Tennessee Volunteers football

Tennessee Volunteers
First season	1891
Athletic director	Mike Hamilton
Head coach	Lane Kiffin
	1st year, 0–0–0
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
Stadium capacity	102,037; Largest crowd: 109,061 (Sept. 18, 2004 vs. UF)
Stadium surface	Grass
Location	Knoxville, Tennessee
Conference	SEC
Division	East
All-time record	773–327–53 (.690)
Postseason bowl record	25–22–0
Claimed national titles	6; 1938, 1940, 1950, 1951; 1967, 1998
Conference titles	16
All-Americans	72
	Current uniform
Colors	Orange and White
Fight song	Down the Field (Official); Rocky Top (Unofficial)
Mascot	Smokey
Marching band	Pride of the Southland Band
Rivals	Alabama Crimson Tide; Florida Gators; Georgia Bulldogs; Kentucky Wildcats; Vanderbilt Commodores
Website	UTSports.com

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The Tennessee Volunteers football team, is the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), NCAA Division I football team. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference. They play their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. Their last national championship was in the 1998 college football season.

The Vols have amassed a successful tradition since their beginning in 1891. Their all-time record of 776-327-53 ranks the Vols second on the list of winningest SEC programs, and ninth on the list of all time winningest major college programs, just behind Alabama and ahead of Southern California. They rank third all-time in bowl appearances(tied with USC) and fourth all-time in bowl victories.

The Vols play at historic Neyland Stadium, the second winningest home-field in college football history. Tennessee has won 422 all-time games at Neyland Stadium. That is the second highest win total for any school in the nation at its current home venue. Only Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium (428 wins) has hosted more victories for its team-and Bobby Dodd Stadium (1913) opened eight years before Neyland Stadium (1921). It is also one of the largest; its 102,037 seat capacity makes it the fourth largest stadium in the nation.

On November 3, then-Head Coach Phillip Fulmer announced that he would be stepping down from his position as head coach at the end of the 2008 season after winning 152 games at his alma mater.^[1]

On November 30, 2008, UT announced that Lane Kiffin (Oakland Raiders former head coach) had been selected to replace Phillip Fulmer.

1 History
2 Logos and uniforms
3 Traditions
- 3.1 Smokey
4 The Vol Walk
5 Head football coaching record
6 All-time record
7 Championships
8 Bowl game appearances
- 8.1 All-Time Bowl Appearances
- 8.2 All-Time Bowl Wins
9 2007 season
10 Current coaching staff
11 Hall of Fame
- 11.1 Players
- 11.2 Coaches
12 Retired Jerseys
13 Individual Award Winners
- 13.1 Players
- 13.2 Coach
14 Past and present NFL players
15 References
16 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

Tennessee's football program began in 1891, but the program's first win would not be recorded until the following season. On October 15, 1892 The football team defeated Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee by the score of 25–0. Tennessee would compete 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 lead 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 elusive.

In 1921, Shields-Watkins field 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 had bleachers that could seat 3,200 and had been used for baseball the prior year.

In 1922, the team began to wear orange jerseys for the first time.

[edit] Neyland Comes to Tennessee

Robert Neyland took over as head coach in 1926. At the time, Neyland was an Army Captain 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 made the standard clear: "Even the score with Vanderbilt."

Neyland quickly surpassed the Nashville school which had been dominating football in Tennessee. He also scored a surprise upset victory over heavily favored Alabama in 1928. Neyland captured the school's first Southern Conference title in 1927, on only his second year on the job. In 1929, Gene McEver became the football program's first ever All-America. 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. They scored a 13–0 victory over New York University, being led by Herman Hickman. Hickman's performance in the game caught the eye of Grantland Rice, and Hickman was added to Rice's All American team. Hickman would later play professionally in New York, for football's Brooklyn Dodgers. After the 1932 season, Tennessee joined the 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 at 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).

[edit] 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. 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 stud 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. This was the last season that the Vols missed.

[edit] Neyland's Final Years

After World War II, Neyland retired from the military. He returned to Knoxville with the rank of General Officer and led the Vols to more success. 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, superstar 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. 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, and took the position of athletic director. The Vols would see spotty success for some 40 years after that, but it would be the late 1980's and 1990's before the Tennessee program had similar winning percentages.

[edit] Post 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."

Neyland Stadium, named for Robert Neyland.

