The 1939 Tennessee Volunteers didn’t give up a single point

[Mose Phillip's Watch]

Tennessee entered the season as defending national champions and coach Neyland led the team to their second of three consecutive undefeated regular seasons. The 1939 Vols were also the last team in NCAA history to go undefeated, untied, and unscored upon in the regular season.[1] Tennessee had two All-American performers that year: George Cafego, a single-wing halfback, and Ed Molinski, a guard.

 

[Mose Phillip's Watch]

 

[Mose Phillip's Watch]

 

[Orange defense]

Tennessee entered the season as defending national champions and coach Neyland led the team to their second of three consecutive undefeated regular seasons. The 1939 Vols were also the last team in NCAA history to go undefeated, untied, and unscored upon in the regular season.[1] Tennessee had two All-American performers that year: George Cafego, a single-wing halfback, and Ed Molinski, a guard.View attachment 355650

He was da coach!

 

[Iam4utalways]

That’s a tough stat to beat.

 

[azvol03]

Tennessee entered the season as defending national champions and coach Neyland led the team to their second of three consecutive undefeated regular seasons. The 1939 Vols were also the last team in NCAA history to go undefeated, untied, and unscored upon in the regular season.[1] Tennessee had two All-American performers that year: George Cafego, a single-wing halfback, and Ed Molinski, a guard.View attachment 355650

When barroom and tailgate discussion go to sport‘s records that will never be eclipsed or matched—the ‘39 Tennessee Volunteers: unbeaten, untied and NOT SCORED ON during the regular season has to be considered a truly once in history kind of confluence of events.

 

[Volle]

ABSOLUTE ZERO...

Here's a great SI article on the '37-39 Vols and the win streak... the Vols most dominant era ever. The '39 game against Bama was the big game of the season, led by RB Johnny Butler's 56 yd run... one of the greatest runs ever in Vol history... there used to be a poster in Stokely with a diagram of the run.

Butler...took the snap from Norbert
Ackerman on the Tennessee 44-yard line. Butler took off left and
swept toward the corner, chasing his blocking back, Ike Peel, as
Peel dropped his shoulder and flattened Alabama end Gene
Blackwell. Butler crossed the 50, cut suddenly right and raced
across the field to the other sideline, the hands of Tide
defenders grabbing at him as he went. At the 40-yard line
defensive halfback Jimmy Nelson reached for him but missed,
whereupon Butler turned back toward the middle of the gridiron.
He feinted, stopped, swiveled and spun away from All-America
tackle Fred Davis and several other defenders. Then there was
Mosley, awaiting him near the 30. Butler sprinted straight at
him, faked right, cut left. "I leaned, and the little pissant
cut back right again!" Mosley says. "He cut twice on me! Fooled
me."
Butler blew past Mosley, and as he got to the 20, he danced in
front of Nelson, who had raced back into the play, until Peel
reappeared and cut Nelson down. Loose at last, Butler raced the
final 20 yards to score and put the Vols ahead 6-0. He sprawled
on his back in the end zone, breathing great gulps of air, as the
Tennessee trainer rushed to his side and jubilant fans came out
of the stands and danced around the uprights.
It was officially a 56-yard gallop, but most observers believe
Butler went at least twice that far. "It must have taken the
better part of three minutes," recalls Ed Cifers, a Volunteers
end from 1938 to '40. "Everybody on the club had a shot at
knocking somebody down. It was quite a spectacle."

Absolute Zero During the 1939 regular season, Tennessee faced 10 foes, and not one of them scored a point. If you think that's ever going to happen again, we've got a bridge...

 

[N.ohio vol]

That's how you get a stadium named after you.

 

[bamawriter]

When barroom and tailgate discussion go to sport‘s records that will never be eclipsed or matched—the ‘39 Tennessee Volunteers: unbeaten, untied and NOT SCORED ON during the regular season has to be considered a truly once in history kind of confluence of events.

While certainly not common, it wasn't the only time in history. It happened a few times in the early part of the 20th century. '39 UT was the most recent, and I have to imagine they'll be the last.

 

[Special Ed]

When barroom and tailgate discussion go to sport‘s records that will never be eclipsed or matched—the ‘39 Tennessee Volunteers: unbeaten, untied and NOT SCORED ON during the regular season has to be considered a truly once in history kind of confluence of events.

I wouldn't call it a confluence of events, but it was certainly a remarkable feat.
One that will doubtless never be repeated.
I won't hold my breath waiting for Nick Saban's team to go undefeated and unscored upon for an entire season.

 

[Raleigh-Vol]

I've got an unsharpened pencil that was in a drawer in my grandmothers house from that season with the scores of each game on it, definitely one of the coolest pieces of memorabilia I have and certainly the oldest.

 

[UTalum04]

Cool story but they got skunked in the Rose Bowl. Isn't it ironic?

 

[VolBricks]

this was the last time until UT does it again in 2021

 

[Illinoisvolfan2]

Then lost the dam Rose Bowl to USC 14-0

 

[jeff1vol]

The only other school to claim the feat is Michigan, I believe.

 

[bamawriter]

The only other school to claim the feat is Michigan, I believe.

Michigan did it a couple of times, all in the pre-NCAA era. But several other teams did as well. Duke did it the year before UT and, incredibly, also lost to USC in the Rose Bowl.

 

[Voljlt]

My wife's grandfather was on that '39 team. Went on to play a few years for the Eagles before retiring due to injury.

 

[SmilezDavis]

I once went an entire season on NCAA 10 I think without allowing a red zone touchdown. Still can’t touch General Neyland.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Cool story but they got skunked in the Rose Bowl. Isn't it ironic?

Yeah but weren't bowl games back then more like exhibitions?

 

[BigOrangeAl 1979]

Two biggest movies at the movie theaters that year Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz

 

[nlovu]

Finished 2nd to Texas A&M in the AP poll. USC counts that year also after being named NC by Dickenson.

 

[Rickyvol77]

Cool story but they got skunked in the Rose Bowl. Isn't it ironic?

They traveled by train for days in a basic road game and their best two players were out

 

[golfballs]

I remember ole Jimmy "The flying Dutchman" Winklevoss played both ways back in the fall of '39. There wasn't a play that he was off the field for! They don't make players like him anymore!

 

[VolNGA1]

And yet no one in here would be the least surprised if Bama somehow claimed a fictional NC for that year as well.

 

[LordBolton]

Tennessee entered the season as defending national champions and coach Neyland led the team to their second of three consecutive undefeated regular seasons. The 1939 Vols were also the last team in NCAA history to go undefeated, untied, and unscored upon in the regular season.[1] Tennessee had two All-American performers that year: George Cafego, a single-wing halfback, and Ed Molinski, a guard.View attachment 355650

One of those players was my Dad's football coach in the 50s. He said that guy was a tough SOB.