General Robert Neyland, College Football Hall of Fame Class of 1956

Coach Neyland’s career is literally written in stone. His name adorns the side of the stadium where nearly a million football fans gather each year to cheer on the Big Orange. Neyland’s career success is difficult to overstate, and coaching is only part of that. General Neyland served in World War I after his appointment to West Point, earned an engineering degree from MIT before returning to West Point to serve under Douglas MacArthur. He left coaching twice to return to active service with the US Army and helped design the stadium expansions for the University. As a football coach, the General came to Knoxville when the team was trying to find consistent success. It took Tennessee nearly a decade before the program had a winning record, and the team was a meager 43-63-11 away from home. Under Coach Neyland, the team collected an enviable 173-32-12 record, including going 66-27-9 in away games and 107-5-3 at Shields-Watkins, and his Volunteers were recognized 4 separate years as National Champions.