General Neyland – Syndication Server

Blake Neyland discusses how General Neyland’s Texas A&M connection led him to Tennessee

Blake Neyland, grandson of Robert Neyland, discusses General Neyland’s connection between Tennessee and Texas A&M, and how the two schools playing for a baseball national championship is “just too rich.”

The College World Series will conclude with a best-of-three national championship series, Saturday-Monday, between Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Both schools have a connection with College Football Hall of Fame head coach Robert Neyland.

Neyland played football and baseball at Texas A&M for head coach Charley Moran in both sports. Moran, a Nashville, Tennessee native, played football for the Vols in 1897.

While at Texas A&M, Neyland had a desire to go to Army in West Point, New York. He would play football and baseball, while also competing in boxing at Army.

Neyland launched his football coaching career in 1919 as an assistant at Army before becoming head coach at Tennessee in 1926, one year after serving as an assistant with the Vols.

Moran played a role in Neyland being hired at Tennessee.

The College World Series Finals between Tennessee and Texas A&M has allowed for Blake Neyland, grandson of General Neyland, to revisit his grandfather’s ties with both schools.

Blake Neyland revisited the book ‘Neyland: The Gridiron General’ ahead of the national championship series. He discussed the unique series with Vols Wire.

“Him playing baseball at Texas A&M, and now Tennessee playing them in the College World Series, is just too rich,” Neyland told Vols Wire. “He always loved and appreciated Charley Moran, it seemed. When he was accepted into West Point, Moran tried to talk him out of it. His dad also tried to talk him out of it, and tried to talk him into going to Texas being a lawyer and a family lawyer business. Yet at 18, he had the wherewithal to say no to both of them. He had his mindset on West Point. Perhaps the only coach, that I am aware of, that had that extensive of a military career and as a college football coach is remarkable.

“What really struck me was kind of a divine intervention. The General had no connection to the University of Tennessee, per se, but for whatever reason Tennessee went looking for a football coach and heard about Robert Neyland, a captain from West Point. Tennessee pursued him, and then Charley Moran, at the time was at Bucknell, he vouched for him and told Tennessee he would be a good choice. It is just amazing how that Texas A&M connection led him to Tennessee.”

A look at Robert Neyland’s ties to College World Series finalists

A look at Robert Neyland’s ties to the 2024 College World Series finalists, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

No. 1 overall seed Tennessee (58-12, 22-8 SEC) will play No. 3 overall seed Texas A&M (52-13, 19-11 SEC) in the championship series of the College World Series.

The best-of-three championship series will be contested at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. Game No. 1 is slated for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

The two schools share a historical connection.

Former Tennessee football head coach Robert Neyland played football and baseball at Texas A&M. He played for head coach Charley Moran in both sports. Moran played football for the Vols in 1897.

Neyland later transferred to Army, where he played football, baseball and competed in boxing for the Cadets.

Neyland served three stints as the Vols’ football head coach, leaving twice due to military service commitments. During Neyland’s first stint in Knoxville from 1926-34, he had five undefeated seasons (1927-29, 1931-32) and guided Tennessee to winning streaks of 33 and 28 games.

After serving in Panama, Neyland returned to Tennessee from 1936-40, winning national championships in 1938 and 1940 before another military service call.

Neyland returned as the Vols’ head coach, serving from 1946-52, winning two more national titles in 1950-51.

He was also Tennessee’s athletics director from 1936-41 and 1946-52. Neyland compiled a head coaching record of 173-31-12. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956 and Tennessee’s stadium is named in his honor.

VFL Ted Schwanger on General Neyland’s last team provides Vols-Georgia score prediction

VFL Ted Schwanger, on General Neyland’s last team at Tennessee, provides a Tennessee-Georgia score prediction.

No. 3 Tennessee (8-0, 4-0 SEC) will play at No. 1 Georgia (8-0, 5-0 SEC) Saturday in Week 10.

Rankings reflect the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

The Vols are No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, while Georgia is No. 3.

Kickoff between the Vols and Bulldogs is slated for 3:30 p.m. EDT. CBS will televise the SEC East matchup from Sanford Stadium.

Former Vol Ted Schwanger provided a score prediction to Vols Wire ahead of the contest. Schwanger is predicting a score of Tennessee 45, Georgia 38.

Schwanger played for Tennessee from 1952-53.

