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Tennessee football: Ranking Vols 5 previous seasons after no NFL Draft picks

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 5: The Tennessee Volunteers mascot Smokey runs through the end zone after a score against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 5, 2013 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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2. 1960: 6-2-2 (3-2-2)

5th in SEC

Final ranking: Unranked (AP); No. 18 (Coaches)

Three years before Jim McDonald took over, Bowden Wyatt showed the first signs of Tennessee football slipping from the Robert Neyland magic under his leadership. And it showed by them being shut out of the 1960 NFL Draft.

This was only the second season since the draft began that the Vols had no players taken, the first being all the way back to the third draft in NFL history. We’ll be getting to that one soon. Here, you just need to know about the collapse of the program.

Following the 1956 10-0 season behind Johnny Majors, the Vols went 8-3 in 1957 before stumbling to 4-6 in 1958. They got back to 5-4-1 in 1959, a season highlighted by the legendary stop to upset the No. 1 ranked LSU Tigers 14-13 in Knoxville. However, they lost three straight after that and then had no players taken in the draft.

Related Story. Top 10 Vols who weren't first-round NFL Draft picks. light

Wyatt responded, though, by teasing fans just enough with a bit of a rising program in 1960. It was a trick Phillip Fulmer always seemed to pull when his seat got warmer. Anyway, the Vols opened the year beating their arch-rival, the Auburn Tigers.

Three weeks later, UT beat the Alabama Crimson Tide. A series of wins had them up to No. 8 in November before back to back losses to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Ole Miss Rebels. But they did finish 6-2-2 and in the Top 20. Doing that plus beating their two two rivals made this a solid season and a very good one coming off no players drafted.

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