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Tennessee football: Vols 5 best seasons with second-year head coach

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

4. Doug Dickey – 1965

8-1-2 (2-1-2); No. 7 AP and Coaches

Won Bluebonnet Bowl

The man who preceded Bill Battle and actually built the program had a better second year than Battle did. This is an indicator of a coach having a successful run and their second year being indicative of it. Doug Dickey’s 1965 season set the stage for an epic 10-year run for the Vols that included five top 10 finishes, two SEC titles and a retroactive national title.

Dickey took over Tennessee football with the program in a bit of turmoil. They had gone 5-5 the year before under Jim McDonald, and McDonald was there for only one year, succeeding Bowden Wyatt, who had gone 4-6 in 1962. Dickey had to update the offense, which he did by installing the T-formation.

Combining that with new traditions he started like Running Through the T was a selling point to recruits. It worked, but he had nothing to work with on his 1964 team, which is why he had a losing record his first year at 4-5-1.

In 1965, though, he could finally play some of his recruits, and players were more acclimated to his system. The result was a dramatic turnaround. The Vols tied the Auburn Tigers and eventual national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. But at 3-0-2, they scored their signature win by beating the No. 7 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Of course, the year before, UT beat GT and tied the LSU Tigers when both were in the top 10 as well before losing their next three to end the year. A one-point loss to the Ole Miss Rebels following this year’s Tech win raised those concerns again.

But this year was different. The Vols beat the Kentucky Wildcats and the Vanderbilt Commodores, and then they closed out the regular season with a thrilling 37-34 victory over the No. 5 ranked UCLA Bruins in Memphis. They then beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the Bluebonnet Bowl to finish 8-1-2 and in the top 10. That Ole Miss loss made them just miss out on the SEC title.

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