The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bob Neyland

Bob Neyland held Tennessee at Blue Blood for 12 seasons.

97–24
1936–1952 · 1 stint
Tennessee
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerTENNESSEEBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderTennessee, 1936: 6-2, Power Program III1936Tennessee, 1937: 6-3, Power Program III1937Tennessee, 1938: 11-0, Power Program I1938Tennessee, 1939: 10-1, Power Program I1939Tennessee, 1940: 10-1, Power Program I1940Tennessee, 1946: 9-2, Power Program I1946Tennessee, 1947: 5-5, Power Program I1947Tennessee, 1948: 4-4, Power Program II1948Tennessee, 1949: 7-2, Power Program II1949Tennessee, 1950: 11-1, Power Program II1950Tennessee, 1951: 10-1, Blue Blood1951Tennessee, 1952: 8-2, Blue Blood1952+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Blue Blood in his 11th career season — faster than 16% of the 100 FBS coaches who have ever reached Blue Blood (rank #82 of 100 by seasons-to-arrival).

Tennessee, 12 seasons
+0.0
Power Program III → Blue Blood.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

28–4 against his rivals.

Rivalry record
28–4–4
77.8% · 3 rivals
One-score games
22–10–7
56.4% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Alabama8–2–267%
Vanderbilt10–283%
Kentucky10–0–283%
Performance by opponent class
Power Program
28–14 66.7%
National Program
31–10 75.6%
Regional Program
10–0 100.0%

Coaching career

1936–1952
Tennesseecaretaker
Blue Blood
Bob Neyland held Tennessee at Blue Blood for 12 seasons.

2nd-best Tennessee tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Harvey Robinson (1953–1954).

97–24