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Barack Obama is One of the Worst Presidents Ever So Far…For Tennessee Vols Athletics

By Caleb Calhoun

Jan 12, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; President Barack Obama after delivering the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Network
Jan 12, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; President Barack Obama after delivering the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the United States Capitol in Washington. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Network /
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Nov 22, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; A general view of Neyland Stadium home of theTennessee Volunteers following the game against the Missouri Tigers. Missouri won 29-21. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; A general view of Neyland Stadium home of theTennessee Volunteers following the game against the Missouri Tigers. Missouri won 29-21. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Harry Truman, 1945-1953

Just like his presidency, Harry Truman followed the greatness that Franklin Delano Roosevelt left off. And it starts with the football program.

Under Truman, Barnhill led the Vols to an 8-1 record and a Top 15 finish in 1945. Then, Gen. Robert Neyland returned for his third stint to coach the Vols and once again led them to unprecedented success.

From 1946 to 1952, all during Truman’s presidency, the Vols enjoyed three SEC Championships, two national championships, five Top 25 finishes, four Top 10 finishes, and two Top 5 finishes. It started his first year back, when the Vols went 9-2 and won the SEC.

Then, after two down years with .500 records in 1947 and 1948, Neyland led the Vols back into the Top 25 in 1949 before leading them to an 11-1 record, national title, and Cotton Bowl victory in 1950. In 1951, Neyland provided an encore with a 10-0 regular season and another National Championship. He then retired after going 8-2-1 in 1952, but the success had already been imprinted.

Beyond Neyland and football, the basketball program had three winning seasons, which is always impressive, and the baseball program achieved its greatest success until Rod Delmonico arrived in the 1990s. Tennessee baseball returned in 1947 after a five-year hiatus with a 13-6 record under Ike Peel. Then came S.W. Anderson, who led the Vols to an SEC Championship and College World Series appearance in 1951 with a 20-3 record.

That success alone elevates Truman to No. 3. But the guy ahead of him was his predecessor.

Next: #2: FDR

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