1971 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1971 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Bill Battle, in his second year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of ten wins and two losses (10–2 overall, 4–2 in the SEC) and a victory over Arkansas in the 1971 Liberty Bowl.

1971 Tennessee Volunteers football
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 14–13 vs. Arkansas
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 9
1971 record10–2 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach
CaptainJackie Walker
Home stadiumNeyland Stadium
1971 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
No. 4 Alabama $ 7 –0 –0  11 –1 –0
No. 7 Georgia 5 –1 –0  11 –1 –0
No. 12 Auburn 5 –1 –0  9 –2 –0
No. 15 Ole Miss 4 –2 –0  10 –2 –0
No. 9 Tennessee 4 –2 –0  10 –2 –0
No. 11 LSU 3 –2 –0  9 –3 –0
Vanderbilt 1 –5 –0  4 –6 –1
Florida 1 –6 –0  4 –7 –0
Kentucky 1 –6 –0  3 –8 –0
Mississippi State 1 –7 –0  2 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 18UC Santa Barbara*No. 8
W 48–665,114
September 25No. 5 AuburnNo. 9
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
ABCL 9–1062,990
October 2at FloridaNo. 12
W 20–1361,112
October 9Georgia Tech*No. 13
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 10–663,671
October 16at No. 4 AlabamaNo. 14
L 15–3273,828
October 23vs. Mississippi StateNo. 18
W 10–737,529
October 30Tulsa*No. 16
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN
W 38–362,513
November 6South Carolina*No. 11
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN
W 35–663,507
November 20at KentuckyNo. 11
W 21–735,000
November 27VanderbiltNo. 11
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 19–756,244
December 4No. 5 Penn State*No. 12
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN
ABCW 31–1159,542
December 20vs. No. 18 ArkansasNo. 9
ABCW 14–1351,410
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[1]

Personnel
1971 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
OL Joe Balthrop
QB Dennis Chadwick
RB Steve Chancey
OL Bill Emendorfer
OG 65 Phillip Fulmer Sr
OL Gaylon Hill
WR Chip Howard
OL Tom Johnson
TE Sonny Leach
WR Emmon Love
QB Jim Maxwell
QB Phil Pierce
FB Bill Rudder
RB George Silvey
RB Haskel Stanback
TE Gary Theiler
WR Joe Thompson
WR Stan Trott
RB Curt Watson
TE Jimmy Young
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DB David Allen
DL Tom Bennett
DB Eddie Brown
CB Conrad Graham
DL Frank Howell
DL Carl Johnson
DE Ken Lambert
S Bobby Majors Sr
LB Ray Nettles
LB Jamie Rotella
DE Claude Simonton
DB Tim Townes
DL John Wagster
OLB Jackie Walker (C) Sr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K George Hunt
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • Injured
    • Redshirt

    Season summary

    at Florida
    See also: 1971 Florida Gators football team and Florida–Tennessee football rivalry
    #12 Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators
    1 2 34Total
    Tennessee 3 10 7020
    Florida 0 13 0013

    at Florida Field, Gainesville, Florida

    • Date: October 2, 1971
    • Game attendance: 61,112
    • New York Times, 1971 Oct 03.

    Third-string quarterback Phil Pierce led Tennessee on a 99-yard drive in the third quarter, capped by a 20-yard touchdown pass to Stan Trott to take the lead for good. The Volunteers lost their first and second-string quarterbacks to knee injuries during the game.

    Penn State
    See also: 1971 Penn State Nittany Lions football
    #5 Penn State Nittany Lions (10–0) at #12 Tennessee Volunteers (8–2)
    1 2 34Total
    Penn St 0 3 0811
    Tennessee 7 14 01031

    at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee

    • Date: December 4, 1971
    • Game attendance: 54,529
    • TV: ABC
    • Ocala Star-Banner, 1971 Dec 05.

    Before the game, Bobby Majors was honored alongside his brothers, Iowa State head coach Johnny and the late Billy, for the family's overall contribution to the school's football program. Majors finished his final home game with 195 return yards on kicks and punts. With the win, the Volunteers accepted a bid to play in the Liberty Bowl against Arkansas. [2]

    Team players drafted into the NFL
    PlayerPositionRoundPickNFL Club
    Bobby MajorsDefensive back376Philadelphia Eagles
    George HuntKicker5122Cleveland Browns
    Jackie WalkerLinebacker6148San Francisco 49ers
    Curt WatsonRunning back6150New Orleans Saints
    Ray NettlesLinebacker6155Miami Dolphins
    Gary TheilerTight end12308Baltimore Colts
    Joe BalthropGuard16397New Orleans Saints

    [3][4]

    References

    General

    • 2011 Tennessee Football Record Book (PDF). Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Athletics Media Relations Office. 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2012.

    Specific

    1. 2011 Tennessee Football Record Book, p. 124
    2. "Vols Win, 31–11." New York Times. 1971 Dec 05.
    3. 2011 Tennessee Football Record Book, p. 101
    4. "1972 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
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