Schwanger, from Sandusky, Ohio, was committed to Michigan State before arriving at Tennessee to play for Neyland.

Michigan State was coming off a national championship season in 1951 (Billingsley, Helms, and Poling) and were led by Hall of Fame head coach Biggie Munn.

Tennessee also won the national championship in 1951 (Associated Press, Litkenhous, UPI and Williamson).

“When they (Tennessee) were recruiting me, Tennessee was No. 1 and Michigan State was No. 2 in the country,” Schwanger told Vols Wire.

Schwanger lived 180 miles from East Lansing and was set to attend Michigan State and play for Munn.

“I was going there every other weekend and played golf with Biggie Munn a couple of times,” he said.

Schwanger planned on working at General Motors the summer before college, but workers went on strike.

“At that time we had a General Motors plant in Sandusky,” Schwanger said. “It’s funny how things happen in your lifetime. I was supposed to have a job at the General Motors plant for that summer and they went on strike.

“So Tennessee called me and wanted me to come and visit. I had never been on an airplane, so I thought why not? I went there for three or four days and took my golf clubs. I called my mother and told her I wasn’t going to come home.”

Ted Schwanger, The Knoxville News Sentinel, Dec. 1, 1952

Robert Neyland, coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers. (AP Photo/Horace Cort)

Schwanger never questioned why Neyland and his assistants went after him as hard as they did.

“I never really asked why they came so hard,” Schwanger said of Tennessee. “The only thing I could think of was maybe they lost somebody that was planning on coming there and changed their mind at the last minute. You could do that back then because you did not sign a letter of intent, so it was wide open.

“I had planned on going to Michigan State and two or three weeks before, Tennessee’s defensive line coach Farmer Johnson visited me. He said I can also bring my brother with me and he can be a manager. He said the first year you will be able to play some because we have Andy Kozar (fullback) coming back. At Michigan State, freshmen still could not play at that time. The NCAA was trying to get more equal teams than the big schools getting all the players. I think Tennessee came real hard at me because they also realized the next year we were going to have to play both ways.”

With the Korean War escalating in the early 1950s, most major conferences allowed freshmen to play. Schwanger was able to play during his first season at Tennessee in 1952.

Schwanger finished his Tennessee career with 743 rushing yards on 142 attempts and scored two touchdowns.

He met his eventual wife while playing at Tennessee and left UT following the 1953 season. Schwanger and his wife married after the 1953 season and Neyland had a rule if you were married, you then lost your scholarship.

“I made a good choice going to Tennessee for two years,” Schwanger said. “If you got married, it meant you lost your scholarship and I got married after my sophomore year.”

[vertical-gallery id=48057]

5 most iconic men’s sports head coaches all time at Tennessee

A look at the five most iconic men’s sports head coaches all time at Tennessee.

Tennessee (1-0) will play at No. 14 Pittsburgh (1-0) Saturday in the second edition of the Johnny Majors Classic, honoring the legacy of Johnny Majors.

Majors served as Pittsburgh’s head coach from 1973-76 and 1993-96, winning the 1976 national championship.

After winning the 1976 national championship with Pittsburgh, Majors returned to his alma mater, Tennessee, as the Vols’ head coach. Majors won the Southeastern Conference championship at Tennessee in 1985, 1989 and 1990.

He was an All-American tailback and a Heisman Memorial Trophy runner-up for the Vols in 1956 and a two-time Southeastern Conference MVP in 1955-56. Majors was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Ahead of the 2022 Johnny Majors Classic, Vols Wire looks at the five most iconic head coaches in men’s sports (football, men’s basketball, baseball) all time at the University of Tennessee. In collaboration with Ken Lay of Vols Wire, below are the five most iconic head coaches in men’s sports at Tennessee.

U-Too, Vandy!: The story of Tennessee’s 1928 win at Vanderbilt

The Tennessee-Vanderbilt football series was first played on Oct. 21, 1892 in Nashville.

Vanderbilt held an 11-0-1 record against the Vols through the first 12 games in the in-state series. Tennessee’ first victory against the Commodores took place on Nov. 7, 1914 in Knoxville.

The Vols were victorious for the first time at Dudley Field in Nashville during the 1928 season.

Tennessee entered the Nov. 12, 1928 contest with a 7-0 record under third-year head coach Robert Neyland. The Commodores, under Dan McGugin in his 24th year as Vanderbilt’s head coach, entered with a 6-1 record.

Many Tennessee fans traveled to Nashville in search for the program’s first win against Vanderbilt at Dudley Field. A popular slogan was created amongst Tennessee fans celebrating the Vols’ 7-0 start and awaiting an in-state road win: “U-Too, Vandy!”

The Vols would become victorious for the first time against Vanderbilt in Nashville, winning 6-0, and capturing UT’s first win in the series since 1916. The win also marked Neyland’s first against the Commodores as Tennessee’s head coach.

Below are clippings from Tennessee’s 1928 win against Vanderbilt in front of 25,000 fans.

Robert Neyland Jr. impressed with Josh Heupel at Tennessee

VFL Robert Neyland Jr. is impressed with Josh Heupel at Tennessee.

Tennessee (4-2, 2-1 SEC) will host No. 14 Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC) Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Week 7.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the matchup.

Tennessee enters Week 7 with victories against Bowling Green, Tennessee Tech, at Missouri and South Carolina, while suffering defeats against Pittsburgh and at Florida.

Robert Neyland Jr., a former Tennessee football player and son of legendary head coach General Robert Neyland, discussed the Vols under Josh Heupel.

Neyland Jr. said he is “definitely impressed” with Heupel as Tennessee’s head coach.

“They rushed for 450 yards (at Missouri),” Neyland Jr. told Vols Wire. “Their defense has done pretty good, too. I am just pleased as I can be. I don’t know the last time Tennessee scored 62 points, it has been a good long while.

“I am very impressed with Coach Heupel and his staff. I think Hendon Hooker has done well. He can run, as well as throw.”

Neyland Jr. played for his father on UT’s 1951 national championship team.

[vertical-gallery id=48057]

Hugh Freeze recites General Neyland’s Maxims

Watch Hugh Freeze recite General Neyland’s Maxims.

The 2020 college football season concluded Monday as Alabama defeated Ohio State in the national championship game.

Part of ESPN’s telecast of the national championship game was “Film Room.”

Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson, former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze and North Carolina A&T’s Sam Washington analyzed the matchup from a X’s and O’s standpoint.

General Neyland’s Maxims live on throughout football. @CoachHughFreeze pic.twitter.com/vqTJg4R4BV

— Dan Harralson (@danharralson) January 12, 2021

During the game, Freeze recited one of General Robert Neyland’s Game Maxims.

“You always talk about in these games — when a break comes our way, man, we got to score, we got to take advantage,” Freeze said.

General Neyland’s Maxims

1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.

2. Play for and make the breaks and when one comes your way – SCORE!

3. If at first the game or the breaks go against you, don’t let up… put on more steam.

4. Protect our kickers, our QB, our lead and our ball game.

5. Ball, oskie, cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle… for this is “THE WINNING EDGE.”

6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.

7. Carry the fight to (our opponent) and keep it there for 60 minutes.

[vertical-gallery id=31910]

1928 Tennessee-Florida: Robert Neyland, Vols defeat Gators in unbeaten December matchup

A look at the Tennessee-Florida game played on Dec. 8, 1928.

Tennessee and Florida will play on Dec. 1 during the 2020 season.

The Vols and Gators have played five times in December all-time.

On Dec. 8, 1928, Tennessee and Florida faced each other as unbeaten teams to conclude the season. It was the first meeting between the two schools in December.

Tennessee defeated the Gators, 13-12, at Shields-Watkins Field in Knoxville.

The Vols finished the 1928 campaign 9-0-1, as a scoreless tie against Kentucky was Tennessee’s only non-win that season.

Florida entered the season finale undefeated and untied. It was the first season for Charlie Bachman as the Gators’ head coach.

Bachman played at Notre Dame. He ran the Notre Dame Box offense at Florida, leading the nation in scoring with 336 points.

During game week, Tennessee head coach Robert Neyland suffered from the flu and spent a lot of time in preparation for Florida staying in bed at his 2111 Terrace Ave. home.

Neyland lived there from 1927-29. The house was demolished in 2018.

Below are archives from the 1928 Tennessee-Florida game.

Knoxville News-Sentinel, December 4, 1928

Pages: 1234

VFL Ted Schwanger details Kentucky’s controversial win against Tennessee in 1953

VFL Ted Schwanger details Kentucky’s controversial win against Tennessee in 1953.

