The High Court

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The General

The man that stormed right into the thick of The Great Coach Debate voting this past week is no stranger to Tennessee Volunteer fans.  And his name should be easily recognizable to all college football fans.  Because every time a UT player makes his way into the orange and white checkerboard end zones and 100,000 orange-clad fans rise to “Rocky Top”, they do so in Neyland Stadium.  And General Robert R. Neyland is a man that all college football fans should know more about, because General Neyland was an outstanding American along with being one of the greatest coaches of the 20^th century.

 

The High Court would like to thank all of our Volunteer fans in particular, but also all SEC football fans in general for their recognition of General Neyland.  Several of our readers that submitted a vote mentioned General Neyland even when they were picking Bear Bryant or Steve Spurrier as the greatest coach in SEC history.  Regardless of their favorite programs, our knowledgeable readers were quick to pay respect to the man that balanced serving his country with putting together one of the country’s finest college football programs.

 

Neyland’s bio reads like something from a heroic novel.  He was an amazing athlete in his own right as a youngster.  A member of a national championship football team as a player at West Point, Neyland was also a champion boxer and standout pitcher at Army.  Neyland graduated near the top of his class at the Academy in 1916.  Following various tours of duty, Neyland did graduate work at MIT before returning toWest Point in 1921 as an aide to General Douglas MacArthur, then Commanding General at the Academy.  Neyland would begin a lifelong friendship with MacArthur, and he would also serve as an assistant coach in several sports (including football) while at the Academy.

 

General Neyland would come to Knoxville as UT’s head coach in December of 1925.  And right out of the gate, he was a huge winner.  His first team would lose only one game, and his ’27 and ’28 teams were a combine 17-0-2, as Tennessee football became a national power.  The General’s tenure would be interrupted by a return to active duty in 1935, but already he had stamped himself as one of the finest football coaches in the country.  From 1926-1934, Neyland’s teams piled up winning streaks of 33 and 28 games.  His first stint in Knoxville would see him compile a 76-7-5 record.

 

Neyland would retire from the military in 1936, and he would return to the SEC with a vengeance.  His 1939 team was not scored upon for the entire regular season.  Matter of fact, Neyland could have been tabbed the Secretary of Defense, as his teams pitched shutouts in 106 of his 216 career games.  Neyland’s teams set a NCAA record that still stands (and likely will forever) with a remarkable 71 consecutive scoreless quarters.

 

World War II would bring Neyland back to active duty, where he would serve for the next five years.  He would eventually rise to the rank of Brigadier General.  Neyland returned to Knoxville in 1946 and would eventually lead Tennessee to the 1951 AP National Championship.  He would retire from coaching in 1952 and continue to serve the university as athletic director, where he was renowned for his plan to have UT athletic boosters support scholarship programs to bring outstanding scholars to the university.

 

Along with his AP national title in ’51, Neyland’s teams also were credited with national titles in 1938 and 1940.  Tennessee football collected two Southern Conference crowns and five SEC titles under the General’s tutelage.  He retired with a career record of 173-31-12 for a staggering winning percentage of .829, the best in SEC history. 

 

General Robert R. Neyland was a great football coach and a great American.  He was revered by his rival coaches, including Bear Bryant who was winless in seven match-ups against Neyland while at the University of Kentucky.  Bryant and many other coaches were fervent disciples of Neyland’s Seven Maxims of Football.  I know the University of Tennessee is thankful for the man’s service to the university, and we should all be thankful for his service to our country.  And always remember, when you see the Volunteers on their home field, keep in mind that their stadium bears the name of a true legend.

 

(The High Court thanks the University of Tennessee and http://www.thevib.com for providing source material.)

 

 

 

You can reach The Chief Justice at chiefjustice@thehighcourtofsports.com.