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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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3. John Barnhill – 1942

9-1-1 (4-1); No. 7 AP

Won Sugar Bowl

Tennessee football’s first stint after Robert Neyland only lasted a year. Longtime assistant W.H. Britton filled in for him in 1935 only to guide the Vols to a losing record. But Neyland then returned and led Rocky Top to arguably the best three-year run in history from 1938 to 1940.

Then Neyland was called to service in World War II in 1941, and John Barnhill took over. This time, Neyland’s successor was a UT graduate, but he was still a longtime trusted assistant. And after an 8-2 season in 1941, Barnhill actually improved the Vols the next year.

Rocky Top opened the year with a surprising tie at the eventual 1-7-1 South Carolina Gamecocks. Then they lost 8-0 to the Alabama Crimson Tide to start the year 2-1-1. But after that, they were able to regroup and go on a run.

The Vols’ most notable win was a 26-0 victory over the No. 19 ranked LSU Tigers. They ended up winning out and earning a Sugar Bowl berth despite technically not winning the SEC Championship. In that bowl game, they scored a 14-7 victory over the No 4 ranked Tulsa Golden Hurricane. So they had a top 10 finish and a Sugar Bowl victory.

Sounds like a great second season. This was the last team UT would field before cancelling the 1943 team due to the war. Still, Barnhill returned for two more Top 15 seasons and a Rose Bowl appearance before Neyland returned. So Barnhill kept the program afloat, and this year showed it. This wasn’t indicative of failure or long-term success since Barnhill just filled in for Neyland.

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