1953 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1953 Tennessee Volunteers (variously Tennessee, UT, or the Vols) represented the University of Tennessee in the 1953 college football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Harvey Robinson, in his first year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of six wins, four losses and one tie (6–4–1 overall, 3–2–1 in the SEC).

1953 Tennessee Volunteers football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record6–4–1 (3–2–1 SEC)
Head coach
Home stadiumShields–Watkins Field
Seasons
← 1952
1954 →
1953 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 13 Alabama $ 4 0 3 6 3 3
No. 8 Georgia Tech 4 1 1 9 2 1
No. 16 Kentucky 4 1 1 7 2 1
Ole Miss 4 1 1 7 2 1
No. 17 Auburn 4 2 1 7 3 1
Mississippi State 3 1 3 5 2 3
Tennessee 3 2 1 6 4 1
LSU 2 3 3 5 3 3
Florida 1 3 2 3 5 2
Vanderbilt 1 5 0 3 7 0
Georgia 1 5 0 3 8 0
Tulane 0 7 0 1 8 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 26Mississippi StateNo. 17L 0–2625,000[1]
October 3No. 12 Duke*
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
L 7–2130,000[2]
October 10Chattanooga*
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 40–715,000[3]
October 17at AlabamaT 0–040,000[4]
October 22Louisville*
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 59–615,000[5]
October 31at North Carolina*W 20–627,000[6]
November 7LSU 
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 32–1423,000[7]
November 14at FloridaNo. 18W 9–729,000[8]
November 21at No. 13 KentuckyL 21–2737,000[9]
November 28Vanderbilt
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 33–621,000[10]
December 5at Houston*L 19–3323,000[11]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Team players drafted into the NFL

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Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Bill Barbish Back 8 95 Cleveland Browns
Bob Fisher Tackle 10 115 Pittsburgh Steelers

[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Maroons maul Vols". Kingsport Times-News. September 27, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Duke defeats Tennessee, 21–7". The News and Observer. October 4, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Vols' late splurge defeats Moccasins, 40–7". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 11, 1953. Retrieved August 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Tennessee gains 0–0 deadlock with Alabama". The Jacksonville Daily Journal. October 18, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Vols drub Louisville". The Elizabethton Star. October 25, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Vols trip UNC, 20–6". Durham Morning Herald. November 1, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Tennessee stops LSU Tigers, 32 to 14". Johnson City Press. November 8, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Late Tennessee field goal nips Florida, 9–7". The Tampa Tribune. November 15, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Kentucky gains first victory in 18 years over Tennessee". The Owensboro Messenger. November 22, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Vol runners humble Vanderbilt, 33–6". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. November 29, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Houston passes and runs to topple Tennessee 33 to 19". The Wichita Eagle. December 6, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "1954 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2012.