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Tennessee football: Vols 10 most improved years after missing bowl game

By Caleb Calhoun

Andy Kelly #8, Quarterback for the University of Tennessee Volunteers runs the ball during the NCAA Southwest Conference Cotton Bowl Classic championship college football game against the University of Arkansas Razorbacks on 1 January 1990 at the Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, Texas, United States. The Tennessee Volunteers won the game 31 - 27. (Photo by Joe Patronite/Allsport/Getty Images)
Andy Kelly #8, Quarterback for the University of Tennessee Volunteers runs the ball during the NCAA Southwest Conference Cotton Bowl Classic championship college football game against the University of Arkansas Razorbacks on 1 January 1990 at the Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, Texas, United States. The Tennessee Volunteers won the game 31 - 27. (Photo by Joe Patronite/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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3. 1956 (10-1, 6-0)

1955 record: 6-3-1 (3-2-1)

We already had 1955 on here. Well, Tennessee football did not make a bowl game that season, so there was a chance for bigger improvement in 1956 entering Bowden Wyatt’s second season. That’s exactly what happened.

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Despite not being one of the many superstars to play for Robert Neyland, Johnny Majors used this year to become the favorite son on Rocky Top. He had 12 touchdowns and again over 1,100 total yards of rushing and passing.

In fact, it’s universally recognized that Majors, not Peyton Manning, suffered the worst robber in the Heisman Trophy ever when he came in second this season to Paul Hornung of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame was 2-8, and Hornung had three touchdowns to 13 interceptions.

Anyway, the Vols rolled through the season en route to a 10-0 record. Their highlights included a 6-0 win on the road against the No. 2 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and a 27-7 win the next week over the No. 19 ranked Ole Miss Rebels.

The Vols finished the season with an SEC Championship, and many people thought they had a right to claim a part of the national championship. Those were squashed a bit, however, after their 13-7 Sugar Bowl loss to the Baylor Bears.

Still, UT went 10-1 and dominated the SEC. It was one of the greatest seasons in the history of the program and at the time made Wyatt seem like the perfect hire for the job as the favorite son coming home.

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