Tennessee Volunteers football

Tennessee Volunteers football
2012 Tennessee Volunteers football team
First season	1891
Stadium	Neyland Stadium (capacity: 102,455 Largest crowd: 109,061 (Sept. 18, 2004 vs. UF))
Field surface	Grass
Location	Knoxville, Tennessee
Division	SEC Eastern Division (1992–present)
All-time record	799–354–53 (.684)
Bowl record	25–24–0 (.510)
Claimed national titles	6 1938, 1940, 1950, 1951,1967, 1998
Conference titles	16
Consensus All-Americans	38
Colors	Orange and White
Fight song	Down the Field (Official) Rocky Top (Unofficial)
Mascot	Smokey X
Marching band	Pride of the Southland Band
Rivals	Alabama Crimson Tide Florida Gators Georgia Bulldogs Kentucky Wildcats Vanderbilt Commodores
Website	UTSports.com

The Tennessee Volunteers football team, known locally as the Vaginas or the Thundercunts, represents the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) in the sport of American football. The Volunteers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Having played their first season in 1891, the Vols have amassed a successful tradition for well over a century, with their combined record of 799-356-52 ranking them ninth on the list of all-time winningest major college programs as well as second on the list of winningest SEC programs. Their all-time ranking in bowl appearances is third (49) and sixth in all-time bowl victories. They boast six national titles in their history and their last national championship was in the 1998 college football season.

The Vols play at historic Neyland Stadium, where Tennessee has an all-time winning record of 430 games, the second-highest home-field total in college football history for any school in the nation at its current home venue. Only Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium, which opened in 1913, eight years before the 1921 opening of Neyland, has hosted more victories (432) for its team. Additionally, its 102,455 seat capacity makes Neyland the nation's fourth largest stadium and largest below the Mason-Dixon Line.

On November 3, 2008, Head Coach Phillip Fulmer announced that he would be stepping down from his position at the end of the season after a winning total of 152 games at his alma mater, followed, four weeks later, by UT's November 30 announcement that Oakland Raiders former head coach Lane Kiffin had been selected as his replacement. Lane Kiffin then left the program on January 12, 2010 to become USC's head coach after less than 14 months on the job. On January 15, 2010, Derek Dooley was named as the Vols' 22nd all-time head coach. However, following a 32-41 record over 3 seasons, Dooley was fired as the head coach after a November 17, 2012 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores and was replaced with Butch Jones, formerly the head coach of the University of Cincinnati, in December 2012.

History

Early years

Tennessee's football program began in 1891, when they played their first game against American Temperance, in Harriman, Tennessee. The program's first win did not come until October 25, 1892, when they defeated Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, by a score of 25–0. Tennessee competed in their first 5 seasons without a coach. In 1899, J. A. Pierce became the first head coach of the team. The team had several coaches with short tenures until Zora G. Clevenger took over in 1911. In 1914, Clevenger led the Vols to a dominant 9-0 season and their first championship, winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association title. The Vols would again field an undefeated squad in 1916 under coach John R. Bender, but consistency was still elusive.

In 1921, Shields-Watkins Field, the core of modern Neyland Stadium, was built. The new home of the Vols was named after William S. Shields and his wife Alice Watkins Shields, the financial backers of the field. The field used bleachers that could seat 3,200, and had been used for baseball the prior year. The inaugural game at Shields-Watkins field was played on September 24, 1921, and resulted in a 27-0 Tennessee victory over Emory and Henry College.

In 1922, the team began to wear orange jerseys for the first time after previously wearing black jerseys.

Neyland comes to Tennessee

Robert Neyland took over as head coach in 1926. At the time, Neyland was a captain in the United States Army and an ROTC instructor at the school. Interestingly, in the 1929 season at least, his two assistant coaches (also ROTC instructors) out-ranked him. Former player Nathan Dougherty, who had then become dean of the school's engineering program and chairman of athletics, stated the priority: "Even the score with Vanderbilt," referring to the Nashville school which had been dominating football in the state.

Neyland lost to Vanderbilt in his first season, but either won or tied Vanderbilt in his next seven seasons. Neyland captured the school's first Southern Conference title in 1927, in only his second year on the job, and scored an upset victory over heavily favored Alabama in 1928. In 1929, Gene McEver became the football program's first ever All-American. He led the nation in scoring, and his 130 points still remains as the school record.

In the 1930s, Tennessee saw many more firsts. They played in the New York City Charity Game on December 5, 1931, the program's first ever bowl game. Led by Herman Hickman, they scored a 13–0 victory over New York University. Hickman's performance caught the eye of sportswriter Grantland Rice, who added Hickman to his All American team, and he would later play professionally for the Brooklyn Dodgers. After the 1932 season, Tennessee joined the newly-formed Southeastern Conference, setting the stage for years of new rivalries. Captain Neyland led the Vols to a 76–7–5 record from 1926 to 1934. After the 1934 season, Neyland was called into military service in Panama. Neyland's first stint with UT saw the Vols rattle off undefeated streaks of 33, 28 and 14 games, including five undefeated seasons (1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, and 1932).

Neyland returns

Tennessee struggled to a losing record during Neyland's time in Panama. He returned to find a rebuilding project in 1936. In 1936 and 1937, the Vols won six games each season. However, in 1938, Neyland's Vols began one of the more impressive streaks in NCAA football history. Led by the likes of Tennessee's only three time All-American Bob Suffridge, the 1938 Tennessee Volunteers football team won the school's first National Championship and earned a trip to the Orange Bowl, the team's first major bowl, where they pounded fellow unbeaten Oklahoma by a score of 17-0. They outscored their opponents 283–16.

The 1939 regular season was even more impressive. The 1939 team was the last NCAA team ever to hold their opponents scoreless for an entire regular season. Surprisingly, the Vols did not earn a national title that year despite being ranked #1 for most of the season, but did earn a trip to the famed Rose Bowl. The Vols were without the services of tailback George Cafego, who would finish fourth in the Heisman voting and be the top pick in the NFL draft, due to a knee injury. Cafego's backup was also injured. For a single-wing squad heavily dependent upon the tailback position, it proved to be too much for the Vols to overcome. In front of a crowd of over 90,000, Tennessee fell by a score of 14–0 to Southern California. That loss ended UT's streak of 17 straight shutout games and 71 consecutive shutout quarters, NCAA records to this day.

The 1940 Vols put together a third consecutive undefeated regular season (Neyland's eighth such season with the Vols). That team earned a national title from two minor polls, and received the school's first bid to the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to Boston College.

After the 1940 season, Neyland was again pressed into military service, this time for World War II. His successor, John Barnhill, did well in his absence, going 32-5-2 during the war years of 1941 to 1945. The Vols did not field a team in 1943 due to the war.

Neyland's final years

After World War II, Neyland retired from the military with the rank of brigadier general, and returned to Knoxville. From 1946 to 1952, Neyland's Vols had a record of 54–17–4. They won conference titles in 1946 and 1951, and national titles in 1950 and 1951. The 1950 season included what would prove to be the highest profile matchup between the South's two biggest coaching legends: General Neyland and Paul "Bear" Bryant, then at Kentucky. Both teams were ranked in the top ten. The Vols defeated Bryant, Kentucky star quarterback Babe Parilli, and the Wildcats, 7-0. Bryant would never win a game against Neyland.

The 1950 season culminated with a win against #2 Texas in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl Classic. The 1951 team featured Hank Lauricella, that season's Heisman Trophy runner up, and Doug Atkins, a future college football and Pro Football Hall of Fame performer. The Vols romped to a 10-0 regular season record (Neyland's ninth undefeated regular season) and the AP National Title.

