4. 1949
Robert Neyland: 7-2-1 (4-1-1)
No. 17 AP Poll
After returning to coach Tennessee football for his third stint in 1946, Robert Neyland initially got off on the right foot with another SEC Championship. That was his fourth straight as a head coach. But then, 1947 came, and John Barnhill’s players began to leave. Neyland, meanwhile, appeared to take a step back. He went .500 in 1947 and 1948, missing a bowl game both times.
Enter 1949. There was the feeling that Neyland’s time had come to an end at age 57. But after two years of changing to evolve with the game and recruiting more high-profile talent to fit his system, he was about to have another resurgence.
This year saw future All-Americans Bud Sherrod, Ted Daffer, Hank Lauricella and Bill Pearman contributing as underclassmen. Behind that talent, the turnaround would begin. But it didn’t start off that way.
The Vols did beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs to open the season, but they followed that up with a loss to the Duke Blue Devils. Two games later, after beating Chattanooga, they tied the Alabama Crimson Tide to fall to 2-1-1. Once again, .500 ball was in play.
But back to back wins over Tennessee Tech and then the No. 13 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels brought excitement back to Rocky Top. Not only were they 4-1-1, but they were back in the top 25 at No. 14 and still hadn’t lost an SEC game and could win the title. Those hopes ended the next week, though, with a blowout loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Still, Neyland’s team finished with wins over the Ole Miss Rebels, Kentucky Wildcats and Vanderbilt Commodores. That win over UK was when Bear Bryant’s team was 8-1, ranked No. 11 and first in the SEC. They made no bowl, but finishing 7-2-2 and ranked No. 17 showed improvement.