flowd82
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Happy Birthday to General Robert Neyland
Some facts/stats on the General from UTSports:
-Neyland finished his Tennessee coaching career with 173 wins, 31 losses and 12 ties, for an .829 winning percentage.
-When he retired from coaching after the 1952 season, Neyland ranked first on the all-time winning percentage list of any man in modern major college football history with at least 20 years in the business.
-Neyland preached readiness, maintaining that, "Almost all close games are lost by the losers, not won by the winners."
-Of his 216 games coached, the Vols shut out their opponents 109 times.
-From 1938 to 1940, his teams recorded an amazing 17 consecutive regular season shutouts.
-Neyland coached the Vols to six undefeated seasons, nine undefeated regular seasons, seven conference championships and four national championships.
-He reeled off undefeated streaks of 33, 28, 23, 19 and 14 games.
-Neyland coached 21 Vols to first-team All-America honors. Eleven of those players went on to the College Football Hall of Fame.
-Neyland was a superb student-athlete. He won 35 games (20 consecutive) pitching for Army, was a starting end on the Cadets' 1914 national championship football team and was the academy's heavyweight boxing champion his final three years.
-Neyland graduated from the Academy in 1916.
-By the age of 27, Neyland was one of the youngest regimental commanders in the U.S. Army.
-Neyland arrived in Knoxville when the UT football site, Shields-Watkins Field, seated only 3,200. By the time of his death in 1962, the stadium seated more than 51,000 and Neyland had developed architectural plans for its eventual growth to more than 100,000. Those dreams became reality in 1996.
-Before Neyland, 10 head football coaches had been hired and fired at Tennessee between 1900 and 1925, their principal failing being the inability to field teams that could beat Vanderbilt. UT Dean Nathan W. Dougherty made the final decision to promote Neyland, telling his new coach to "even the score with Vanderbilt." He did just that and more. The Commodores led 17-2-2 in the series against Tennessee when Neyland took charge. Vandy won 20-3 in Nashville that first year against Neyland, but the Vols are 71-9-3 against their state rival since 1927.
-Neyland was the first coach in the South to use press box-to-sideline phones. He was the first anywhere to use game films for evaluation, lightweight tear-away jerseys, low-top shoes and lightweight hip pads to enhance speed. He also came up with a canvas tarp to protect the field.
-Hall of fame broadcaster Lindsey Nelson and Knoxville ad executive Edwin Huster Sr., helped form UT's first radio network. Nelson thought it should be called the Volunteer Network and approached Neyland with his idea. Neyland had the ultimate veto power and said, "Let's call it the Vol Network." Nelson immediately replied, "Yes, sir. Let's call it the Vol Network."
48.Neyland was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956.
-Hall of famer Bear Bryant never defeated a Neyland-coached team, and was said to have muttered at Neyland's retirement banquet, "Thank God the old guy finally quit."
Some facts/stats on the General from UTSports:
-Neyland finished his Tennessee coaching career with 173 wins, 31 losses and 12 ties, for an .829 winning percentage.
-When he retired from coaching after the 1952 season, Neyland ranked first on the all-time winning percentage list of any man in modern major college football history with at least 20 years in the business.
-Neyland preached readiness, maintaining that, "Almost all close games are lost by the losers, not won by the winners."
-Of his 216 games coached, the Vols shut out their opponents 109 times.
-From 1938 to 1940, his teams recorded an amazing 17 consecutive regular season shutouts.
-Neyland coached the Vols to six undefeated seasons, nine undefeated regular seasons, seven conference championships and four national championships.
-He reeled off undefeated streaks of 33, 28, 23, 19 and 14 games.
-Neyland coached 21 Vols to first-team All-America honors. Eleven of those players went on to the College Football Hall of Fame.
-Neyland was a superb student-athlete. He won 35 games (20 consecutive) pitching for Army, was a starting end on the Cadets' 1914 national championship football team and was the academy's heavyweight boxing champion his final three years.
-Neyland graduated from the Academy in 1916.
-By the age of 27, Neyland was one of the youngest regimental commanders in the U.S. Army.
-Neyland arrived in Knoxville when the UT football site, Shields-Watkins Field, seated only 3,200. By the time of his death in 1962, the stadium seated more than 51,000 and Neyland had developed architectural plans for its eventual growth to more than 100,000. Those dreams became reality in 1996.
-Before Neyland, 10 head football coaches had been hired and fired at Tennessee between 1900 and 1925, their principal failing being the inability to field teams that could beat Vanderbilt. UT Dean Nathan W. Dougherty made the final decision to promote Neyland, telling his new coach to "even the score with Vanderbilt." He did just that and more. The Commodores led 17-2-2 in the series against Tennessee when Neyland took charge. Vandy won 20-3 in Nashville that first year against Neyland, but the Vols are 71-9-3 against their state rival since 1927.
-Neyland was the first coach in the South to use press box-to-sideline phones. He was the first anywhere to use game films for evaluation, lightweight tear-away jerseys, low-top shoes and lightweight hip pads to enhance speed. He also came up with a canvas tarp to protect the field.
-Hall of fame broadcaster Lindsey Nelson and Knoxville ad executive Edwin Huster Sr., helped form UT's first radio network. Nelson thought it should be called the Volunteer Network and approached Neyland with his idea. Neyland had the ultimate veto power and said, "Let's call it the Vol Network." Nelson immediately replied, "Yes, sir. Let's call it the Vol Network."
48.Neyland was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956.
-Hall of famer Bear Bryant never defeated a Neyland-coached team, and was said to have muttered at Neyland's retirement banquet, "Thank God the old guy finally quit."
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