Neyland retired due to poor health in 1952 after taking the Vols to a 8-2-1 record, and took the position of athletic director. His final game was the 1953 Cotton Bowl against Texas, where Tennessee was shut out 16-0. The Vols would see spotty success for some 40 years after that, but it would be the late 1980s and 1990s before the Tennessee program had similar winning percentages.

After Neyland

Harvey Robinson had the tough task of replacing General Neyland, and only stuck around for two seasons. Following the 1954 season, Neyland fired Robinson and replaced him with Bowden Wyatt, who had seen success at Wyoming and Arkansas. Neyland called the move "the hardest thing I've ever had to do." Wyatt, who had been a Hall of Fame player for Neyland, struggled at Tennessee. He won more than 6 games only twice, in 1956 and 1957.

Neyland Stadium, named for Robert Neyland.

The 1956 squad won an SEC Championship, going 10–1 and finishing the season ranked #2. That year, UT won one of the greatest games in team history, a 6-0 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlanta when both teams were ranked #2 and #3, respectively. It was voted the second best game in college football history by Sports Illustrated's 100th Anniversary of College Football issue (published in 1969). Tech was coached by former UT Hall of Fame quarterback, and revered Yellow Jacket coach, Bobby Dodd. In the final minutes of a legendary defensive struggle, UT was backed up just ahead of their own goal line, but star tailback and future head coach Johnny Majors took a direct snap and booted a roughly 70 yard punt deep into Yellow Jacket territory to seal the win. Majors would finish second in the Heisman voting that year; it was a controversial vote that resulted in the only time a player from a losing squad, Paul Hornung of 2-8 Notre Dame, won the trophy.

Wyatt's team never returned to a bowl game after the 1957 season. Assistant James McDonald took over for Wyatt in 1963, going 5–5.

Before the 1962 season, on March 28, 1962, General Neyland died in New Orleans. Shields-Watkins Field was then presented with a new name: Neyland Stadium. The stadium was dedicated at the 1962 Alabama game, and by that time had expanded to 52,227 seats. Incidentally, Neyland had a hand in designing the expansion efforts for the stadium while he was athletic director. His plans were so forward-looking that they were used for every expansion until 1996, when the stadium was expanded to 102,544 seats.

Dickey and his three Ts

Doug Dickey, who had been an assistant at Arkansas under Frank Broyles, replaced McDonald in 1964. Dickey was entrusted with rebuilding the program, and his six seasons at the school saw considerable change. In one of his first moves, Dickey scrapped the single wing formation and replaced it with the more modern T formation offense, in which the quarterback takes the snap "under center." This move was in part prompted by the fact that the single wing was by then a relatively rare offense and top high school players did not necessarily want to play in it. (One such player was Steve Spurrier, then a top quarterback prospect from East Tennessee, who had no interest in becoming a single-wing tailback and opted to play for Coach Ray Graves at Florida instead.) Dickey also changed the helmets of the Vols, removing the numbers from the side and replacing them with a "T." His third change also remains today. Dickey worked with the Pride of the Southland Marching Band to create a unique pregame entrance for the football squad. The band would open a block T with its base at the locker room tunnel. The team would then run through the T to the sideline. The T was reoriented in the 1980s when the locker room was moved behind the north end zone, and the entrance remains a prized tradition of the football program. In addition to the "three T's", Dickey instituted the now universally recognized checkerboard endzone design.

Dickey had some success in his six seasons as a Vol. He led Tennessee to a 46–15–4 record and captured SEC titles in 1967 and 1969. In the 1967 season, UT lost its season opening game to UCLA in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Bruin quarterback Gary Beban, who would win the Heisman Trophy that year, scored the winning touchdown in the final minutes on a fourth-down scramble. The Vols won their remaining nine regular season games, however, including the Alabama game, in which they handed Alabama its only loss of the year, and snapping a 25 game unbeaten streak by the Tide. The 24-13 win in Birmingham landed the Vols on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and was Dickey's biggest career win.

Bill Battle

Following the 1969 season, Dickey left Tennessee to coach at his alma mater, the University of Florida. He would later return to Tennessee as the Athletic Director. Dickey was replaced by Bill Battle. Battle was a 28 year old coach from Alabama, had played and served as an assistant coach for the legendary Bear Bryant, and was the youngest head coach in the country at the time that he took over. Battle won at least 10 games in his first three seasons; however, he lost to Auburn in each of those seasons. Therefore, he did not win a conference title, and would not do so during his time as head coach.

Johnny comes marching home

Johnny Majors won a national championship at Pittsburgh in 1976, but decided that the job at Tennessee was too good to pass up. In 1977, he replaced Battle, who had just suffered two five-loss seasons. Majors lost his first game as head coach to the University of California, by a score of 27–17, in Knoxville. Majors struggled his first four seasons, going 4–7, 5–5–1, 7–5, and 5–6. His teams saw mild success in 1981, going to the Garden State Bowl and finishing 8–4, and in 1983, winning the Citrus Bowl and finishing 9–3.

Majors' 1985 Volunteer squad (9–1–2, 5–1) was one of his most revered squads. The team lost only one game, regrouped after losing the services of Heisman trophy contending quarterback Tony Robinson for the season, and won their first conference title since 1969. The "Big Orange" earned a trip to the 1986 Sugar Bowl, where they defeated the heavily favored and 2nd-ranked Miami Hurricanes, coached by Jimmy Johnson, 35–7. The win kept Miami from winning a national title and earned the scrappy '85 UT squad the nickname "Sugar Vols."

The 1988 Vols lost their first 6 games, but went on to finish with a 5–6 record. UT then won back-to-back SEC titles in 1989 and 1990. The Vols played on a January 1 bowl game every season in the early 90's under Majors. However, in the Fall of 1992, Majors suffered heart problems, and missed the early part of the season. Phillip Fulmer, then the offensive coordinator, took over as interim coach, and scored upsets over Georgia and Florida. Majors returned and lost three straight conference games to Arkansas, Alabama, and South Carolina. The Alabama loss cut the deepest as the Vols had lost seven in a row to the Crimson Tide. The administration decided to make a change after the regular season. Majors was forced to resign, and Fulmer coached the team in the Hall of Fame Bowl.

Phillip Fulmer

1994 saw a down turn in the record of the Vols, but events shaped the bright future of the program. Starting quarterback Jerry Colquitt suffered a season ending knee injury in the first series of the season against UCLA. Backup Todd Helton suffered a similar fate early in the fourth game of the year at Mississippi State requiring backups Brandon Stewart and Peyton Manning to take action. The following week freshman quarterback Peyton Manning would take over the controls and not let go until he departed to the NFL. Manning would be a 4-year starter for the Vols, and he led them to an 8–4 record in 1994. The next season, Manning led the Vols to a 41–14 win over Alabama, breaking the long winless streak. The only loss of the 1995 season was a 62–37 loss to Florida. The loss to the Gators was the 3rd in a row, and would prove to be the major hurdle between the Vols and the National title.

The Vols would put together 11–1, 10–2, and 11–2 seasons in the last three seasons with Manning as quarterback. Manning entered his senior season as a solid favorite for the Heisman Trophy. The trophy would eventually be awarded to Charles Woodson of Michigan. Manning did lead the Vols to an SEC title in 1997, before losing his final game to eventual Co National Champion Nebraska.

Tennessee Football has seen moderate success since the 1998 National Championship.

