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Tennessee football king’s reign ended as Queen Elizabeth II’s began

By Caleb Calhoun

Oct 5, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; The General Neyland Statue outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 5, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; The General Neyland Statue outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-tenured monarch in British history, passed away Thursday at the age of 96. King Charles III was named the new monarch. The royal transition hasn’t happened in 70 years, and its roots are similar to that of Tennessee football.

Elizabeth’s tenure began on Feb. 6, 1952. Her coronation was June 2, 1953. Ironically enough, those two events surrounded the final year of Gen. Robert Neyland as head coach of the Vols. Neyland went 8-2-1 and finished No. 8 in 1952.

After that season, Tennessee football’s most successful head coach in history had to resign due to health reasons. He is the monarch of the program, the legend who towers above all others. Ironically, he is tied to Great Britain’s longest-tenured monarch.

The rise to prominence for Elizabeth began in World War II. During that time, Neyland, who was a general in the U.S. Army, was training soldiers to fight for the allies in the war. Although the U.S. didn’t enter the war officially until December of 1941, Neyland had been called to service nearly a year before that.

Both can honestly take some level of credit for helping to defeat the Axis Powers in the world’s deadliest conflict. Of course, for Neyland, that meant his second stint at UT being interrupted, as he had three stints with the Vols dating back to 1926.

After the war ended, Neyland took back over UT in 1946. He won the SEC Championship before suffering through two .500 seasons, but his career from 1949 to 1952 rivaled the Golden Age of Tennessee football, also under Neyland, from 1938 to 1940.

In 1951, as King George VI’s health was declining, Neyland was in the midst of one of his greatest runs on the other side of the pond. The Vols were in the midst of a 20-game winning streak and back to back national championships.

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It’s ironic to think about now, but in this way, Tennessee football and Queen Elizabeth II are connected. Even crazier, King George VI’s reign began in 1936, the first year of Neyland’s second stint with UT, which was his most successful one.

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