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.

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.

Despite two successful years, 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, Louisiana. 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.

[edit] 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. 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." He 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. The 1967 team was awarded the National Championship by Litkenhous polling. That season, UT lost its season opening game to UCLA in the Rose Bowl stadium. 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 would not lose again that season, winning the remaining 9 regular season games including handing 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.

[edit] 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, 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.

[edit] Majors Moves Home

Johnny Majors won a National Championship at Pittsburgh in 1976, but decided that the job at Tennessee was too good to pass up. Majors replaced Battle in 1977, on the heels of two five loss seasons. Majors would go on to lose 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 going 8–4; and in 1983 winning the Citrus Bowl and going 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 the first conference title since 1969. The "Big Orange" earned a trip to the 1986 Sugar Bowl, where they defeated heavily favored and 2nd ranked Miami Hurricanes, led by Jimmy Johnson, 35–7. The win kept Miami from a national title and earned the scrappy '85 squad the nickname: "Sugar Vols."

Majors later led the Vols to a resurgence following their losing season in 1988. The 1988 Vols lost their first 6 games and went on to finish with a 5–6 record. The Vols followed that effort with back-to-back SEC titles in 1989 and 1990 (although the University of Florida technically won in 1990, they were ineligible due to sanctions). 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. He missed the early part of the season. Interim coach Phillip Fulmer took over and scored upsets over Georgia and Florida. Majors returned and lost three straight conference games to Arkansas, Alabama, and South Carolina. The Alabama loss on the Third Saturday in October 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 took over before the Hall of Fame Bowl.

[edit] 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 final 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, setting off an uproar among the fans. Manning did lead the Vols to an SEC title in 1997, before losing his final game to eventual National Champion Nebraska.

[edit] A Champion and a new era

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

After 3 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.

Since 1998, the Vols have made three trips to the SEC Championship Game: 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 Frshman 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.^[2] 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. BJ 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. The Vols posted a dismal 5-7 record in the 2008 season, resulting in Fulmer's ouster at the end of the season.

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 Saint Louis Rams, and was the offensive coordinator at Purdue University under Joe Tiller.

[edit] Logos and uniforms

Tennessee's uniform combinations

[edit] Traditions

[edit] Smokey

The costumed Smokey Mascot.

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 IX, which leads the Vols on the field for football games. 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.

[edit] The Vol Walk

Prior to each home game, the Vols will file out of Stokely Athletic Center, 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.

[edit] The "T"

The Pride of the Southland opening the famous T.

The "T" appears 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. Johnny Majors modified the T to a more round look 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 makes a left turn inside the T and runs toward their bench on the east sideline. When Coach Dickey brought this tradition to Tennessee in 1965, the Vols locker room was underneath the West stands. The Vols would run through that T and turn back to return to their sideline. The locker room change was made in 1983.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.^[3]

[edit] 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. Tennessee, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Washington are the only schools with their football stadiums built next to major bodies of water.

[edit] 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.^[4] For more info see: Rocky Top.

[edit] Volunteers

The Volunteer.

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.^[5]

[edit] Head football coaching record

Tenure	Coach	Years	Record	Pct.
1891-93 1896-97	Student Coached Teams	5	12-11	.522
1899-1900	J. A. Pierce	2	9-4-1	.654
1901	George Kelley	1	3-3-2	.500
1902-03	H. F. Fisher	2	10-7	.588
1904	S. D. Crawford	1	3-5-1	.389
1905-06	J. D. Depree	2	4-11-3	.305
1907-09	George Levene	3	15-10-3	.589
1910	Andrew A. Stone	1	3-5-1	.389
1911-15	Zora G. Clevenger	5	26-15-2	.628
1916 1919-20	John R. Bender	3	18-5-4	.741
1921-25	M. B. Banks	5	27-15-3	.633
1926-34 1936-40 1946-52	Robert Neyland	21	173-31-12	.829
1935	W. H. Britton	1	4-5	.444
1941-42 1944-45	John Barnhill	4	32-5-2	.846
1953-54	Harvey Robinson	2	10-10-1	.500
1955-62	Bowden Wyatt	8	49-29-4	.622
1963	Jim McDonald	1	5-5	.500
1964-69	Doug Dickey	6	46-15-4	.738
1970-76	Bill Battle	7	59-22-2	.723
1977-92	Johnny Majors	16	116-62-8	.645
1992-08	Phillip Fulmer	17	152-52	.769
2009-Present	Lane Kiffin	1	0-0	.000
Totals	21 coaches	110	776-327-53	.704

[edit] All-time record

776-327-53 as of Nov 29, 2008 [1]
Winning percentage: .704

SEC and National Championship rings for the 1998 Vols

[edit] Championships

[edit] National Championships

Tennessee claims 6 national championships. The following is a list of the 6 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 ^[6] ^[7].

