A look at Robert Neyland’s ties to Tennessee and Texas A&M.
No. 17 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) will host Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 SEC) on Saturday at Neyland Stadium (3:30 p.m. EDT, CBS).
The Vols and Texas A&M, despite facing each other four times, share a historical connection.
Legendary 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 at Tennessee 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.
Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. EDT at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. CBS will televise the SEC East matchup.
Each week, Vols Wire will look at one of the Vols’ memorable games against their upcoming opponent.
This installment revisits Tennessee’s victory over the Bulldogs on Oct. 31, 1936.
The Tennessee-Georgia series dates to 1899. The two teams have played annually since 1992.
The 1936 matchup was historic, marking Robert Neyland’s only game at Georgia as Tennessee’s head coach. He served as the Vols’ head coach during three stints (1926–34, 1936–40, 1946–52), compiling a 173–31–12 record and winning four national championships.
Tennessee defeated the Bulldogs, 46-0, in 1936, the Vols’ largest margin of victory during the series.
1936 Tennessee at Georgia. The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Nov. 1, 1936.1936 Tennessee at Georgia. The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Nov. 1, 1936.
Neyland faced Georgia twice during his tenure as Tennessee’s head coach. He won both games against the Bulldogs, guiding Tennessee to a 32-0 home win in 1937.
Prior to the 1936 matchup, Tennessee and Georgia had not played against each other since 1925.
Following the 1937 game, the Vols did not play Georgia again until 1968.
Tennessee finished its 1936 campaign with a 6-2-2 record, while the Bulldogs went 5-4-1.
Tennessee’s Phil Dickens was drafted by the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals following the 1936 season. He was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft (52nd overall).
PHOTOS: Tennessee football head coaches through the years
Tennessee has a storied football program that began play in 1891.
The Vols have won six national championships (1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967, 1998). Robert Neyland won four national championships as Tennessee’s head coach, while Doug Dickey and Phillip Fulmer each guided the Vols to one title.
Tennessee has won 13 Southeastern Conference championships: Phillip Fulmer (2), Johnny Majors (3), Doug Dickey (2), Bowden Wyatt (1) and Robert Neyland (5).
UT won two Southern Conference championships under Neyland in 1927 and 1932.
Tennessee also won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in 1914 under head coach Zora G. Clevenger.
Below are photos of Tennessee’s head coaches through the years.
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.
A look at how the SEC was formed by leaving a 23-team super conference.
Tennessee competed in the Southern Conference from 1921-32.
The Southern Conference, a super conference, consisted of 23 schools: Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ole Miss, Sewanee, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane, Vanderbilt, Virginia, VMI, VPI and Washington and Lee.
In 1932, 13 schools of the Southern Conference departed and formed their own conference.
13 members of the Southern Conference located west and south of the Appalachian Mountains departed to form the Southeastern Conference. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Sewanee, Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt were the founding institutions of the newly formed Southeastern Conference.
Separation to form the new conference was in part of having more of a focus on better athletic administration with fewer teams from the 23 schools of the Southern Conference. The Southern Conference also planned on increasing eligibility requirements.
The Southeastern Conference was formed in Knoxville, Tennessee at the Andrew Johnson Hotel on Dec. 8-9, 1932, during the annual Southern Conference banquet.
The Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville where the SEC was formed in December 1932. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols WireKnoxville News-Sentinel – December 10, 1932Knoxville News-Sentinel – December 10, 1932
Dr. John J. Tigert, president of the University of Florida, spoke for the 13 institutions and formally presented resignations at the meeting in Knoxville.
Dr. Frank L. McVey, president of the University of Kentucky, was named president of the SEC, J.F. Broussard of LSU was elected vice president and A.H. Armstrong of Georgia Tech was named secretary.
Knoxville News-Sentinel – December 7, 1932The Daily News-Journal – December 17, 1932
Tennessee head coach Robert Neyland returned to Knoxville in time to attend the conference meetings at the Andrew Johnson Hotel following his mother’s death in Greenville, Texas.
Neyland also turned down an offer to become Fordham’s head coach. He was approached by Fordham officials while attending the Army-Notre Dame game at Yankee Stadium, Nov. 26, 1932. Fordham was looking to replace Hall of Fame head coach Frank Cavanaugh following his final season.
The Army-Notre Dame game was two days following Tennessee defeating Kentucky, 26-0, played on a Thursday. The Vols then finished the 1932 unbeaten season by defeating Florida in Jacksonville on Dec. 3, days before the conference meetings in Knoxville.
Knoxville News-Sentinel – November 25, 1932
Rules for showcasing athletics was at the forefront of the meetings. Due to the Great Depression, game attendance for many schools began to decline and many institutions and conferences established bans on radio broadcasts in order to have more people attend games. That was not an issue for the newly formed SEC as the conference would lift a broadcasting ban on football games along with awarding sites for athletic championships. Atlanta was named host city for the SEC’s basketball tournament, while tennis and boxing were awarded to New Orleans. The annual writer’s meeting was awarded to Baton Rouge.
Reinstating Vanderbilt’s Julian Foster was also a topic of discussion after being ruled ineligible by the Southern Conference for the 1932 football season. Foster was deemed ineligible after violating a summer baseball rule that did not allow playing in more than three games per week.
Knoxville News-Sentinel – December 10, 1932Inside the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville where the SEC was formed. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols WireThe Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville where the SEC was formed. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
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.
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.
