Tennessee football’s 10 luckiest wins of all time
839. Final. 0. 833. 7
1. 1950: Record blizzard causes seven fumbles, costing Kentucky
If there was ever a game Tennessee football was written to win, it was this one. For context, Kentucky Wildcats head coach Bear Bryant was 0-3-1 against the Vols. But this was the best team he and Kentucky ever fielded at the time.
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UK jumped out to a 10-0 record to get to No. 3. They had already secured a Sugar Bowl berth, but a national championship was in play. The Vols, meanwhile, had gone 8-1, losing the second game of the season to the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who would finish the year 4-5. Despite being ranked No. 9, their only impressive wins were the Duke Blue Devils and Alabama Crimson Tide.
Simply put, Kentucky was the better team. However, it was meant for Robert Neyland to own Bryant and the Vols to own Kentucky. So on the day of the game, Mother Nature obliged and opened up a horrific blizzard. It’s known as the Great Appalachian Storm of 1950, beginning on Nov. 24 and lasting through Nov. 30. The game was on Nov. 25.
At kickoff, six inches of snow was on the ground, and the temperature was 18 degrees. Snow pounded the area all game, resulting in 16 total fumbles between the two schools. Kentucky lost eight of nine, and the Vols lost four of seven. So yes, the Wildcats had eight turnovers to Tennessee football’s four, all caused by the snow.
Somehow, Tennessee football scored off one Kentucky touchdown after Bert Rechichar threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Pat Shires to give the Vols a 7-0 lead. With the inclement weather, nobody would score the rest of the way.
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As a result, an insane weather event allowed UT to still own a superior Kentucky team and Neyland to own Bryant. The Vols finished the regular season 10-1, and after beating the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, they were the ones declared national champions by numerous services. This lucky win was the highlight of that year.