Tennessee Volunteers football

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For current information on this topic, see 2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Tennessee Volunteers Football
2008 Tennessee Volunteers football team
First season	1891
Staff
Athletic director	Mike Hamilton
Head coach	Phillip Fulmer
	16th year, 146–44
Stadium
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
Stadium capacity	102,037 Largest Crowd: 108,768 (Sept. 16, 2000 vs. UF)
Stadium surface	Grass
Location	Knoxville, Tennessee
League/Conference
Conference	SEC
Division	East
Team records
All-time record	768–322–53 (.695)
Postseason bowl record	25–22–0
Awards
National titles	4 1938, 1950, 1951, 1998
Conference titles	16
All-Americans	70
Pageantry
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 Vanderbilt Commodores South Carolina Gamecocks
Website	UTSports.com

The Tennessee Volunteers football team, known locally as The Vols, 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.

Phillip Fulmer is in his 16th year (2007) as head coach of the Volunteers.

Contents 1 Overview 2 History 2.1 Early years 2.2 Neyland Comes to Tennessee 2.3 Neyland Returns 2.4 Neyland's Final Years 2.5 Post Neyland 2.6 Dickey and his 3 "T"s 2.7 Majors Moves Home 2.8 Fulmer and Manning set the Stage for a Dynasty 2.9 A Champion and a new era 3 Traditions 3.1 Smokey 3.2 The "T" 3.3 Checkerboard End Zones 3.4 Orange and White 3.5 Volunteer Navy 3.6 Rocky Top 3.7 Volunteers 4 Head football coaching record 5 All-time record 6 Championships 6.1 National Championships 6.2 Conference Championships 6.3 Divisional Championships 7 Bowl game appearances 8 2007 season 9 Current coaching staff 10 Hall of Fame 10.1 Players 10.2 Coaches 11 Retired numbers 12 Individual Award Winners 12.1 Players 12.2 Coach 13 Past and present players 14 References 15 External links

[edit] Overview

The Tennessee Volunteers football program is one of the winningest division I college football teams. The program ranks in the top 10 all time and trails only Alabama in the SEC. The team boasts several All Americans as players and coaches. The program is also famous for some unique traditions, such as running through the "T", and its orange and white checkerboard end zones.

[edit] History

The college football team representing the University of Tennessee is one of the most storied programs in the south and across the nation. The Volunteers began competing in football on November 21, 1891. On that date, a makeshift student squad competed against a similar team from Sewanee, losing 24-0. The sport was young at that time, but it would grow quickly. In places like Knoxville, Tennessee, it would become part of the area's identity.

[edit] Early years

The program's first win would be recorded 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 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. The color was inspired by the American Daisy which grew on "The Hill" on campus.

[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. This period saw the Vols rattle off undefeated streaks of 33, 28 and 14 games.

[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. 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, but did earn a trip to the famed Rose Bowl. They lost that game 14-0 to Southern California. The 1940 Vols put together a third consecutive undefeated regular season. 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 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. 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 90'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."

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 team did win an SEC Championship, going 10-1, but 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 3 "T"s

Doug Dickey who had been an assistant at Arkansas under Frank Broyles replaced McDonald. Dickey was entrusted with rebuilding the program, and his five years at the school saw considerable change. Dickey scrapped the single wing formation and replaced it with the more modern T-Formation offense. He also changed the helmets of the Vols, removing the numbers from the side and replacing them with a "T". His third change, like the change of the helmets, still remains today. Dickey worked with the Pride of the Southland Marching Band to create a unique entrance for the football squad. The band would form a block T with its stem at the locker room tunnel. The team would then run through the T and return to the sideline after the band opened the T at pregame. The entrance was modified in the 1980s when the locker room was moved to a tunnel behind the end zone, but the entrance remains a prized tradition of the football program.

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.

Following the 1969 season, Dickey left for his alma mater, the University of Florida. Though, he would later return to Tennessee as an 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 each of those seasons. Therefore, he did not win a conference title, and would not do so during his time there.

[edit] Majors Moves Home

Johnny Majors won a National Championship at the Pittsburgh in 1976. But he decided that the job at home, at Tennessee was too good to pass up. Majors replaced Battle in 1977, on the heels of two five loss seasons. 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 the most revered squads. The team won the first conference title since 1969 and 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: "SugarVols."

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. The Vols played on a January 1 bowl game every season in the early 90's under Majors. However, in 1993, 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 7 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 and Manning set the Stage for a Dynasty

Phillip Fulmer got off to a good start in his first season as head coach. The Vols won 10 games and lost only two, to Florida and a Citrus Bowl loss to Pennsylvania State University. Fulmer did not break the streak against Alabama that year, instead Alabama rallied late and scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion to score a 17-17 tie. Alabama later had to forfeit the game due to NCAA sanctions, but the game stood a symbol of futility in the series for the Vols.

