sports teams. These teams, named "The Volunteers" and nicknamed "the Vols", use both a live and a costumed version of Smokey.
The 2007 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They won the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference before falling to the eventual national champion LSU Tigers in the SEC Championship Game. The Vols capped off the season by defeating the Wisconsin Badgers in the Outback Bowl to finish with a record of 10–4.
Paul Peter Naumoff was an American football player. He played college football at the University of Tennessee from 1964 to 1966 and was selected as a consensus first-team All-American at the linebacker position in 1966. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) as a linebacker for the Detroit Lions from 1967 to 1978. He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl after the 1970 season and was named the Lions' defensive most valuable player in 1975. He once played in 142 consecutive games for the Lions and missed only two games in 12 years with the club.
Albert Daniel Rechichar(Pronounced: "Rech-i-SHAR") was an American football defensive back, halfback, and kicker who captained the Tennessee Volunteers during their 1951 National Championship season. His performance over his last two seasons led Volunteers head coach Bob Neyland to proclaim Rechichar "probably the best all-around player in Tennessee football history."
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.
Todd Eric Kelly is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker/defensive end for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round of the 1993 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he was a captain of the 1992 team, and received All-SEC and All-American AP honors.
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.
Michael Lynn Cofer was an American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1988.
The 2010 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Derek Dooley who was in his first season as the 22nd coach in UT football history. The Vols played their home games at Neyland Stadium and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. The Vols played seven home games this season. Derek Dooley won his coaching debut with the Vols 50–0 versus Tennessee-Martin on September 4, 2010, in front of 99,123 at Neyland Stadium.
The 2005 Tennessee Volunteers represented the University of Tennessee in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Eastern Division, the team was led by head coach Phillip Fulmer, in his thirteenth full year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses, and failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time during Fulmer's tenure as head coach and the first time overall since 1988.
Marvin Dale Jones is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for Appalachian State. He served in various capacities for Appalachian State (1996–2022), including three years as defensive coordinator (2010–2012). Jones previously worked as a defensive coordinator for Georgia Military College (1992–1996) and the Parma Panthers (1990) of the Italian Football League (IFL).
The 2014 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was the 118th overall season, 81st as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and its 23rd within the SEC Eastern Division. The team was coached by Butch Jones in his second season with Tennessee, and played its home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
Larry Seivers is a former American football wide receiver who played college football at the University of Tennessee. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) in the fourth round of the 1977 NFL Draft. He was a consensus All-American in 1975 and 1976.
The Tennessee Volunteers football team represents the University of Tennessee in American football.
Jalen Ahmad Reeves-Maybin is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Lions. He also currently serves as the President of the NFL Players Association.