1977 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1977 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Johnny Majors, in his first year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of four wins and seven losses (4–7 overall, 1–5 in the SEC).

1977 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	4–7 (1–5 SEC)
Head coach	Johnny Majors (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Avezzano (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Bobby Roper (1st season)
Captains	Pert Jenkins Greg Jones Brent Watson
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
Seasons ← 1976 1978 →

1977 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Alabama $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 6 Kentucky	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Auburn	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
LSU	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Florida	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Georgia	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Mississippi State	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Tennessee	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Kentucky ineligible for SEC championship due to NCAA probation. Mississippi State later forfeited all 1977 wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	California*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	L 17–27	84,421	[1]
September 17	Boston College*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	W 24–18	83,263	[2]
September 24	Auburn	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	L 12–14	84,084	[3]
October 1	Oregon State*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	W 41–10	82,865	[4]
October 8	Georgia Tech*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	L 8–24	82,631	[5]
October 15	at No. 4 Alabama	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October)	L 10–24	71,000	[6]
October 22	at No. 19 Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	L 17–27	67,711	[7]
November 5	Memphis State*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	W 27–14	82,573	[8]
November 12	vs. Ole Miss	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (rivalry)	L 14–43	50,259	[9]
November 19	at No. 7 Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	L 17–21	57,914	[10]
November 26	Vanderbilt	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	W 42–7	83,146	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1977 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE Kyle Aguillard RB Kelsey Finch TE Reggie Harper QB Joe Hough RB Gary Moore QB Pat Ryan QB Jimmy Streater RB Nate Sumpter	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB Thomas Rowsey	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P Craig Colquitt K Jim Gaylor KR Joe Morgan	Head coach Johnny Majors Coordinators/assistant coaches Joe Avezzano – Offensive coordinator/offensive line Bill Cox – Quarterbacks Bobby Jackson – Running backs Bob Harrison – Wide receivers Bobby Roper – Defensive coordinator/linebackers Jim Dyar – Defensive line Robbie Franklin – Outside linebacker Joe Madden – Defensive backs/assistant head coach Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Craig Colquitt	Punter	3	76	Pittsburgh Steelers
Jesse Turnbow	Defensive tackle	8	205	Cleveland Browns
Russ Williams	Defensive back	9	250	Dallas Cowboys
Brent Watson	Tackle	10	261	Cleveland Browns
Pat Ryan	Quarterback	11	281	New York Jets

• Reference:^[12]

References

1. "Cal gives Vols a going over". Oakland Tribune. September 11, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Boston College bows to Tenn". The Lowell Sun. September 18, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Auburn rallies by Vols, 14–12". The Selma Times-Journal. September 25, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Vols blitz Beavers 41–10 in Knoxville". The Spokesman-Review. October 2, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Georgia Tech uses flood of mistakes to slap Tennessee". The Commercial Appeal. October 9, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Alabama defense sticks Volunteers in 24–10 victory". The Anniston Star. October 16, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Florida's "I" disposes of Tennessee". St. Petersburg Times. October 23, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Streater's 2 touchdowns lead Tennessee past Memphis St". The Courier-Journal. November 6, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Reb blitzkreig humbles Vols". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 13, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "UK nips tough Tennessee, ends 10–1". The Courier-Journal. November 20, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Vols elude SEC cellar, maul Vanderbilt, 42–7". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. November 27, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "1978 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 7, 2012.