1940 Tennessee Volunteers football
National champion (Dunkel)
SEC champion
Sugar Bowl, L 13–19 vs. Boston College
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
APNo. 4
Record10–1 (5–0 SEC)
Head coach
Base defenseSingle-wing
Home stadiumShields–Watkins Field
Seasons
← 1939
1941 →
1940 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Tennessee $ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
No. 9 Mississippi State 4 – 0 – 1 10 – 0 – 1
Ole Miss 3 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
Alabama 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 2 – 0
Auburn 3 – 2 – 1 6 – 4 – 1
LSU 3 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Georgia 2 – 3 – 1 5 – 4 – 1
Florida 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Kentucky 1 – 2 – 2 5 – 3 – 2
Tulane 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Vanderbilt 1 – 5 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Georgia Tech 1 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Sewanee 0 – 1 – 0 3 – 5 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1940 Tennessee Volunteers represented the University of Tennessee in the 1940 college football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Robert Neyland, in his 14th year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of ten wins and one loss (10–1 overall, 5–0 in the SEC), as SEC champions and with a loss against Boston College in the 1941 Sugar Bowl.

This team won the school's second national championship after being recognized as national champion under the Dunkel System, a power index system devised by Dick Dunkel, Sr.[1]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 28Mercer*
W 49–020,000[2]
October 5Duke*
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 13–025,000[3]
October 12Chattanooga*
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 53–012,000[4]
October 19at AlabamaNo. 5
W 27–1224,500[5]
October 26FloridaNo. 5
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 14–015,000[6]
November 2LSUdaggerNo. 7
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 28–018,000[7]
November 9at Southwestern (TN)*No. 5
W 40–08,000[8]
November 16Virginia*No. 5
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 41–147,000[9]
November 23KentuckyNo. 6
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
W 33–025,000[10]
November 30at VanderbiltNo. 6
W 20–025,000[11]
January 1, 1941vs. No. 5 Boston College*No. 4
L 13–1973,181[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

  1. ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA. pp. 75, 77. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "Vols prep for Duke, maul Mercer". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 29, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Duke bows to Tennessee might, 13 to 0". The Charlotte News. October 6, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Tennessee crushes Moccasins, 53–0". The Chattanooga Times. October 13, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Vol air bombs blast victory over Tide ground attack, 27–12". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News Archives. October 20, 1940. p. 10. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  6. ^ "Gators hold mighty Vols to two touchdowns". St. Petersburg Times. October 27, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "State Tigers' claws crippled by great Tennessee grid eleven". The Shreveport Times. November 3, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Vicious Vols trample Southwestern, 40–0". The Knoxville Journal. November 10, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Vols trounce Virginia, 41–14". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 17, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Volunteer passes beat Wildcats 33–0". The Lexington Herald-Leader. November 24, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Vols top Vandy, 20–0,accept Sugar Bowl bid to play Boston College". The Chattanooga Times. December 1, 1940. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Indomitable spirit brings Eagles win". The Boston Globe. January 2, 1941. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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