After three seasons with high expectations, the Vols faced a new task. Tennessee was expected to have a slight fall off after their conference championship the previous season. They lost QB Peyton Manning, WR's Marcus Nash and Andy McCullough, and LB Leonard Little to the NFL. Manning was the first pick overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. They were also coming off of a 42–17 loss to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, and were in the midst of a 5 game losing streak to their rivals the Florida Gators.

However, the 1998 Tennessee Volunteers football team would prove to exceed all expectation. Led by new quarterback Tee Martin, All American linebacker Al Wilson, and Peerless Price, the Vols captured another National title and would win the first ever BCS Title game against Florida State. They finished the season 13–0, ending a remarkable run of 45–5 in 4 years. Those four seasons, the Vols were led by Fulmer, Offensive Coordinator David Cutcliffe and Defensive Coordinator John Chavis. Cutcliffe took over at Ole Miss as a head coach following the 1998 regular season.

After 1998, the Vols made three more trips to the SEC Championship Game with Fulmer as the head coach: 2001, 2004, and 2007. The 2001 team beat then head coach Steve Spurrier and Florida in the Swamp 34–32, moving them up to #2 in most polls and giving them a shot at the BCS title game in the Rose Bowl vs Miami. But they would lose to underdog #21 LSU in the SEC Championship Game. In 2005, the team suffered its first losing season since 1988, going 5–6, fielding a nationally-ranked defense but an anemic offense. Cutcliffe returned to the Vols as offensive coordinator before the 2006 season, which reunited the successful group of Fulmer, Chavis and Cutcliffe. Tennessee rebounded to go 9–3 in the 2006 regular season, losing two heartbreakers at home to Florida and LSU. This earned a spot in the 2007 Outback Bowl, where they lost to underdog Penn State, 20–10. The 2007 season was the first in team history in which the Volunteers allowed 40 or more points in more than one game (3 times). The Vol's defense did considerably better than expected with help from Seniors Xavier Mitchell, Antonio Reynolds, and Jerod Mayo, and also from Freshman Eric Berry. They would eventually win the SEC Eastern Division title and would go on to play eventual National Champion LSU Tigers. The Vols would lose to the Tigers 21-14. After the SEC Championship, the Vols were invited to play the University of Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2008.

On January 11, 2008, it was announced that Dave Clawson had been hired as the new offensive coordinator for the Vols by head coach Phillip Fulmer. He replaced David Cutcliffe, who moved to Duke University as head coach.

Jonathan Crompton started at quarterback for the first four games of the 2008 season and went 1–3, after which he was replaced by sophomore Nick Stephens. B. J. Coleman is the third quarterback on the roster. Clawson's appointment introduced problems with the Volunteer's offense, leading to one of the worst performing offenses under then-Head Coach Phillip Fulmer's career. Clawson's offense was focused primarily on the short game (strong running and short-range passing) which was in large contrast to UT's quarterbacks who spent their high school careers primarily throwing the ball deep. The Vols posted a dismal 5-7 record in the 2008 season, resulting in Fulmer's ouster at the end of the season. The athletic department had to come up with $6 million for Fulmer's total buyout, which would be paid over 48 months in equal installments.

Lane Kiffin

On December 1, 2008, Lane Kiffin, former head coach of the Oakland Raiders, was announced as the new head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. It was also reported that once the 2008 NFL regular season ended, Lane's father, Monte Kiffin, would join him in Knoxville. Monte would replace John Chavis as the Volunteers defensive coordinator.

On December 31, 2008, it was announced that former University of Mississippi head coach Ed Orgeron would become associate coach and defensive line coach as well as recruiting coordinator for the Vols. Jim Chaney was also announced as the Vols new offensive coordinator replacing Dave Clawson. Chaney was the tight ends coach for the NFL's St. Louis Rams, and was the offensive coordinator at Purdue University under Joe Tiller.

In Lane Kiffin's only year, the Vols finished the season 7-6. On February 5, 2009, Kiffin gained media attention by accusing Urban Meyer of NCAA recruiting violations at Florida. The Vols would play the Gators in the third game of the season as 30-point underdogs. UT was able to keep the game close, losing 23-13. In the sixth game of the season, the Vols played #2 Alabama. Terrence Cody blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt on the final play to give the Crimson Tide a 12-10 victory. Tennessee played #22 South Carolina the following game, which fell on Halloween night. They would win 31-13, giving Kiffin his first win over a ranked team at Tennessee. In this game, the Vols wore black and orange jerseys. It was another in a series of controversial decisions made by Kiffin; some UT alumni did not want the jerseys worn because doing so challenged tradition. However, an overwhelming majority of fans said they liked the new jerseys in a local poll. Tennessee would finish the regular season 7-5, earning an invitation to the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl against #11 Virginia Tech. They would lose to the Hokies 37-14.

For the 2009 season, UT paid $3,325,000 to all assistant football coaches, the highest combined salary among public schools. On January 12, 2010, after just one year at Tennessee, Kiffin left to accept the head coaching job at the University of Southern California after Pete Carroll was named head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Derek Dooley

On January 15, 2010, Derek Dooley was named the Volunteers' 22nd head coach, replacing Lane Kiffin. Expectations for the Vols entering 2010 were relatively low in part because of having a third head coach in two years, a young and lacking offensive line, and an unresolved QB issue just weeks before the season began. Junior QB Matts Simms, son of Pro Bowl and former Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms, was named starter for the Vols for the opener against Tennessee-Martin. After eight games the Vols were 2-6, including a heartbreaking loss at LSU which ended in controversy.

After Tennessee was soundly beaten by South Carolina 38-24 Dooley named true freshman QB Tyler Bray as starter for the next game against Memphis. The Vols found new life in their new QB in which Bray threw for 325 yards and 5 TDs. The Vols would make a remarkable stand throughout November going 4-0 to reach 6-6 overall and become bowl eligible. On December 30 the Vols faced North Carolina in the Music City Bowl which ended similarly to UT's previous game with LSU. A loophole in the rules (a lack of a late game 10-second runoff) gave the Tar Heels one more second in regulation in which they would kick a field goal to tie the game at 20-20 and send it into overtime. After both teams scored TDs in the first overtime, Bray would throw an interception on UT's first possession in the second overtime. UNC would cap it off by kicking the game-winning field goal to win the game 30-27. Overall the Vols and Dooley would finish 6-7. The aftermath of Tennessee's bowl loss to UNC resulted in the NCAA applying the same rule as the NFL when it comes to too many players on the field as time expires.

In 2011, the Vols escaped sanctions in connection to an earlier scandal involving Kiffin during his coaching tenure at Tennessee apart from minor sanctions they had imposed on themselves. Kiffin was also cleared by the NCAA.

On November 18, 2012, Dooley was fired after losing 41-18 to Vanderbilt and replaced with Butch Jones, formerly the head coach of the University of Cincinnati, in December 2012.

Logos and uniforms

The Volunteers began wearing orange pants in 1977 under coach Johnny Majors. His successor, Phillip Fulmer, discarded the pants upon becoming Major's full-time replacement in 1993. The orange pants were worn three times under Fulmer: in the 1999 homecoming game vs. Memphis, the 2007 SEC Championship game vs. LSU, and the 2008 season opener at UCLA. Lane Kiffin wore the orange pants full-time on the road, except for the 2009 season finale vs. Kentucky, and selected home games.

In 2009, the Volunteers wore black jerseys with orange pants on Halloween night against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Traditions

Smokey

Smokey

Smokey is the mascot of the University of Tennessee sports teams, both men's and women's. There is a live blue tick hound mascot, Smokey X, which leads the Vols on the field for football games. On game weekends, Smokey is cared for by the members of Alpha Gamma Rho-Alpha Kappa chapter. There is also a costumed mascot that appears at every Vols game, and has won several mascot championships.

