1954 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1954 Tennessee Volunteers (variously Tennessee, UT, or the Vols) represented the University of Tennessee in the 1954 college football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Harvey Robinson, in his second year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of four wins and six losses (4–6 overall, 1–5 in the SEC).

1954 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	4–6 (1–5 SEC)
Head coach	Harvey Robinson (2nd season)
Home stadium	Shields–Watkins Field
Seasons ← 1953 1955 →

1954 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Ole Miss $	5	–	0	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Georgia Tech	6	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Florida	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Georgia	3	–	2	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
No. 13 Auburn	3	–	3	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Mississippi State	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Alabama	3	–	3	–	2			4	–	5	–	2
LSU	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Tulane	1	–	6	–	1			1	–	6	–	3
Vanderbilt	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Tennessee	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 25	vs. Mississippi State	Crump Stadium Memphis, TN	W 19–7	28,523	^[1]
October 2	at No. 7 Duke*	Duke Stadium Durham, NC	L 6–7	30,000	^[2]
October 9	Chattanooga*	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN	W 20–14		^[3]
October 16	Alabama	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)	L 0–27	41,800	^[4]
October 23	Dayton*	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN	W 14–7	21,000	^[5]
October 30	North Carolina*	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN	W 26–20		^[6]
November 6	at Georgia Tech	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	L 7–28	40,000	^[7]
November 12	Florida	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	L 0–14	20,000	^[8]
November 20	Kentucky	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	L 13–14	31,800	^[9]
November 27	at Vanderbilt	Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)	L 0–26	27,000	^[10]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

• HB #45 Johnny Majors, So.

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Darris McCord	Tackle	3	36	Detroit Lions
Ed Nickla	Guard	14	167	Chicago Bears
Pat Oleksiak	Back	18	216	Detroit Lions
Jimmy Wade	Back	20	238	Philadelphia Eagles
Lamar Leachman	Center	30	360	Cleveland Browns

^[11]

References

1. "Vols shine brightly in 19 to 7 trouncing of Mississippi State". The Commercial Appeal. September 26, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Duke defeats Vols, 7–6". Durham Morning Herald. October 3, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Vols survive Mocs' ambush in 20–14 win". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 10, 1954. Retrieved September 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Alabama drubs Vols, 27–0; Elmore, Tharp star". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 17, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Stubborn Flyers edged by Tennessee, 14–7". Dayton Daily News. October 24, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Vols defeat UNC, 26–20 in thriller". Rocky Mount Telegram. October 31, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Tech trounces Vols, 28 to 7". Johnson City Press. November 7, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Florida wins on passes, 14–0". Tallahassee Democrat. November 14, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Hardy passes Kentucky to 14–13 victory over Tennessee". Evansville Press. November 21, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Fired-up Vandy crushes Tennessee 26–0". The Bristol Herald Courier. November 28, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "1955 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2012.