American college football season
The 1931 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1931 Southern Conference football season . Playing as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon), the team was led by head coach Robert Neyland , in his sixth year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee . The 1931 Vols won nine, lost zero and tied one game (9–0–1 overall, 6–0–1 in the SoCon). On October 17, Tennessee avenged their only loss from the previous season and beat Alabama ; this was the only loss for the Crimson Tide in 1931. For the third time in four years, Kentucky spoiled Tennessee's bid for a perfect season with a tie. Tennessee concluded the 1931 season on December 7 with a charity game at Yankee Stadium against NYU . The 1931 Vols outscored their opponents 243 to 15 and posted eight shutouts.
Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 26 Maryville (TN) * W 33–0[ 1] October 3 Clemson Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN W 44–0[ 2] October 10 Ole Miss Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (rivalry ) W 38–0[ 3] October 17 Alabama Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (rivalry ) W 25–023,000 [ 4] October 24 at North Carolina W 7–012,000 [ 5] October 31 Duke Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN W 25–212,000 [ 6] November 7 Carson–Newman * Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN W 31–0[ 7] November 14 Vanderbilt Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN (rivalry ) W 21–725,000 [ 8] November 26 at Kentucky T 6–618,000 [ 9] December 5 at NYU * W 13–040,684 [ 10] *Non-conference game Homecoming
Number Player Position Games started Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age 62 Malcolm Aitken tackle 58 Bert Bibee center 51 Thomas Bounds tackle 31 Fritz Brandt end 33 James Clemmer end 61 Oscar Derryberry end 60 James Eldridge tackle 21 J. B. Ellis guard 30 Milton Frank guard 37 John Franklin guard 57 G. B. Goodrich guard 45 Herman Hickman guard 25 Laird Holt end 26 Paul Hug end 34 Alton Mark end 46 Talmadge Maples center 20 Eugene S. Mayer center 35 C. L. McPherson end 47 David K. Mitchell center 39 Virgil Rayburn end 44 Ben Redman guard 42 Ray Saunders tackle 55 Francis Shull end 66 B. Smith end 23 Gordon Smith guard 64 Howard Stewart guard 22 J. Ralph Still tackle 17 Herman Snipes end 56 A. H. Voss guard 26 Murray Warmath end
Number Player Position Games started Hometown Prep school Height Weight Age 41 John Allen halfback 32 Malcolm Anderson fullback 15 John D. Bayless halfback 43 Deke Brackett quarterback 40 William G. Cox fullback 16 Theodore Disney halfback 48 Beattie Feathers halfback 18 Charles Kohlhase quarterback 53 James McAuliffe halfback 36 Ira McCollister halfback 52 Gene McEver halfback 38 Leo Petruzze quarterback 63 Herman Wynn fullback
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^ "M'Ever flashes form as Vols beat Scots 33–0" . The Knoxville News-Sentinel . September 27, 1931. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Vols smother Clemson, 44–0" . The Greenville News . October 4, 1931. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Vols defeat Ole Miss 38–0 with long runs" . The Knoxville News-Sentinel . October 11, 1931. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Tennessee routs Crimson Tide, 25 to 0" . The Knoxville Journal . October 18, 1931. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "North Carolina holds Tennessee to 7–0 score" . The Charlotte News . October 25, 1931. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Duke weakens in second half as Vols win, 25–2" . The Charlotte Observer . November 1, 1931. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Tennessee reserves defeat Carson–Newman Eagles 31 to 0" . The Knoxville News-Sentinel . November 8, 1931. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Tennessee passes beat Vanderbilt" . Nashville Banner . November 15, 1931. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Wildcats hold Tennessee to 6–6 tie" . The Inquirer . November 27, 1931. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "Tennessee defeats Violets by score of 13–0" . The Knoxville News-Sentinel . December 6, 1931. p. B1. Retrieved August 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com . ^ "The Tennessee Football Programs: 1931 Football Program - UT vs Alabama" . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2015 .
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