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. "Blue Smokey" was the last, and howled loudly when introduced. The students cheered and Smokey became the mascot. The most successful of the live dogs was Smokey VIII who saw a record of 91–22, two SEC titles and 1 National Championship.

The Pregame Showcase

Initiated in 1989, the Pregame Showcase is a public lecture series featuring entertaining and informative 45-minute presentations by faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences. Held two hours before kickoff in the University Center Ballroom (Room 213) at every home football game, the Pregame Showcase is free and open to the public. Complimentary refreshments and door prizes are provided. The carefully timed presentations allow football fans to enjoy the lecture and still get to the stadium before kickoff.

The Vol Walk

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. 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 shine, the Vol faithful are always out in full force to root on the Vols as they prepare for battle. The fans are pumped up with Rocky Top played by The Pride of the Southland Band.

The T

The Pride of the Southland opening the famous T.

5 min video of the open of a football game

The "T" appears in two places in Vol tradition. Coach Doug Dickey added the block letter T onto the side of the helmets in his first season in 1964. A rounded T came in 1968. Johnny Majors modified the stripe to a thicker stripe in 1977.

The Volunteers also run through another "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 endzone. The team used to make a left turn inside the T and run toward their former bench on the east sideline. When Coach Dickey brought this tradition to Tennessee in 1965, the Vols locker room was underneath the East stands. The Vols would run through that T and turn back to return to their sideline. The locker room change was made in 1983. 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. 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.

Checkerboard end zones

Checkboard orange and white end zones are unique to Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee first sported the famous checkerboard design in the mid sixties. They brought the design back in 1989. This tradition was also started by Dickey in 1964, and remained until artificial turf was installed at Neyland Stadium.

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.

Orange and White

Tennessee fans at Neyland Stadium wear the school colors.

The Orange and White colors worn by the football team were selected by Charles Moore, a member of the very first football squad in 1891. They were from the American Daisy which grew on The Hill, the home of most of the classrooms at the university.

The Orange is distinct to the school, and has been offered by The Home Depot for sale as a paint, licensed by the university. The 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 color is Spot color PMS 151 as described by the University.

Volunteer Navy

Around 200 or more boats usually park outside Neyland Stadium on the Tennessee River before games. The fleet was started by former Tennessee broadcaster George Mooney who parked his boat there first in 1962. UT, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Washington are the only schools with their football stadiums built next to major bodies of water.

Rocky Top

Rocky Top is not the official Tennessee fight song, 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. For more info see: Rocky Top.

Volunteers

Davy Crockett

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.

Rivalries

The Vols' main rivalries include the Alabama Crimson Tide (Third Saturday in October), Florida Gators (UF-UT rivalry), Georgia Bulldogs (UGA-UT rivalry), Kentucky Wildcats (UK-UT rivalry), and Vanderbilt Commodores (UT-Vandy rivalry). The Vols also have a small non-conference rivalry with the in-state Memphis Tigers. None of their games have trophies, although Kentucky-Tennessee used to battle over a Beer Barrel until 1999. From 1984 until 2010, Tennessee held a 26 game winning streak over Kentucky. The streak ended on November 26, 2011 when Kentucky defeated Tennessee 10-7 in Lexington. The Volunteers had 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.

Alabama

Main article: Third Saturday in October

Alabama on offense versus Tennessee in Tuscaloosa during the 2009 season

Despite the heated in-state rivalry with Auburn, former Alabama coach Bear Bryant was more adamant about defeating his rivals to the north, the Tennessee Volunteers. The series is named the Third Saturday in October, the traditional calendar date on which the game was played. Despite the name, the game has only been played on the third Saturday five times between 1995–2007. The first game between the two sides was played in 1901 in Birmingham, ending in a 6–6 tie. From 1902 to 1913, Alabama dominated the series, only losing once, and never allowing a touchdown by the Volunteers. Beginning in 1928, the rivalry was first played on its traditional date and began to be a challenge for the Tide as Robert Neyland began challenging Alabama for their perennial spot on top of the conference standings. In the 1950s, Jim Goostree, the head trainer for Alabama, began another tradition as he began handing out cigars following a victory over the Volunteers.

Between 1971–1981, Alabama held an eleven-game winning streak over the Volunteers and, between 1986–1994, a nine-game unbeaten streak. However, following Alabama's streak, Tennessee responded with a seven-game winning streak from 1995–2001. Alabama has won the last six meetings from 2007-2012. Alabama won the most recent meeting 44-13 in Knoxville, and leads the series 49–38–7. Alabama is Tennessee's third most-played opponent, after Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Tennessee is Alabama's second-most played opponent after Mississippi State.

Florida

Main article: Florida–Tennessee football rivalry

The Gators and Volunteers first met on the gridiron in 1916, and have competed in the same conference since Florida joined the now-defunct Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1912. However, a true rivalry has developed only relatively recently due to infrequent match-ups in past decades; in the first seventy-six years (1916–1991), the two teams met just twenty-one times. This changed in 1992, when the Southeastern Conference (SEC) expanded to twelve universities and split into two divisions. Florida and Tennessee were both placed in the SEC's Eastern Division, and have met annually on the football field since 1992. The rivalry quickly blossomed in intensity and importance, as both squads were perennial championship contenders throughout the 1990s. The games' national implications diminished in the 2000s, as first Florida and then Tennessee suffered through sub-par seasons. However, the intensity of each meeting still remains one of the highest in college football.

Vanderbilt

Main article: Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Vanderbilt and Tennessee have played 107 times since 1892, Tennessee has a winning record of 73–29–5. When the rivalry first started Vanderbilt dominated by taking 19 of the first 24 with 3 ties. After 1928 UT has dominated the rivalry with numerous win streaks and since then UT has a record of 71–10–2. The largest margin of victory for Vandy was by 76 points in 1918 at Old Dudley Field in Nashville. (Vanderbilt 76 Tennessee 0)The largest defeat was 65 points in 1994 at Vanderbilt Stadium (Tennessee 65-Vanderbilt 0). The longest win streaks for Vanderbilt is (9) from 1901 to 1913. The longest win streak for Tennessee is 22, from 1983 to 2004.

Kentucky

Main article: Battle for the Barrel

Tennessee and Kentucky have played each other 107 times over 113 years with Tennessee winning 74 to 24 wins by Kentucky (0.734). Tennessee has won the most games in Lexington with 35 wins to 14 by Kentucky (0.514). Tennessee also has more wins than Kentucky in Knoxville with 44 wins to 10 (0.452). Tennessee has the most wins in the series at Stoll Field with 19 wins to 11 Kentucky wins (0.789). The Series is tied at 3 a piece at Baldwin Park. Tennessee leads the series at Neyland Stadium with 34 wins to 7 Kentucky wins (0.324). Tennessee leads the series at Commonwealth Field with 17 wins to 3 Kentucky wins (0.570). Like many college football rivalries, the Tennessee-Kentucky game had its own trophy for many years: a wooden beer barrel painted half blue and half orange. The trophy was awarded to the winner of the game every year from 1925 to 1997.The Barrel was introduced in 1925 by a group of former Kentucky students who wanted to create a material sign of supremacy for the rivalry. It was rolled onto the field that year with the words "Ice Water" painted on it to avoid any outcries over an alcohol drum symbolizing a college rivalry.

The barrel exchange was ended in 1998 after two Kentucky football players died in an alcohol-related crash.

Head coaching history

Main article: List of Tennessee Volunteers head football coaches

Tennessee has had 22 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 22 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 South Bend, Indiana.