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl
1938	Robert Neyland	CFRA, Dunkel, Billingsley, CFI, Litkenhous, Boand, Houlgate, Poling	11-0	Won Orange
1940	Robert Neyland	Dunkel, Williamson	10-1	Lost Sugar
1950	Robert Neyland	National Championship Foundation, Billingley, CFRA, Massy, Dunkel	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^[8].

[edit] 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	Overall Record	Conference Record
1914	SIAA	9-0	5-0
1927	Southern	8-0-1	7-0
1932	Southern	9-0-1	8-0
1938	SEC	11-0	7-0
1939	SEC	10-1	6-0
1940	SEC	10-1	6-0
1946†	SEC	9-2	5-0
1951†	SEC	10-1	5-0
1956	SEC	10-1	6-0
1967	SEC	9-2	6-0
1969	SEC	9-2	5-1
1985‡	SEC	9-1-2	5-1
1989†	SEC	11-1	6-1
1990	SEC	9-2-2	5-1-1
1997	SEC	11-2	7-1
1998	SEC	13-0	8-0
Total conference championships		16
† Denotes co-champions ‡ Had identical record as Florida. Florida won head-to-head, but was ineligible for conference title due to probation.

[edit] 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 two other years, but tie-breakers allowed Florida and Georgia to go to the game in 1993 and 2003 respectively.

Year	Division Championship	SEC CG Result	Opponent	PF	PA
1993	SEC East	NA	Did Not Play	X	X
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	7	2-3	-	116	133

[edit] Bowl game appearances

Year	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1931	New York Charity Game†	NYU	W 13-0
1939	Orange Bowl	Oklahoma	W 17-0
1940	Rose Bowl	USC	L 14-0
1941	Sugar Bowl	Boston College	L 19-13
1943	Sugar Bowl	Tulsa	W 14-7
1945	Rose Bowl	USC	L 25-0
1947	Orange Bowl	Rice	L 8-0
1951	Cotton Bowl	Texas	W 20-14
1952	Sugar Bowl	Maryland	L 28-13
1953	Cotton Bowl	Texas	L 16-0
1957	Sugar Bowl	Baylor	L 13-7
1957	Gator Bowl	Texas A&M	W 3-0
1965	Bluebonnet Bowl	Tulsa	W 27-6
1966	Gator Bowl	Syracuse	W 18-12
1968	Orange Bowl	Oklahoma	L 26-24
1969	Cotton Bowl	Texas	L 36-13
1969	Gator Bowl	Florida	L 13-14
1971	Sugar Bowl	Air Force	W 34-13
1971	Liberty Bowl	Arkansas	W 14-13
1972	Bluebonnet Bowl	LSU	W 24-17
1973	Gator Bowl	Texas Tech	L 28-19
1974	Liberty Bowl	Maryland	W 7-3
1979	Bluebonnet Bowl	Purdue	L 27-22
1981	Garden State Bowl	Wisconsin	W 28-21
1982	Peach Bowl	Iowa	L 28-22
1983	Citrus Bowl	Maryland	W 30-23
1984	Sun Bowl	Maryland	L 28-27
1986	Sugar Bowl	Miami (FL)	W 35-7
1986	Liberty Bowl	Minnesota	W 21-14
1988	Peach Bowl	Indiana	W 27-22
1990	Cotton Bowl	Arkansas	W 31-27
1991	Sugar Bowl	Virginia	W 23-22
1992	Fiesta Bowl	Penn State	L 42-17
1993	Hall of Fame Bowl	Boston College	W 38-23
1994	Citrus Bowl	Penn State	L 31-13
1995	Gator Bowl	Virginia Tech	W 45-23
1996	Citrus Bowl	Ohio State	W 20-14
1997	Citrus Bowl	Northwestern	W 48-28
1998	Orange Bowl	Nebraska	L 42-17
1999	Fiesta Bowl	Florida State	W 23-16
2000	Fiesta Bowl	Nebraska	L 31-21
2001	Cotton Bowl	Kansas State	L 35-21
2002	Citrus Bowl	Michigan	W 45-17
2002	Peach Bowl	Maryland	L 30-3
2004	Peach Bowl	Clemson	L 27-14
2005	Cotton Bowl	Texas A&M	W 38-7
2007	Outback Bowl	Penn State	L 20-10
2008	Outback Bowl	Wisconsin	W 21-17
All Time Record (W-L-T)	26	22	0
† No longer recognized as an official game by the NCAA

