Refresh my memory

[Volosaurus rex]

You are talking about the most historically significantly game in the series’ history and almost certainly the only one in which both teams were ranked in the top 10 prior to its outset. Then undefeated, the 1950 Kentucky team was Bear Bryant’s best while he was coach of the blue-bellied boys. They ultimately finished 11-1, 7th in the AP poll and “defeated undefeated and #1 ranked Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.” Prior to the game, Kentucky was #3 and we were 9th. Tennessee prevailed 7-0 and finished 4th and 3rd, respectively, in the final AP and UPI polls. Under the current format, UT would have unquestionably won the national title since Kentucky beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl and we beat 3rd-ranked Texas (2nd in the UPI) 20-14 in the Cotton Bowl. A development even more frustrating to our cause is the fact that the final poll rankings for that year were released November 27th, even before the regular season had concluded. Army, which finished 2nd in the AP poll, lost to unranked Navy 14-2.

I was unaware of just how severe the weather conditions were, but they certainly conform to Backwards K’s description. The game was played on November 25th and the storm went down in history as the “Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950” (see Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). I have not been able to determine the actual snowfall amount associated with this storm but it established a record low of 5 degrees for Knoxville on November 25th, which also was the coldest day of that calendar year.

According to this report (TENNESSEE AND KENTUCKY IN 1950 | The Vol Historian | GoVolsXtra.com), “A crowd of 46,000 showed up for the contest [despite the weather conditions]. Once workers got the tarp off the field, and that took a while, the playing surface was in reasonable condition. The temperature was at 10 degrees. Tennessee, dressed in orange against Kentucky in blue, won the game 7-0 in its way to an 11-1 season, a Cotton Bowl win over Texas, and a share of the national championship. The Vols scored 355, gave up 71 to 12 opponents, and continued a string where the Wildcats, quarterbacked by Vito “Babe” Parilli, didn’t score on the Vols in the years from 1949-51. . . . Tennessee got the game’s only score in the second quarter at the northeast corner, a 28-yard toss from Hank Lauricella to Bert Rechichar. . . . It was a tough game, with 17 fumbles, nine by Kentucky and eight by Tennessee.”

 

[Volosaurus rex]

According to this article (John Shearer: The Tennessee/Kentucky Rivalry Dates Back To 1950 - 11/21/2012 - Chattanoogan.com), Knoxville received heavy snowfalls before BOTH the 1950 and 1952 Kentucky games. With respect to the 1950 game previously discussed, "An unusual-for-November six-inch snowfall took place, and temperatures would fall to 18 degrees by game time. Such weather in Knoxville was not unusual between about Christmas and late February, but it certainly was in late November."

The 1952 storm apparently hit Knoxville much harder. "The snow in 1952 was a record 18.2 inches in 25 hours. The previous high recorded was 15.1 inches way back in 1886. Some 20,000 homes in the Knoxville area were without power, and telephone, rail, airline and public bus service were also crippled. . . . By game time, some 35,000 brave fans had arrived. . . . Compared to the 1950 game, the field in 1952 was considered a little wetter and more slippery. A tarp had nicely protected the field in 1950, but after 18 inches of a wet snow in 1952, it managed to seep through the tarp."

That game ended in a 14-14 tie.

P.S. According to an article published in the November 1952 issue of the MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW (see http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/080/mwr-080-11-0227.pdf), "The total precipitation for the period November 19-22, 1952, for some selected stations is shown in table 1. Knoxville, Tenn., received 18.2 inches of wet snow within a 24-hour period establishing a new record for any 24-hour period within the past 69 years."