Thursday, January 29, 2015

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

A game to add to 'The Lost Years'

The University of Tennessee did not officially sponsor a football team during the 1894 and 1895 seasons. There was a student team lead by W.B. Stokely.  The 2013 UT football media guide lists six games for the 1895 season. Here's one that they haven't included. I assume that they just didn't know about it.

The (current) Tennessee School for the Deaf went toe to toe with the University school boys and ended in a 10-10 tie.  I'm not up on football of the mid 1890s but a few things stood out to me from the article.  There is not a quarterback listed.  Also, each team made two touchdowns and a goal.  How many points was a touchdown worth in 1895?  And what exactly was a goal?  Could the reporter have been wrong and they each made a touchdown (and PAT) plus a field goal?  That would make it 10-10.  More research is needed.

The Knoxville Daily Journal - November 26, 1895

UPDATE: I did a bit more research.  The day before, the notice that a game would be played appeared in The Knoxville Daily Journal.

The Knoxville Daily Journal - November 25, 1895
Both articles mention the University school.  Perhaps this was a college prep school run by the Universty?

The Tennessee School for the Deaf lists three games that they played in 1895.  All three were against the University of Tennessee.  The scores are:
18-0
10-10
0-0 


for a 1-0-2 record.


images from Genealogy Bank

Friday, January 2, 2015

1939 Orange Bowl

The Vols participated in their first bowl game on January 2, 1939.  The faced the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.

The press, always wanting to find a headline, spreads the seeds of doubt to the Vol nation.



The Dallas Morning News - January 1, 1939

The Vols overcame their "lack of spirit" and flattened the Sooners, 17-0.

The Dallas Morning News - January 3, 1939

The University celebrated the victory with a two page spread in the 1939 Volunteer.  Game action.  Bathing beauties.  Coach Neyland.



And because you want to see them a bit more clearly, here are the individual pages.



The game presentation did not go off without a hitch, though.  A low flying plane took out the communication lines for a bit.
The Boston Herald - January 3, 1939

It wasn't just pilots that were knocked unconscious.  A UT cheerleader went down for the count during the game.
The Daily Herald (Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi) - January 5, 1939