On November 18, 2012, after a lopsided defeat to in-state rival Vanderbilt, it was announced that Derek Dooley would no longer be head coach at the University of Tennessee.

All-time record

799-354-53 Winning percentage: .684 | 466-114-17 at Neyland Stadium: winning percentage .795.

SEC and National Championship rings for the 1998 Vols

As of August 15, 2012 Tennessee was ranked 10th on the all-time wins list. The Tennessee football season records are taken from the official record books of the University Athletic Association. Tennessee is also one of two teams that have never lost eight games in a season, the other team being The Ohio State Buckeyes.

Year-by-year results

NCAA Division I champions

Conference Champions

Division Champions

Bowl Eligible

Year	Conference	Overall					Conference					Coach
		Games	Win	Loss	Tie	Pct.	Games	Win	Loss	Tie	Pct.
1891	Independent	1	0	1	0	.000	0	0	0	0	.000	Student
1892	Independent	7	2	5	0	.290	0	0	0	0	.000	Student
1893	Independent	6	2	4	0	.333	0	0	0	0	.000	Student
1894	No team
1895	No team
1896	SIAA	4	4	0	0	1.000	0	0	0	0	.000	Student
1897	SIAA	5	4	1	0	.800	0	0	0	0	.000	Student
1898	No team Due To Spanish-American War
1899	SIAA	8	6	2	0	.750	0	0	0	0	.000	J.A. Pierce
1900	SIAA	6	3	2	1	.583	0	0	0	0	.000	Pierce
1901	SIAA	8	3	3	2	.500	0	0	0	0	.000	George Kelley
1902	SIAA	8	6	2	0	.750	0	0	0	0	.000	H.F. Fisher
1903	SIAA	9	4	5	0	.444	0	0	0	0	.000	Fisher
1904	SIAA	9	3	5	1	.389	0	0	0	0	.000	S.D. Crawford
1905	SIAA	9	3	5	1	.389	0	0	0	0	.000	J.D. DePree
1906	SIAA	9	1	6	2	.222	0	0	0	0	.000	DePree
1907	SIAA	10	7	2	1	.750	0	0	0	0	.000	George Levene
1908	SIAA	9	7	2	0	.778	0	0	0	0	.000	Levene
1909	SIAA	9	1	6	2	.222	0	0	0	0	.000	Levene
1910	SIAA	9	3	5	1	.389	0	0	0	0	.000	Alex Stone
1911	SIAA	9	3	4	2	.444	0	0	0	0	.000	Z.G. Clevenger
1912	SIAA	8	4	4	0	.500	0	0	0	0	.000	Clevenger
1913	SIAA	9	6	3	0	.667	0	0	0	0	.000	Clevenger
1914	SIAA	9	9	0	0	1.000	0	0	0	0	.000	Clevenger
1915	SIAA	8	4	4	0	.500	0	0	0	0	.000	Clevenger
1916	SIAA	9	8	0	1	.944	0	0	0	0	.000	John R. Bender
1917	No team Due To World War I
1918	No team Due To World War I
1919	SIAA	9	3	3	3	.500	0	0	0	0	.000	Bender
1920	SIAA	9	7	2	0	.778	0	0	0	0	.000	Bender
1921	Southern	9	6	2	1	.722	2	1	0	1	.833	M.B. Banks
1922	Southern	10	8	2	0	.800	6	4	2	0	.667	Banks
1923	Southern	10	5	4	1	.550	6	4	1	1	.750	Banks
1924	Southern	8	3	5	0	.376	4	0	4	0	.000	Banks
1925	Southern	8	5	2	1	.688	5	2	2	1	.500	Banks
1926	Southern	9	8	1	0	.889	6	5	1	0	.834	Robert Neyland
1927	Southern	9	8	0	1	.944	6	5	0	1	.917	Neyland
1928	Southern	10	9	0	1	.950	6	5	0	1	.917	Neyland
1929	Southern	10	9	0	1	.950	7	6	0	1	.929	Neyland
1930	Southern	10	9	1	0	.900	7	6	1	0	.857	Neyland
1931	Southern	10	9	0	1	.900	7	6	0	1	.858	Neyland
1932	Southern	10	9	0	1	.980	8	7	0	1	.938	Neyland
1933	SEC	10	7	3	0	.700	7	5	2	0	.715	Neyland
1934	SEC	10	8	2	0	.800	6	5	1	0	.834	Neyland
1935	SEC	9	4	5	0	.445	5	2	3	0	.401	W.H. Britton
1936	SEC	10	6	2	2	.700	6	3	1	2	.667	Neyland
1937	SEC	10	6	3	1	.650	7	4	3	0	.572	Neyland
1938	SEC	11	11	0	0	1.000	7	7	0	0	1.000	Neyland
1939	SEC	11	10	1	0	.910	6	6	0	0	1.000	Neyland
1940	SEC	11	10	1	0	.910	5	5	0	0	1.000	Neyland
1941	SEC	10	8	2	0	.800	4	3	1	0	.751	John Barnhill
1942	SEC	11	9	1	1	.864	5	4	1	0	.800	Barnhill
1943	No team Due To World War II
1944	SEC	9	7	1	1	.833	6	5	0	1	.834	Barnhill
1945	SEC	9	8	1	0	.888	4	3	1	0	.751	Barnhill
1946	SEC	11	9	2	0	.818	5	5	0	0	1.000	Neyland
1947	SEC	10	5	5	0	.500	5	2	3	0	.400	Neyland
1948	SEC	10	4	4	2	.500	6	2	3	1	.417	Neyland
1949	SEC	10	7	2	1	.750	6	4	1	1	.750	Neyland
1950	SEC	12	11	1	0	.917	5	4	1	0	.800	Neyland
1951	SEC	11	10	1	0	.910	5	5	0	0	1.000	Neyland
1952	SEC	11	8	2	1	.773	6	5	0	1	.834	Neyland
1953	SEC	11	6	4	1	.591	6	3	2	1	.583	Harvey Robinson
1954	SEC	10	4	6	0	.400	6	1	5	0	.167	Robinson
1955	SEC	10	6	3	1	.650	6	3	2	1	.583	Bowden Wyatt
1956	SEC	11	10	1	0	.910	6	6	0	0	1.000	Wyatt
1957	SEC	11	8	3	0	.728	7	4	3	0	.572	Wyatt
1958	SEC	10	4	6	0	.400	7	4	3	0	.572	Wyatt
1959	SEC	10	5	4	1	.550	8	3	4	1	.376	Wyatt
1960	SEC	10	6	2	2	.600	7	3	2	2	.438	Wyatt
1961	SEC	10	6	4	0	.600	7	4	3	0	.572	Wyatt
1962	SEC	10	4	6	0	.400	8	2	6	0	.270	Wyatt
1963	SEC	10	5	5	0	.500	8	2	6	0	.376	Jim McDonald
1964	SEC	10	4	5	1	.450	7	1	5	1	.214	Doug Dickey
1965	SEC	11	8	1	2	.818	5	2	1	2	.600	Dickey
1966	SEC	11	8	3	0	.728	5	3	2	0	.600	Dickey
1967	SEC	11	9	2	0	.819	6	6	0	0	1.000	Dickey
1968	SEC	11	8	2	1	.773	6	4	1	1	.750	Dickey
1969	SEC	11	9	2	0	.819	6	5	1	0	.834	Dickey
1970	SEC	12	11	1	0	.917	5	4	1	0	.800	Bill Battle
1971	SEC	12	10	2	0	.834	6	4	2	0	.667	Battle
1972	SEC	12	10	2	0	.834	6	4	2	0	.667	Battle
1973	SEC	12	8	4	0	.667	6	3	3	0	.500	Battle
1974	SEC	12	7	3	2	.667	6	2	3	1	.417	Battle
1975	SEC	12	7	5	0	.583	6	3	3	0	.500	Battle
1976	SEC	11	6	5	0	.546	6	2	4	0	.334	Battle
1977	SEC	11	4	7	0	.363	6	1	5	0	.167	Johnny Majors
1978	SEC	11	5	5	1	.500	6	3	3	0	.500	Majors
1979	SEC	12	7	5	0	.584	6	3	3	0	.500	Majors
1980	SEC	11	5	6	0	.455	6	3	3	0	.500	Majors
1981	SEC	12	8	4	0	.667	6	3	3	0	.500	Majors
1982	SEC	12	6	5	1	.542	6	3	2	1	.583	Majors
1983	SEC	12	9	3	0	.750	6	4	2	0	.667	Majors
1984	SEC	12	7	4	1	.625	6	3	3	0	.500	Majors
1985	SEC	12	9	1	2	.792	6	5	1	0	.833	Majors
1986	SEC	12	7	5	0	.584	6	3	3	0	.500	Majors
1987	SEC	13	10	2	1	.808	6	4	1	1	.750	Majors
1988	SEC	11	5	6	0	.455	7	3	4	0	.429	Majors
1989	SEC	12	11	1	0	.917	7	6	1	0	.858	Majors
1990	SEC	13	9	2	2	.769	7	5	1	1	.786	Majors
1991	SEC	12	9	3	0	.750	7	5	2	0	.715	Majors
1992	SEC	12	9	3	0	.750	8	5	3	0	.625	Majors 5-3/ Phillip Fulmer4-0
1993	SEC	12	10	2	0	.834	8	7	1	0	.875	Fulmer
1994	SEC	12	8	4	0	.667	8	5	3	0	.625	Fulmer
1995	SEC	12	11	1	0	.917	7	6	1	0	.875	Fulmer
1996	SEC	12	10	2	0	.834	8	7	1	0	.875	Fulmer
1997	SEC	13	11	2	0	.847	8	7	1	0	.875	Fulmer
1998	SEC	13	13	0	0	1.000	8	8	0	0	1.000	Fulmer
1999	SEC	12	9	3	0	.750	8	6	2	0	.750	Fulmer
2000	SEC	12	8	4	0	.667	8	5	3	0	.625	Fulmer
2001	SEC	13	11	2	0	.847	8	7	1	0	.875	Fulmer
2002	SEC	13	8	5	0	.615	8	5	3	0	.626	Fulmer
2003	SEC	13	10	3	0	.770	8	6	2	0	.750	Fulmer
2004	SEC	13	10	3	0	.770	8	7	1	0	.875	Fulmer
2005	SEC	12	5	6	0	.417	8	3	5	0	.375	Fulmer
2006	SEC	13	9	4	0	.693	8	5	3	0	.625	Fulmer
2007	SEC	14	10	4	0	.715	8	6	2	0	.750	Fulmer
2008	SEC	12	5	7	0	.417	8	3	5	0	.375	Fulmer
2009	SEC	13	7	6	0	.538	8	4	4	0	.500	Lane Kiffin
2010	SEC	13	6	7	0	.461	8	3	5	0	.375	Derek Dooley
2011	SEC	12	5	7	0	.417	8	1	7	0	.125	Dooley
2012	SEC	12	5	7	0	.417	8	1	7	0	.125	Dooley 4-7/Jim Chaney1-0
2013	SEC	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	.000	Butch Jones
	Totals	1206	799	354	53	.684	587	369	193	27	.650

