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.
The Vols had just seen plenty of success, including an SEC title in Blair Gullion’s three years, and hired John Mauer as his replacement in 1938. Mauer was an Illinois alum that made a name for himself as the head coach at Kentucky from 1927-30, preceding Adolph Rupp with a successful 40-14 run.
Mauer came to Knoxville after eight years at Miami of Ohio, and kept Gullion’s momentum alive. The Vols won the SEC title again in 1941, edging out Kentucky in the final in Louisville, 36-33. Tennessee repeated the achievement in 1943, once again besting Kentucky in the final played in Louisville. Bernie Mehen and Gilbert Huffman were added to Tennessee’s list of All-Americans under Mauer.
While at Tennessee, Mauer also worked as the head baseball coach and as an assistant football coach, leading the defensive back unit. After eight seasons, Mauer left Tennessee with a record of 127-41, giving him the best winning percentage in Tennessee basketball history at .756. He would move on to lead Army, and then Florida, but returned to Knoxville after his career and died there in 1978 at age 77.