February 17, 1892 - March 28, 1962
The history and tradition of Tennessee football began under the tutelage of Gen. Robert Reese Neyland, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was named head coach in 1926 and from then on Tennessee was in the college football business to stay.
Neyland's 1939 team was the last to shut out each of its regular season opponents. Over the course of his career, 106 of his 216 opponents failed to score against his Tennessee teams. Tennessee still holds an NCAA record for holding opponents scoreless 71 consecutive quarters.
Neyland's teams won Southern Conference Championships in 1927 and 1932, piling up undefeated streaks of 33 and 28 games along the way, and SEC Championships in '38, '39, '40, '46 and '51. The Vols were consensus National Champions in '51, won the Dunkel and Litkenhouse National Championships in '38 and the Dunkel and Williamson crowns in '40.
General Neyland had 3 stints as the Vol's head coach as he was in active duty with the Army. He served as coach between '26-'34 with a record of 76-7-5. He returned in 1936 and coached until he was called to Army duty again in 1940, with a record of 43-7-3. His last stint was from '46 to '52, compiling a record of 54-17-4 in this period, and an overall record of 173-31-12. As a side note, he was 5-0-2 head-to-head with Paul "Bear" Bryant. General Neyland remains the winningest coach in SEC history with an .829 win percentage and is #2 all time nationally in win percentage among coaches with 20+ years of head coaching experience.
GENERAL NEYLAND'S MAXIMS OF FOOTBALL
- The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
- Play for and make the breaks and when one comes your way - SCORE.
- If at first the game - or the breaks - go against you, don't let up… put on more steam.
- Protect our kickers, our QB, our lead and our ball game.
- Ball, oskie, cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle… for this is the WINNING EDGE.
- Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.
- Carry the fight to our opponent and keep it there for 60 minutes.
Before he became one of college football's greatest coaches, the General was being called the finest all-around athlete since the days of Jim Thorpe.
He played on Army's 1914 National Championship team(second row, 3rd from right).
Neyland reigned as West Point's undefeated heavyweight champion in '14, '15 and '16.
Neyland won 20 consecutive games for the Army baseball team.
Bear Bryant at Neylands funeral, 1962
Neyland being interviewed before teh '39 Orange Bowl and talking to the troops in the '40 Rose Bowl.
The General accepts the 1951 National Championship Trophy
A victory ride after the '51 Cotton Bowl and Governor Clements honors Neyland in 1953
Neyland in 1934,1936 and 1952 as AD