Championships

National championships

Tennessee claims six national championships. The following is a list of the six national championships listed by the Vols. Only four (1938, 1950, 1951, and 1998) were recognized by major polls. The Associated Press has only acknowledged Tennessee as National Champions twice, but the #1 Vols lost in the Sugar Bowl in 1951 after being named AP and UPI National Champions due to the polls being conducted before the bowl season prior to 1968 and 1974 respectively. The 1938 and 1950 championships, while not AP titles, were recognized by a majority of overall selectors/polls, and, as such, are generally recognized.

Year	Coach	Selectors	Record	Bowl
1938	Robert Neyland	CFRA, Dunkel, Billingsley, CFI, Litkenhous, Boand, Houlgate, Poling, NSFR, Frye, Massy, Koger, McCarty, Libby, Maxwell, Sagarin, Howell	11-0	Won Orange
1940	Robert Neyland	Dunkel, Williamson	10-1	Lost Sugar
1950	Robert Neyland	National Championship Foundation, Billingley, CFRA, Massy, Dunkel, DeVold, CFI, Frye, Fleming System, Howell, Maxwell, Sorensen	11-1	Won Cotton
1951	Robert Neyland	AP, UPI	10-1	Lost Sugar
1967	Doug Dickey	Litkenhous	9-2	Lost Orange
1998	Phillip Fulmer	AP, USAToday/ESPN, BCS	13-0	Won Fiesta
Total national championships claimed			6

Tennessee has also been awarded unrecognized national championships by various organizations in eight additional years: 1914, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1939, 1956, 1985, and 1989.

Conference championships

Tennessee has won a total of 16 conference championships, including 13 SEC Championships. The Vols are the last team to win back to back SEC championships, in 1997 and 1998.

Conference affiliations

• 1891–95, Independent
• 1896–1920, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
• 1921–32, Southern Conference
• 1933–present, Southeastern Conference

Year	Conference	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
1914	SIAA	Zora G. Clevenger	9-0	5-0
1927†	Southern	Robert Neyland	8-0-1	5-0-1
1932†	Southern	Robert Neyland	9-0-1	7-0-1
1938	SEC	Robert Neyland	11-0	7-0
1939	SEC	Robert Neyland	10-1	6-0
1940	SEC	Robert Neyland	10-1	6-0
1946†	SEC	Robert Neyland	9-2	5-0
1951†	SEC	Robert Neyland	10-1	5-0
1956	SEC	Bowden Wyatt	10-1	6-0
1967	SEC	Doug Dickey	9-2	6-0
1969	SEC	Doug Dickey	9-2	5-1
1985	SEC	Johnny Majors	9-1-2	5-1
1989†	SEC	Johnny Majors	11-1	6-1
1990	SEC	Johnny Majors	9-2-2	5-1-1
1997	SEC	Phillip Fulmer	11-2	7-1
1998	SEC	Phillip Fulmer	13-0	8-0
Total conference championships			16
† Denotes co-champions

Divisional championships

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. The Vols also shared the Division with Florida and Georgia in 2003, but the tie-breaker allowed Georgia to represent the division in the championship game.

Year	Division Championship	SEC CG Result	Opponent	PF	PA
1997	SEC East	W	Auburn	30	29
1998	SEC East	W	Mississippi State	24	14
2001	SEC East	L	LSU	20	31
2003	SEC East	NA	Did Not Play	X	X
2004	SEC East	L	Auburn	28	38
2007	SEC East	L	LSU	14	21
Totals	6	2-3	-	116	133

Bowl games

This is a partial list of the ten most recent bowl games Tennessee has competed in. For the full Tennessee bowl game history, see List of Tennessee Volunteers bowl games.

