Tennessee shuts out Oklahoma in 1939 Orange Bowl

A look back at Tennessee’s shutout win against Oklahoma in the 1939 Orange Bowl.

No. 7 Tennessee (3-0) will play Oklahoma (3-0) Saturday in Week 4 of the 2024 college football season. Saturday’s contest will be the Southeastern Conference opener for both schools.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. ABC will televise the SEC contest.

Saturday will mark the fifth game in the series between the Vols and Sooners, and the first meeting as conference opponents.

Tennessee and Oklahoma first played each other during the 1939 Orange Bowl at Burdine Stadium in Miami, Florida. The game was contested on Jan. 2, 1939.

Tennessee won its first national championship in school history during the 1938 season.

Tennessee (11-0, 7-0 SEC), under head coach Robert Neyland, defeated the Sooners, 17-0.

Tennessee led, 10-0, at halftime, after an 8-yard run by Bob Foxx.

Captain Bowden Wyatt extended the Vols’ lead to 10-0 after a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Babe Wood scored on a 19-yard touchdown run for the final score in the fourth quarter.

Tennessee had three All-America performers on the 1938 team, including Wyatt, George Cafego and Bob Suffridge.

Following their playing careers, Wyatt and Cafego returned to Tennessee to coach.

Wyatt was the Vols’ head coach from 1955-62. Cafego was an assistant coach at Tennessee from 1955-84, serving under five head coaches including Wyatt, Jim McDonald, Doug Dickey, Bill Battle and Johnny Majors.

Cafego was also Tennessee’s head baseball coach from 1958-62.

Suffridge played football at Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee.