John R. Bender – Syndication Server

Vols’ football history 1919-1920: Head coach John R. Bender

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

This installment will focus on the 1919 and 1920 seasons when Tennessee was coached by John R. Bender.

Bender came to Rocky Top in 1916 and immediately made and impact on the Vols’ program. He went 8-0-1 in his first season at Tennessee, where he also coached baseball and basketball.

After his first season, the United States entered World War I and UT officially suspended the football for the third time, and second time due to war.

UT officially dropped the sport after the 1893 season due to supposed lack of interest. Football returned in 1896, but the Vols did not field a team in 1898 due to the Spanish-American War.

During the first World War, Bender served as a military instructor in South Carolina while many of his players were called to serve.

Bender’s 1919 squad went 3-3-3 and the Vols posted a 7-2 mark in 1920.

Before coming to Tennessee, Bender a graduate of Nebraska, coached at South Dakota State, Washington State and Kansas State.

He also coached basketball and baseball for the Cougars and in Manhattan.

Bender had a winning record in all three sports, going 67-32-7 in football. He was 41-18 in basketball and 85-33-1 in baseball.

Vols’ football history 1916: Head coach John R. Bender

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

This installment will focus on the 1916 campaign, the first under head coach John R. Bender.

Bender was officially head coach at Tennessee from 1916-21, but his tenure was interrupted during 1917 and 1918 due to World War I.

During those two year’s the University of Tennessee Athletic Association officially suspended the football program because many players were called into military service and Bender was enlisted as an instructor at Camp John Sevier in Greenville, S.C.

During Bender’s first season on Rocky Top, the Vols went 8-0-1 with the only blemish on their record being a 0-0 tie against Kentucky State in Knoxville on Nov. 30.

During that year, Tennessee beat Vanderbilt, Florida, South Carolina, Clemson, Sewanee, Chattanooga, Tusculum and Maryville College.

Bender’s overall record at Tennessee was 18-5-4.

Vols’ basketball history 1916-1921: John R. Bender and R.H. Fitzgerald

Tennessee basketball’s history covers over a century, and Vols Wire will explore the history of the program by examining each head coaches’ tenure at UT.

This installment will examine the 1916-1921 seasons when UT was coached by John R. Bender and R.H. Fitzgerald.

The early 1900s was an uncertain time in terms of sports leadership. Most college coaches led multiple sports, if teams were not run by the players themselves. The University of Tennessee was no different, as the Vols typically had the head football coach run the basketball, baseball and track programs.

Z.G. Clevenger had departed for Kansas State in 1916, leaving behind a successful run that included winning over 71 percent of his games and an undefeated final season that left the Vols as the best team in the South.

Former Kansas State coach John R. Bender took over in 1916, swapping schools with Clevenger as America was approaching a time where athletics was hardly a priority during World War I. Bender led the Vols to a 10-5 campaign in his first season, and was quickly replaced by R.H. Fitzgerald for two years. Fitzgerald’s teams performed very poorly, going 3-9-1 and 2-6. Bender regained control of the team in 1919 and went two more seasons, going 11-3 and 8-7. Throughout this period, Bender coached Tennessee’s football team.

After the 1920-21 campaign, Bender moved on to become the head baseball coach at Washington State.

Vols’ football history 1917-1918: World War I years

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

This installment will focus on the 1917 and 1918 seasons when the University of Tennessee Athletic Council, chaired by Professor Nathan W. Dougherty, officially suspended the football program because many of UT’s varsity players were called for military service.

Tennessee’s head coach, John R. Bender, was also summoned to serve as a military instructor at Camp John Sevier in Greenville, S.C.

While the UT football program was on hiatus during wartime, two unofficial teams were formed by Army recruits and students. One team represented a training unit called the Fighting Mechanics. The other was Student Army Training Corps (SATC).

In 1917, the campus team went 0-3. The following year, the squad went 3-2, winning its final three games over Maryville, Milligan and Tennessee Military Institute after losses to Sewanee and Vanderbilt.