[edit] All-Time Bowl Appearances

School	Appearances	Record (W-L-T)
Alabama	57	32-25
Texas	49	26-21-2
USC	48	32-16
Tennessee	48	26-22
Nebraska	44	22-22

[edit] All-Time Bowl Wins

1. Alabama - 32

2. USC - 31

3. Penn State - 27

4. Tennessee - 26

5. Oklahoma - 24

[edit] 2007 season

Tennessee entered the 2007 season coming off a 9–4 record (5–3 SEC) in 2006. In 2007 the Vols had an up and down year. The Vols had huge losses to Cal, Florida, and Alabama but the 2007 team had a lot of fight. The Vols beat one of the best teams in the country in Georgia 35–14 and secure themselves as SEC East Champions, then lost a heartbreaker in the SEC Championship to LSU 21–14.

Current Record: 10-4 (final)
AP Top 25: #12 (final)
USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll: #12 (final)
Harris Interactive: #19 (as of Jan 10, 2008)
BCS Ranking: #16 (as of Jan 10, 2008)

Tennessee accepted the bid to play in the Outback Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. The game was televised by ESPN on New Year's Day. Erik Ainge threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns in his final game for the Vols, who also got a stellar performance from a defense that improved dramatically after early season losses to California and Florida. Ainge completed 25 of 43 passes without a turnover to win MVP honors. Jerod Mayo lead the defense with 13 tackles while Jonathan Hefney ended his career with 8 stops. The Vols defense forced 3 turnovers, had 5 sacks, and possibly played their best game of the year.

2007 Captains vs. Georgia.

Sat, Sep 1 @ California 8:00 p.m. ABC 31 - 45 (L)

Sat, Sep 8 Southern Mississippi 7:00 p.m. PPV 39 - 19 (W)

Sat, Sep 15 @ Florida 3:30 p.m. CBS 20 - 59 (L)

Sat, Sep 22 Arkansas State 7:00 p.m. PPV 48 - 27 (W)

Thu, Sep 27 Hargrave Military Academy (Jr. Varsity) 7:00 p.m. 37 - 20 (W)

Sat, Oct 6 Georgia 3:30 p.m. CBS 35 - 14 (W)

Sat, Oct 13 @ Mississippi State 2:30 p.m. PPV 33 - 21 (W)

Sat, Oct 20 @ Alabama 12:30 p.m. LF Sports 17 - 41 (L)

Sat, Oct 27 South Carolina 7:45 p.m. ESPN 27 - 24 (W-OT)

Sat, Nov 3 Louisiana-Lafayette (Homecoming) 4:00 p.m. 59 - 7 (W)

Sat, Nov 10 Arkansas 12:30 p.m. LF Sports 34 - 13 (W)

Sat, Nov 17 Vanderbilt 2:00 p.m. PPV 25 - 24 (W)

Sat, Nov 24 Kentucky 1:30 p.m. CBS 52 - 50 (W-4OT)

Sat, Dec 1 LSU (SEC Championship) 4:00 p.m. CBS 14 - 21 (L)

Tue, Jan 1 Wisconsin (Outback Bowl) 11:00 a.m. ESPN 21 - 17 (W)

[edit] Current coaching staff

Head Coach: Lane Kiffin

Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line: Jim Chaney
Running Backs: Eddie Gran
Wide Receivers: Frank Wilson
Tight Ends/Offensive Tackles: James Cregg
Quarterbacks: David Reaves

Defensive Coordinator: Monte Kiffin
Defensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator: Ed Orgeron (also Associate Head Coach)
Asst. Coach/Linebackers: Lance Thompson
Defensive Backs: Willie Mack Garza

Strength and Conditioning: Aaron Ausmus

[edit] 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.