Obviously, Bob Neyland was a tough act to follow in Knoxville. Neyland gave the job to Harvey Robinson, who he hand-picked to be his replacement. Robinson was not up to the task.
Tennessee was coming off a loss in the Cotton Bowl in Neyland’s final season and a national championship, the year before in 1951. Three of Neyland’s best years came right at the end, but Robinson put on the conductor’s hat and drove the train right off the tracks.
The Volunteers only managed a 6-4-1 record in his first season as head coach, 1953, and things got worse from there. In 1954, Robinson led the Vols to 4-6 and was fired by Neyland.
Neyland called the firing “the hardest thing he’s ever had to do.”