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Tennessee football’s five coaches before Josh Heupel hired for offense

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel takes the field at the Orange & White spring game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, April 24, 2021.Kns Vols Spring Game
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel takes the field at the Orange & White spring game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, April 24, 2021.Kns Vols Spring Game /
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Vanderbilt head coach Bill Pace, left, and Tennessee head coach Bill Battle exchange greetings at the end of the hard fought game. The Sugar Bowl-bound Vols defeated the Commodores 24-6 before 33,850 at Dudley Field Nov. 28, 1970.
Vanderbilt head coach Bill Pace, left, and Tennessee head coach Bill Battle exchange greetings at the end of the hard fought game. The Sugar Bowl-bound Vols defeated the Commodores 24-6 before 33,850 at Dudley Field Nov. 28, 1970. /

Pick Analysis. 1970-1976. Bill Battle. player. 839. Scouting Report. Record: 59-22-2 (22-18-1). 2

Previous role: Tennessee Volunteers assistant

Although his experience was mostly as an end, which is where he thrived when playing for Bear Bryant and the Alabama Crimson Tide, Bill Battle was hired by Tennessee football because of his offensive experience in 1970. He had the daunting task of replacing Doug Dickey.

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Battle had been an assistant with the Vols for four years before that and was a crucial part of the peak success reached under Dickey. During that time, he coached receivers, which were a new role on Rocky Top in Dickey’s T-formation after years of running the single-wing. Taking on that alone meant he was building a resume as an offensive genius.

Beyond coaching receivers, though, Battle became one of the first coaches to rely on computer scouting. He began doing that as an assistant with the Army Black Knights, and it’s what allowed the Vols’ new offense to take off under Dickey.

That resume allowed Battle to be hired by the Vols at the young age of 28 in 1970 as their new head coach. His offensive background allowed him to transition from the T to the veer in the 1970s and first turn UT into Wide Receiver U with Larry Seivers and Stanley Morgan. He truly was an offensive coach ahead of his time.

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Despite that background, though, structural issues facing the program forced it to falter in the mid-1970s. UT used that as an excuse to dismiss Battle after the 1976 season so it could bring home Johnny Majors, who despite being an offensive star in college, cut his teeth in coaching on defense and was hired for his success leading the Pittsburgh Panthers to the national title.

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