Tennessee football: Vols five best seasons with third-year head coach

4. John Barnhill

1944: 7-1-1 (5-0-1)

No. 12 AP; Rose Bowl

There’s more to this team than it just being John Barnhill’s third team. This was Tennessee football’s first season after World War II resulted in the Vols canceling the 1943 season. Robert Neyland, however, was still called to active duty, so Barnhill, who had a solid run replacing him in 1941 and 1942, continued as his replacement this season.

Already, Barnhill had been more successful than W.H. Britton was replacing Neyland the first time. He built on that this season. UT started out 3-0, beating the Ole Miss Rebels, Kentucky Wildcats and Florida Gators. However, a tie with the Alabama Crimson Tide would become the only blemish on their record in the regular seaon.

After that, the Vols won out, beating the Clemson and LSU Tigers, Temple Owls and Kentucky a second time. They finished, as a result, with a 7-0-1 regular season record, and at 5-0-1 in the conference, they were technically second in the SEC to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who were 4-0, but that could be disputed.

Anyway, Barnhill’s team earned an invite to the Rose Bowl as a result of that season. However, that was the one bit of disappointment. Looking for revenge on the USC Trojans after the 1939 season, UT lost to them again, and this time it was a 25-0 blowout. Still, the Vols finished with a winning record, a Rose Bowl appearance and in the top 12. So it was a great third year.