Year	Bowl	Opponent	Result	Score UT	Score Opp
2000	Fiesta Bowl	Nebraska	L	21	31
2001	Cotton Bowl Classic	Kansas State	L	21	35
2002	Citrus Bowl	Michigan	W	45	17
2003	Peach Bowl	Maryland	L	3	30
2004	Peach Bowl	Clemson	L	14	27
2005	Cotton Bowl Classic	Texas A&M	W	38	7
2007	Outback Bowl	Penn State	*L	10	20
2008	Outback Bowl	Wisconsin	W	21	17
2009	Chick-fil-A Bowl	Virginia Tech	L	14	37
2010	Music City Bowl	North Carolina	L	27	30 (2OT)

* Win Vacated by Penn State due to Sandusky Scandal.

All-time bowl appearances

School Appearances W L T Alabama 59 34 22 3 Texas 50 26 22 2 Tennessee 49 25 24 0 USC 48 32 16 0 Nebraska 48 24 24 0

All-time bowl wins

Rank Team Bowl Victories 1 Alabama 34 2 USC 32 3 Oklahoma 27 4 Georgia 26 4 Texas 26 6 Tennessee 25 6 Florida State 25

Current Coaching Staff

Coaching Position Name Years Head Coach Butch Jones 1st Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks Mike Bajakian 1st Running Backs Robert Gillespie 1st Offensive Line Don Mahoney 1st Tight Ends/Special Teams Mark Elder 1st Wide Receivers Zach Azzanni 1st Defensive Coordinator John Jancek 1st Defensive Line Steve Stripling 1st Defensive Backs Willie Martinez 1st Linebackers Tommy Thigpen 1st Strength and Conditioning Dave Lawson 1st

Captains

Year	Captain
1891	H.K. Denlinger
1892	Charles Moore
1893	H.A. Ijams
1894	No Team
1895	No Team
1896	Strang Nicklin
1897	James A. Baird
1898	No Team
1899	William L. Terry
1900	Bill Newman
1901	C.E. Holopeter
1902	Nash Buckingham
1903	T.B. Green
1904	Roscoe Word
1905	Roscoe Word
1906	Roscoe Word, E.P. Proctor
1907	Roscoe Word
1908	Walker Leach
1909	Nathan Dougherty
1910	W.C. Johnson
1911	H.C. Branch
1912	C.H. Fonde
1913	Sam Hayley
1914	Farmer Kelly
1915	E.A. McLean
1916	J.G. Vowell
1917	No Team
1918	No Team
1919	W.O. Lowe
1920	Buck Hatcher
1921	Hal Blair
1922	Roy Striegel
1923	Tarzan Holt
1924	J.G. Lowe
1925	J.G. Lowe
1926	Billy Harkness
1927	John Barnhill
1928	Roy Witt
1929	Howard Johnson
1930	Harry Thayer
1931	Eugene Mayer
1932	Malcolm Aitken
1933	Talmadge Maples
1934	Ralph Hatley
1935	Toby Palmer
1936	DeWitt Weaver
1937	Joe Black Hayes
1938	Bowden Wyatt
1939	Sam Bartholomew
1940	Norbert Ackermann
1941	Ray Graves
1942	Al Hust
1943	No Team
1944	Bob Dobelstein
1945	Billy Bevis
1946	Walter Slater
1947	Denver Crawford
1948	Jim Powell
1949	Ralph Chancey, Hal Littleford
1950	Jack Stroud
1951	Bert Rechichar
1952	Jim Haslam
1953	Mack Franklin
1954	Darris McCord
1955	Jim Beutel
1956	John Gordy
1957	Bill Anderson, Bill Johnson
1958	Bobby Urbano
1959	Joe Schaffer
1960	Mike LaSorsa
1961	Mike Lucci
1962	Pat Augustine
1963	Buddy Fisher
1964	Steve DeLong
1965	Hal Wantland
1966	Austin Denney, Paul Naumoff
1967	Bob Johnson
1968	Dick Williams
1969	Bill Young
1970	Tim Priest
1971	Jackie Walker
1972	Jamie Rotella
1973	Eddie Brown
1974	Condredge Holloway, Jim Watts
1975	Ron McCartney
1976	Larry Seivers, Andy Spiva
1977	Pert Jenkins, Greg Jones, Brent Watson
1978	Robert Shaw, Dennis Wolfe
1979	Roland James, Craig Puki, Jimmy Streater
1980	Jim Noonan
1981	James Berry, Lemont Holt Jeffers, Lee North
1982	Mike L. Cofer
1983	Reggie White
1984	Johnnie Jones, Carl Zander
1985	Tim McGee, Tommy Sims, Chris White
1986	Joey Clinkscales, Dale Jones, Bruce Wilkerson
1987	Harry Galbreath, Kelly Ziegler
1988	Keith DeLong, Nate Middlebrooks
1989	Eric Still
1990	Tony Thompson
1991	Earnest Fields, John Fisher
1992	Andy Kelly, J.J. McCleskey
1993	Craig Faulkner, Cory Fleming, Horace Morris, James Wilson
1994	Kevin Mays, Ben Talley
1995	Scott Galyon, Jason Layman, Bubba Miller
1996	Raymond Austin, Jay Graham
1997	Leonard Little, Peyton Manning
1998	Shawn Bryson, Jeff Hall, Mercedes Hamilton, Al Wilson
1999	Chad Clifton, Dwayne Goodrich, Tee Martin, Billy Ratliff, Spencer Riley, Darwin Walker
2000	David Leaverton, Eric Westmoreland, Cedrick Wilson
2001	Will Bartholomew, John Henderson, Andre Lott, Will Overstreet, Fred Weary
2002	Omari Hand, Eddie Moore, Will Ofenheusle
2003	Casey Clausen, Kevin Burnett, Michael Munoz, Rashad Baker, Scott Wells, Constantin Ritzmann
2004	Michael Munoz, Parys Haralson, Jason Respert, Tony Brown, Kevin Burnett, Jason Allen
2005	Jason Allen, Rick Clausen, Cody Douglas, Parys Haralson, Jesse Mahelona, Rob Smith
2006	Justin Harrell, Turk McBride, Marvin Mitchell, Jayson Swain, Arron Sears
2007	Game Captains
2008	Robert Ayers, Ramon Foster, Lucas Taylor, Ellix Wilson, Montario Hardesty, Eric Berry
2009	Montario Hardesty, Jonathan Crompton, Nick Reveiz, Eric Berry
2010	Tauren Poole, Nick Reveiz, Luke Stocker

Hall of Fame

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 22.

Players

• Gene McEver - Elected 1954
• Beattie Feathers - Elected 1955
• Herman Hickman - Elected 1959
• Bobby Dodd - Elected 1959 (Player) and 1993 (Coach)
• Bob Suffridge - Elected 1961
• Nathan Dougherty - Elected 1967
• George Cafego - Elected 1969
• Bowden Wyatt - Elected 1972 (Player) and 1997 (Coach)
• Hank Lauricella - Elected 1981
• Doug Atkins - Elected 1985

Also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Elected 1975)

• Johnny Majors - Elected 1987
• Bob Johnson - Elected 1989
• Ed Molinski - Elected 1990
• Steve DeLong - Elected 1993
• John Michels - Elected 1996
• Steve Kiner - Elected 1999
• Reggie White - Elected 2002

Also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Elected 2006)

• Frank Emanuel - Elected 2004
• Chip Kell - Elected 2006

Coaches

• Robert Neyland - Elected 1956
• Bowden Wyatt- Elected 1997
• Doug Dickey - Elected 2003
• Phillip Fulmer - Elected 2012

Retired numbers

Tennessee has retired seven jersey numbers:

• #16: Peyton Manning
• #32: Billy Nowling
• #45: Johnny Majors
• #49: Rudy Klarer
• #61: Willis Tucker
• #62: Clyde Fuson
• #91: Doug Atkins
• #92: Reggie White

