KNOXVILLE — University of Tennessee football is rich in tradition and Vols Wire will explore the program by examining each head coach’s tenure.
This installment will focus on the one-year stint of Jim McDonald as the Volunteers’ head coach.
McDonald took over for Bowden Wyatt, his former boss, and was the head coach on Rocky Top for just one year.
Under his guidance, the Volunteers went 5-5 and if one word could describe McDonald’s brief tenure as head coach, it would be streaky.
He won his first game as head coach as he guided UT to a 34-6 victory over Richmond.
The Vols then dropped four consecutive games to Auburn, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech and Alabama.
Tennessee then won consecutive tilts against Chattanooga and Tulane before losing to Ole Miss.
McDonald won his final two games as head coach against Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Three of McDonald’s wins were shutouts.
After coaching at Tennessee, McDonald became an assistant athletic director.
His son, James Jr., played defensive end for the Vols in 1967.
Before coming to UT, McDonald went to Ohio State where he played football and basketball for the Buckeyes.
He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1938 NFL Draft and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles but never played for them. McDonald was a running back for the Detroit Lions in 1938 and 1939. He had 192 all-purpose yards in his career.