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.