All for Tennessee
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Tennessee football’s five previous bowls with first-year coaches

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee sophomore quarterback Heath Shuler (21) pick up some of his 31 yards rushing on 6 carries against Boston College Jan. 1, 1993. Shuler was 18 of 23 passing for 245 yards and two touchdowns to win the MVP honors as the Vols won 38-23 in the Hall of Fame Bowl game in Tampa, Fla.Ut Bowl History
Tennessee sophomore quarterback Heath Shuler (21) pick up some of his 31 yards rushing on 6 carries against Boston College Jan. 1, 1993. Shuler was 18 of 23 passing for 245 yards and two touchdowns to win the MVP honors as the Vols won 38-23 in the Hall of Fame Bowl game in Tampa, Fla.Ut Bowl History /
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Jan 1, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; General view of the Sugar Bowl trophy at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; General view of the Sugar Bowl trophy at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Tulane Stadium. Sugar Bowl. New Orleans, La.. Thursday, Jan. 1, 1971. 894. 34. 839

4. Bill Battle – 1970: 11-1 (4-1); No. 4 AP and Coaches

Entering the modern era of the SEC, which is defined by the league integrating, Tennessee football was once again enjoying wild success. Bill Battle took over for Doug Dickey, who had arrived in 1964 and installed the modernized T offense while introducing new traditions to UT, including running through the T, the Power-T on the helmets and the checkerboard end zones.

After two SEC Championships and a retroactive national championship in three years from 1967 to 1969, Dickey left for his alma mater, the Florida Gators. Battle inherited a program ahead of the curve with integration and loaded with talent.

As he oversaw its entry into the 1970s, his first year there was wildly successful, leading the team to a 10-1 regular season, the only blemish being a loss to the Auburn Tigers in their second game, which cost them a shot at the SEC or national title. They still reached the Sugar Bowl, though.

In that bowl game, UT drew the No. 11 ranked Air Force Falcons. Thanks to elite play by quarterback Bobby Scott, they jumped out to a 24-0 first-quarter lead. That was all they needed, as they won the game 34-13 to finish in the top five. It would be Battle’s best year at UT, as the program slowly began to slide after that, resulting in his firing after 1976.

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