During General Robert Neyland’s final stint as Tennessee’s head coach (1946-52) was his series coaching against Bear Bryant at Kentucky. Bryant began his Kentucky head coaching tenure in 1946, which lasted through the 1953 season.

The General and Bear squared off annually from 1946-52 with Neyland never losing, going 5-0-2 against Bryant.

Neyland retired following the 1952 season as Harvey Robinson took over as the Vols’ head coach. Bryant would stay as Kentucky’s head coach one more season, leaving for Texas A&M after the 1953 campaign.

Knoxville News-Sentinel, November 22, 1953

Bear Bryant was finally victorious over Tennessee in 1953, winning 27-21 in Lexington.

The win was questionable after Kentucky running back Ralph Paolone scored a touchdown after taking a pitch from quarterback Bob Hardy. Hardy’s knee appeared to be down before pitching the ball, causing Tennessee’s defense to think the play had ended.

Ted Schwanger played on Tennessee’s defense and was in front of Hardy as his knee went down before the pitch.

Schwanger discussed the play that caused Kentucky to become victorious over Tennessee for the first time since 1935.

The former Vol said on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” that “there is no doubt” Hardy’s knee was down.

“I was right there,” Schwanger said. “Paolone, he ran right by me. I’m thinking the play is dead — back then they did not have replay like they do today. If they had replay, they could have called it right.

“Those things happen so fast, especially with a quarterback coming down there and he has an option. If that end plays loose, he can cut up inside, or if you come down he can pitch it. We were hitting him as he was coming down and I thought his knee was down, but the referee did not see it that way.”

The entire interview with Schwanger can be listened to here or below. The former Vol discusses his commitment process to Neyland, playing for the General and the Beer Barrel that has been part of the Tennessee-Kentucky series.

Tennessee Two-A-Days · Ted Schwanger – 2020 Week 4 Tennessee-Kentucky

[vertical-gallery id=28916]

Vols’ football history 1926-1934, 1936-1940, 1946-1952: Head coach Robert Neyland

KNOXVILLE — University of Tennessee football is rich in tradition and Vols Wire will explore the program by examining each head coach’s tenure at UT.

This installment will focus on the career of Robert Neyland, who was head coach at Tennessee three different times.

A military member, Neyland was called into military service three times while coaching the Volunteers.

He is the father of modern Vols’ football and compiled a coaching record of 173-31-12 at Tennessee.

Tennessee now plays its home football games in a stadium that bears his name.

Neyland first came to UT as an assistant coach in 1925. He was a lineman at Army, where he was also an assistant coach for the Cadets.

Neyland’s first stint as UT’s head coach ran from 1926-34, and during that time he went 76-7-5 and lost just one game in his first three seasons. He was 8-1 in 1926, losing to Vanderbilt in Nashville, 20-3.

In 1927, under his guidance, the Vols went 8-0-1 and won the 1927 Southern Conference championship. The only blemish on Tennessee’s record was a 7-7 tie against the Commodores on homecoming in Knoxville.

In 1928, Neyland guided the Volunteers to a 9-0-1 record. He beat Vanderbilt for the first time and played Kentucky to a scoreless tie in Knoxville before closing out the regular season with a 13-12 victory over Florida.

Between 1929 and 1932, Neyland posted a coaching record of 36-1-3 and guided the Vols to another Southern Conference title.

The Southeastern Conference welcomed the Vols in 1933 when Tennessee went 7-3 and 5-2 in the league. In 1934, UT went 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference before Neyland was called into service in the Panama Canal Zone. He was away from the game for one year and was replaced by assistant coach W.H. Britton, who went 4-5 in 1935.

Neyland returned to Rocky Top in 1936 when he went 6-2-2. In 1937, he again won six games before going 11-0 and winning the national championship in 1938.

Over the next two seasons under Neyland, the Big Orange went 20-2, winning a pair of SEC titles and another national championship in 1940.

The military called Neyland away again between 1941-45 and assistant John Barnhill was elevated to head coach.

Neyland, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956, returned to Tennessee in 1946.

He won two more SEC titles and back-to-back national championships in 1951 and 1952.

Neyland served as athletic director at Tennessee between 1936-41 and again from 1946-62.