Individual award winners

Players

• Maxwell Award

Peyton Manning - 1997

• Davey O'Brien Award

Peyton Manning - 1997

• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Peyton Manning - 1997

• Outland Trophy

Steve DeLong - 1964

John Henderson - 2000

• Draddy Trophy

Peyton Manning - 1997

Michael Munoz - 2004

• Jim Thorpe Award

Eric Berry - 2009

Coach

• The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award

Phillip Fulmer - 1998

• Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year

Phillip Fulmer - 1998

• Broyles Award

David Cutcliffe - 1998

• American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year

John Chavis - 2006

• Robert R. Neyland Award

Phillip Fulmer - 2009

Past and present NFL players

• Jacques McClendon, offensive line for the Detroit Lions
• Eric Berry, strong safety for the Kansas City Chiefs
• Erik Ainge, quarterback for the New York Jets
• Jason Allen, defensive back for the Houston Texans
• Doug Atkins, former Defensive End for the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints 4× First-team All-Pro selection (1958, 1960, 1961, 1963), 6× Second-team All-Pro selection (1957, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1968), 8× Pro Bowl selection (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960,1961, 1962, 1963,1965)
• Rashad Baker, defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Bill Bates, former defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys, Pro Bowl selection (1984)All-Pro selection (1984) 3x Super Bowl champion (1992, 1993, 1995)

[Jonathan Brown],former DE for Green Bay Packers, Saint Louis Rams and Denver Broncos

• Shawn Bryson, former running back for the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions
• Kevin Burnett, linebacker for the San Diego Chargers
• Dale Carter, former defensive back for the Kansas City Chiefs, 4× Pro Bowl selection (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997), 2× Second-Team All-Pro selection (1995, 1996), 1992 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
• Chad Clifton, offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers, Pro Bowl selection (2007)
• Reggie Cobb, former running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets
• Britton Colquitt, punter for the Denver Broncos
• Craig Colquitt, former punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts
• Dustin Colquitt, punter for the Kansas City Chiefs
• Jimmy Colquitt, former punter for the Seattle Seahawks
• Antone Davis, offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons
• Omar Gaither, linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Willie Gault, former wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, Super Bowl Champion (1985)
• Deon Grant, defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks
• Jabari Greer, cornerback for the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl Champion (2009)
• Shaun Ellis, defensive end for the New York Jets, 1× Pro Bowl selection (2003)
• Terry Fair, former defensive back for the Detroit Lions
• Arian Foster, running back for the Houston Texans, Undrafted 2009, 2× Pro Bowl selection (2010, 2011), 2x All-Pro selection (2010, 2011), NFL Rushing Title (2010)
• Aubrayo Franklin, defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints
• Charlie Garner, former running back for the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1× Pro Bowl selection (2000)
• Chris Hannon, wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers
• Parys Haralson, linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers
• Montario Hardesty, running back for the Cleveland Browns
• Alvin Harper, former wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, 2x Super Bowl Champion (1992 1993)
• Justin Harrell, defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers
• Albert Haynesworth, defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2× All-Pro selection (2007, 2008), 2× Pro Bowl selection (2007, 2008)
• John Henderson, defensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars, 2× Pro Bowl selection (2004, 2006), 1× All-Pro selection (2006)
• Travis Henry, running back for the Denver Broncos, Pro Bowl selection (2002) Former running back for the Buffalo Bills
• Anthony Herrera, guard for the Minnesota Vikings
• Cedric Houston, running back for the New York Jets
• Mark Jones, wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers
• Jamal Lewis, running back for the Cleveland Browns, Super Bowl champion (XXXV), Pro Bowl selection (2003), AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2003), NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
• Leonard Little, defensive end for the St. Louis Rams, Super Bowl champion (XXXIV), All-Pro selection (2003), 2x Pro Bowl selection (2003, 2006)
• Jesse Mahelona, defensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars
• Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Denver Broncos, Drafted 1st Overall 1998 by the Indianapolis Colts, 10× Pro Bowl selection (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), 5× First-team All-Pro selection (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009), 3× Second-team All-Pro selection (1999, 2000, 2006), 4× AP NFL MVP (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009) Super Bowl Champion (2006), NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
• David Martin, tight end for the Miami Dolphins Former tight end for the Green Bay Packers
• Tee Martin, former quarterback for the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers
• Jerod Mayo, linebacker for the New England Patriots, Draft 10th Overall 2008 & won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, 1x First-team All-Pro selection (2010)
• Turk McBride, defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs
• Raleigh McKenzie, former Offensive Guard for the Washington Redskins, All-NFL Team (1991), Super Bowl Champion (1987, 1991)
• Robert Meachem, wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl Champion 2009
• Marvin Mitchell, linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl Champion 2009
• Denarius Moore, wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders
• Stanley Morgan, former wide receiver for the New England Patriots, 4× Pro Bowl selection (1979, 1980, 1986, 1987)
• Eric Parker, former wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers,
• Carl Pickens, former wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans, 2x Pro Bowl selection (1995, 1996), 1992 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
• Peerless Price, former wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys, Pro Bowl alternate (2002)
• Fuad Reveiz, placekicker for the Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers and Minnesota Vikings
• Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds, linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, 2x Pro Bowl Selection, Super Bowl Champion (1981, 1984)
• Arron Sears, former guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2007 NFL All-Rookie team
• Heath Shuler, former quarterback for the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints
• JT Smith,former safety for the Phoenix Cardinals
• Donté Stallworth, wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns Former wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, and New England Patriots
• Haskel Stanback, former running back for the Atlanta Falcons
• Travis Stephens, former running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• James Stewart, former running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions
• Luke Stocker, tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Bob Suffridge, guard was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Steagles
• Trey Teague, former center for the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl Champion (1998)
• Raynoch Thompson, former linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals
• Jonathan Wade, defensive back for the St. Louis Rams
• Darwin Walker, defensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers and former Chicago Bears
• Kelley Washington, wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens
• Fred Weary, guard for the Houston Texans
• Scott Wells, center for the Green Bay Packers
• Eric Westmoreland, former linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars
• Reggie White, former defensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, and the Carolina Panthers, 13× Pro Bowl selection (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), 10× First-Team All-Pro selection (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998), 3× Second-Team All-Pro selection (1994, 1996, 1997), Super Bowl champion (XXXI), 2× NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1987, 1998)
• Ron Widby, former punter for the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, 2x Pro Bowl selection (1969, 1971)
• Al Wilson, former linebacker for the Denver Broncos, 5× Pro Bowl selection (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006), 2× All-Pro selection (2005, 2006)
• Brian McCann, former linebacker for the Miami Dolphins Practice Squad.
• Cedrick Wilson, former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl champion (XL)
• Gibril Wilson, defensive back for the Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl champion (XLII)
• Jason Witten, tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, 7× Pro Bowl selection (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), All-Pro selection (2007, 2008, 2010), 2× NFL Alumni Tight End of the Year (2007, 2010)
• Troy Fleming, fullback for the Tennessee Titans

Future non-conference opponents

2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	TBA	TBA
Austin Peay	vs Chattanooga	vs UAB	vs Connecticut	vs Southern Miss				TBA USC	TBA USC	vs North Texas
Western Kentucky	at Oklahoma	vs Oklahoma	at Nebraska	vs Nebraska
at Oregon		at Connecticut		at Memphis
South Alabama

* The 2012 game against NC State was played in Atlanta, Georgia.

External links

• Official website