The 1932 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

in the 1932 Southern Conference football season. Playing as a member of the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly ...

(SoCon), the team was led by head coach

Robert Neyland Robert Reese Neyland (; February 17, 1892 – March 28, 1962) was an American football player and coach and officer in the United States Army, reaching the rank of brigadier general. He served three stints as the head football coach at the Univ ...

, in his seventh year, and played their home games at

Shields–Watkins Field Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Footb ...

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

. The 1932 Vols won nine, lost zero and tied one game (9–0–1 overall, 7–0–1 in the SoCon) and were Southern Conference champions. It was their last year in the conference before moving to the newly formed

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

. The team was led by its backfield with Deke Brackett and Beattie Feathers.

Schedule

Season summary

Chattanooga

In the season opener, the Vols defeated Chattanooga 13–0.

Ole Miss

In the second week of play, Tennessee beat Ole Miss 33–0.

North Carolina

The Volunteers defeated the Tar Heels 20–7.

Alabama

*Source: Against

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, the Vols won 7–3 at Legion Field in rainy conditions. Alabama scored its only points of the game when Hillman Holley connected on a 12-yard

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

in the second quarter to take a 3–0 lead. Alabama held their lead through the fourth quarter when

Johnny Cain John Lewis "Hurri" "Sugar" Cain (November 17, 1908 – August 18, 1977) was an American football player, coach of football, baseball, and tennis, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Alabama, where h ...

had a punt of only 12-yards from his own endzone to give Tennessee the ball at the 12-yard line. Three plays later, Beattie Feathers scored on a seven-yard touchdown run and with the extra point, the Volunteers took a 7–3 lead that they would not relinquish. Due to the poor weather conditions, the game was noted for both Alabama head coach Thomas and Tennessee head coach

calling for punt after punt, often on first and second down, in an attempt to gain field position advantage. As a result, Feathers punted 21 times for Tennessee, and Cain punted 19 times for Alabama. Cain's 19 punts and 914 total yards still stand as the single game school records for punts and punting yardage.

Maryville

Maryville was swamped 60–0.

Duke

*Source: In a game deemed a "thriller", the Vols beat

Wallace Wade William Wallace Wade (June 15, 1892 – October 7, 1986) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Alabama fro ...

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

16–13. Feathers ran through Duke's line time and again. The highlight of the contest came when Fred Crawford intercepted a pass and raced 72 yards for a touchdown. Wynn kicked Tennessee's winning field goal. The starting lineup was Rayburn (left end), Franklin (left tackle), Ellis (left guard), Maples (center), Frank (right guard), Aitken (right tackle), Warmath (right end), Robinson (quarterback), Vaughn (left halfback), Feathers (right halfback), Middletown (fullback).

Mississippi State

Mississippi State was beaten 31–0.

Vanderbilt

*Source:

Clyde Roberts William Clyde "Dixie" Roberts (July 20, 1909 – August 17, 2004) was a college football player. He retired as district manager of the Chattanooga office of Life & Casualty Insurance Company. Early years Roberts was born on July 20, 1909, to ...

and Vanderbilt fought the Vols to a scoreless tie. The game's only score was called back in the second half. Feathers caught a pass but was called out of bounds at the 27-yard line, right in front of the Vanderbilt bench.

Kentucky

The Volunteers beat the Wildcats of Kentucky 26–0.

Florida

*Source: The Vols defeated

Charlie Bachman Charles William Bachman Jr. (December 1, 1892 – December 14, 1985) was an American college American football, football player and head coach. Bachman was an Illinois native and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, where he played colleg ...

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

32–13. Beattie Feathers scored after the opening kickoff.

Players

Line

Backfield

References

{{Southern Conference football champions

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Tennessee Volunteers football seasons Southern Conference football champion seasons College football undefeated seasons

Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Tennessee", "Vols", "UT", or "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 130 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 862� ...