Tennessee football: Defining Vols history by 10 Disney animation eras

Disney: Bronze Age (1970-1988)

Tennessee: Post-Robert Neyland era (1953-1964)

The death of Walt and Roy Disney had the same effect on the company that Robert Neyland’s retirement due to health reasons, and subsequent death, had on Tennessee football. So it makes sense that the Bronze Ages, or the Dark Ages, would parallel the Post-Neyland years on Rocky Top.

Early post-Disney films were still successful with films such as “The Aristocats,” “Robin Hood” and “Winnie the Pooh.” Even “The Rescuers” and “The Fox and the Hound” had their moments. But overall, this period was highly forgettable.

That was similar to the Vols. They had to fire Harvey Robinson after going .500 in two seasons post-Neyland. In fact, Neyland fired him. Then Bowden Wyatt took over, and, well, there were flashes just like the Bronze Age of Disney. Neyland as A.D. is similar to Disney after Walt’s death but while Roy was still alive. But then Roy’s death paralleled Neyland’s.

Wyatt had the 1956 team and Johnny Majors leading them. That would be like “Winnie the Pooh.” He also had the upset over the No. 1 ranked LSU Tigers in 1959. But there was a series of failures, and into the 1960s, the program had fallen too far behind.

The same held true for Disney, as films like “The Black Cauldron” and “The Great Mouse Detective” were failures when you look at the goals of the studio. But there was one shining moment with both of them during this time.

Disney underwent a dramatic transformation in the mid-1980s and changed leadership, with Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Frank Wells taking over. Roy Disney’s son, Roy E. Disney, oversaw the saving of the company.

These guys all paralleled Doug Dickey’s arrival in 1964, the final year of UT’s Dark Ages. The Vols had a losing season that year but showed signs of life with a tie over the No. 7 ranked LSU Tigers and an upset over the No. 7 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Similarly, Disney showed signs of life in 1988 when “Oliver and Company” outgrossed “The Land Before Time.”