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 University 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

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 and All American linebacker Al Wilson, 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). After a very close loss to the #2 ranked LSU Tigers in the SEC championship game (the third title game loss in the last 7 years) the 10-4 Vols defeated Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008. The 2008 season looks even better, with many talented underclassmen returning (Eric Berry, DeAngelo Willingham, Lennon Creer, Gerald Jones, Kenny O'Neal, Quinton Hancock, Ben Martin, Dennis Rogan, Chris Donald) as well as upperclassmen Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty. However, the QB position will be the big question for the season, as Jonathan Crompton, BJ Coleman, Nick Stephens, Tanner Shamblin, and incoming freshman Casey Kelly will battle for the starting job.

[edit] Traditions

[edit] 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 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 "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

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

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 taken 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.^[1]

[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 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 an official Tennessee fight song, but is the most popular in use by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band. For more info see: Rocky Top.

[edit] Volunteers

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.^[2]

[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
1993-	Phillip Fulmer	15	146-44	.769
Totals	20 coaches	110	768-319-53	.698

[edit] All-time record

771-320-53 as of Jan 2, 2008 [1]
Winning percentage: .697

[edit] Championships

[edit] National Championships

The number of national championships won by Tennessee is in dispute. Tennessee lists 6 national championships, though the legitimacy of a few of those championships has been called into question. The following is a list of the 6 national championships listed by the Vols. Only 4: 1938, 1950, 1951, and 1998 were recognized by major polls.

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl
1938	Robert Neyland	CFRA, Dunkel, Litkenhous, Boand, Houlgate, Poling	11-0	Won Orange
1940	Robert Neyland	Dunkel, Williamson	10-1	Lost Sugar
1950	Robert Neyland	CFRA, Dunkel	11-1	Won Cotton
1951	Robert Neyland	Consensus	10-1	Lost Sugar
1967	Doug Dickey	Litkenhous	9-2	Lost Orange
1998	Phillip Fulmer	Consensus	13-0	Won Fiesta
Total national championships claimed			6

[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 in the toughest conference the SEC- ( 97' and 98' )

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

[edit] Divisional Championships

As winners of the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division, Tennessee has made 5 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

All-Time Bowl Record - (26-22)

