Vols’ football history 1902-1903: Head coach H.F. Fisher

Vols’ football history 1902-1903: Head coach H.F. Fisher

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 1902 and 1903 seasons and the tenure of head coach H.F. Fisher.

Fisher, who replaced George Kelley on Rocky Top, was also a Princeton graduate as was his predecessor. He went 10-7 in two seasons with the Volunteers.

He began his two-year stay in Knoxville by posting a 6-2 record in 1902.

The Journal and Tribune, Oct. 11, 1902
The Journal and Tribune, Oct. 11, 1902

That year, Tennessee opened the campaign with shutouts of King College and Maryville College before losing to Vanderbilt, 12-5. All those games were played at home as was the Vols’ 6-0 victory over Sewanee, a team that had been a nemesis for UT in previous seasons.

Tennessee also had wins over Mississippi, Nashville and Georgia Tech before closing the season with an 11-0 loss to Clemson at home to close out the campaign.

In 1903, the Vols went 4-5 and had wins over Maryville and Carson-Newman before losing to the Commodores.

Tennessee also had wins over Georgia Tech and Nashville. The Vols lost to Sewanee, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia in 1903.