1931 New York Bowl Tennessee 13, N.Y.U. 0

1939 Orange Bowl Tennessee 17, Oklahoma 0 *

1940 Rose Bowl USC 14, Tennessee 0

1941 Sugar Bowl Boston College 19, Tennessee 13

1943 Sugar Bowl Tennessee 14, Tulsa 7

1945 Rose Bowl USC 25, Tennessee 0

1947 Orange Bowl Rice 8, Tennessee 0

1951 Cotton Bowl Tennessee 20, Texas 14 *

1952 Sugar Bowl Maryland 28, Tennessee 13 *

1953 Cotton Bowl Texas 16, Tennessee 0

1957 Sugar Bowl Baylor 13, Tennessee 7

1957 Gator Bowl Tennessee 3, Texas A&M 0

1965 Bluebonnet Bowl Tennessee 27, Tulsa 6

1966 Gator Bowl Tennessee 18, Syracuse 12

1968 Orange Bowl Oklahoma 26, Tennessee 24

1969 Cotton Bowl Texas 36, Tennessee 13

1969 Gator Bowl Florida 14, Tennessee 13

1971 Sugar Bowl Tennessee 34, Air Force 13

1971 Liberty Bowl Tennessee 14, Arkansas 13

1972 Bluebonnet Bowl Tennessee 24, LSU 17

1973 Gator Bowl Texas Tech 28, Tennessee 19

1974 Liberty Bowl Tennessee 7, Maryland 3

1979 Bluebonnet Bowl Purdue 27, Tennessee 22

1981 Garden St. Bowl Tennessee 28, Wisconsin 21

1982 Peach Bowl Iowa 28, Tennessee 22

1983 Citrus Bowl Tennessee 30, Maryland 23

1984 Sun Bowl Maryland 28, Tennessee 27

1986 Sugar Bowl Tennessee 35, Miami Fla. 7

1986 Liberty Bowl Tennessee 21, Minnesota 14

1988 Peach Bowl Tennessee 27, Indiana 22

1990 Cotton Bowl Tennessee 31, Arkansas 27

1991 Sugar Bowl Tennessee 23, Virginia 22

1992 Fiesta Bowl Penn State 42, Tennessee 17

1993 Hall of Fame Bowl Tennessee 38, Boston College 23

1994 Citrus Bowl Penn State 31, Tennessee 13

1994 Gator Bowl Tennessee 45, Virginia Tech 23

1996 Citrus Bowl Tennessee 20, Ohio State 14

1997 Citrus Bowl Tennessee 48, Northwestern 28

1998 Orange Bowl Nebraska 42, Tennessee 17

1999 Fiesta Bowl Tennessee 23, Florida State 16 *

2000 Fiesta Bowl Nebraska 31, Tennessee 21

2001 Cotton Bowl Kansas State 35, Tennessee 21

2002 Citrus Bowl Tennessee 45, Michigan 17

2002 Peach Bowl Maryland 30, Tennessee 3

2004 Peach Bowl Clemson 27, Tennessee 14

2005 Cotton Bowl Tennessee 38, Texas A&M 7

2007 Outback Bowl Penn State 20, Tennessee 10

2008 Outback Bowl Tennessee 21, Wisconsin 17

• = National Champs

All-Time Bowl Appearances

1. Alabama - 56 (32-24)

2. TENNESSEE - 48 (26-22)

2. Texas - 48 (25-21-2)

4. USC - 47 (31-16)

5. Nebraska - 44 (22-22)

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 would have 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 would beat one of the best teams in the country in Georgia 35-14 and secure themselves as SEC East Champions. The Vols would lose 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 has improved dramatically since 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.

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

Name	Position	Years at UT
Phillip Fulmer	Head coach	15
John Chavis	Associate Head Coach Defensive coordinator Linebackers	19
Dave Clawson	Offensive coordinator Quarterbacks	1
Latrell Scott	Wide Receivers	1
Greg Adkins	Offensive Line	4
Dan Brooks	Defensive Line	13
Steve Caldwell	Defensive ends	13
Jason Michael	Tight Ends Offensive Line	1
Stan Drayton	Running Backs	1
Larry Slade	Defensive Backs	8

[edit] Hall of Fame

[edit] 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

[edit] Coaches

• Robert Neyland - Elected 1956
• Doug Dickey - Elected 2003

[edit] Retired numbers

• 16 - Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and SB 41 MVP.
• 32 - Bill Nowling, former fullback (1940-1942) who was killed in World War II.
• 49 - Rudy Klarer, former guard (1941-1942) who was killed in World War II.
• 61 - Willis Tucker, former fullback (1940) who was killed in World War II.
• 62 - Clyde Fuson, former fullback (1942) who was killed in World War II.
• 91 - Doug Atkins, former defensive end for the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and New Orleans Saints, Member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• 92 - Reggie White, former defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, Member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

[edit] Individual Award Winners

[edit] 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

[edit] Coach

• The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award

Phillip Fulmer - 1998

• Broyles Award

David Cutcliffe - 1998

• American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year

John Chavis - 2006

[edit] Past and present players

• Jason Allen, defensive back for the Miami Dolphins
• Bill Bates, former defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys
• Julian Battle, defensive back for the Calgary Stampeders
• Shawn Bryson, former running back for the Detroit Lions
• Kevin Burnett, linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys
• Dale Carter, former defensive back for the Kansas City Chiefs
• Chad Clifton, offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers
• Reggie Cobb, former running back for the NFL
• Dustin Colquitt, punter for the Kansas City Chiefs
• Omar Gaither, linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Deon Grant, defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks
• Jabari Greer, defensive back for the Buffalo Bills
• Shaun Ellis, defensive end for the New York Jets
• Terry Fair, former defensive back for the Detroit Lions
• Aubrayo Franklin, defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers
• Charlie Garner, former running back for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Chris Hannon, wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers
• Parys Haralson, linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers
• Alvin Harper, former wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys
• Justin Harrell, defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers
• Albert Haynesworth, defensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans
• Todd Helton, quarterback, first baseman for the Colorado Rockies
• John Henderson, defensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars
• Travis Henry, running back for the Denver Broncos
• Cedric Houston, running back for the New York Jets
• Anthony Herrera, guard for the Minnesota Vikings
• Andy Kelly, quarterback for the New Orleans VooDoo Arena football
• Mark Jones, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Jamal Lewis, running back for the Cleveland Browns
• Leonard Little, defensive end for the St. Louis Rams
• Jesse Mahelona, defensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons
• Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts
• David Martin, tight end for the Miami Dolphins
• Tee Martin, former quarterback for the Oakland Raiders
• Turk McBride, defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs
• Robert Meachem, wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints
• Marvin Mitchell, linebacker for the New Orleans Saints
• Eric Parker, wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers
• Carl Pickens, former wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans
• Peerless Price, wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills
• Fuad Reveiz, placekicker for the Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers & Minnesota Vikings
• Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds, linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams
• Arron Sears, guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Heath Shuler, former quarterback for the Washington Redskins
• Donté Stallworth, wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns
• 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 Detroit Lions
• Trey Teague, former center for the Buffalo Bills
• Raynoch Thompson, former linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals
• Jonathan Wade, defensive back for the St. Louis Rams
• Darwin Walker, defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears
• Kelley Washington, wide receiver for the New England Patriots
• 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.
• Al Wilson, former linebacker for the Denver Broncos
• Cedrick Wilson, former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Gibril Wilson, defensive back for the New York Giants
• Jason Witten, tight end for the Dallas Cowboys

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official UT Football Web Site

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