Butch Jones
In 2013, Tennessee ushered in a new era of Vols football with the hire of Jones, an offense-driven coach who achieved success by winning four conference championships in six seasons during prior head coaching stops Central Michigan and Cincinnati. With more resources than he's ever had before, the Michigan native assembled an impressive staff of assistants and hit the ground running on the recruiting trail in Knoxville by bringing in a consensus Top 10 class during his first season. After his playing career ended at Ferris State in 1989, Jones was an offensive assistant for 16 years at various programs…
Read moreMike Debord
A coaching veteran of 30+ years, Mike DeBord brings a wealth of experience to the Tennessee offense. DeBord recently coached in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks. Previously, he coached at collegiate programs such as Michigan, Central Michigan, Northwestern, Colorado State and others.
Read moreBob Shoop
Butch Jones hired Bob Shoop away from Penn State University. Shoop will take over the reigns of the Volunteers' talented defense. Shoop, who coordinated the defense and coached the safeties for Vandy, put some of the best stoppers on the field the Commodores have seen in years. During their season-ending four-game win streak, Shoop's defense only surrendered 13.5 points per game. Shoop arrived in Nashville from William & Mary, where he was defensive coordinator. Prior coordinator stops include Yale and Villanova, along with a head coaching stint at Columbia.
Read moreZach Azzanni
Credited with playing a major role in Tennessee's near instantaneous recruiting success under coach Butch Jones, Azzanni's expertise at the wide receiver position as a former player at Central Michigan followed him to coaching stops at his alma-mater, Valparaiso, Bowling Green, Florida, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin before the Volunteers came calling in 2013.
Read moreRobert Gillespie
Gillespie knows a thing or two about carrying the rock, lettering four years at Florida in the early 2000s before joining the coaching ranks full-time under Steve Spurrier at South Carolina in 2006. Gillespie spent three years in Columbia before two seasons each at West Virginia and Oklahoma State. In 2013, he helped Rajion Neal surpass the 1,000-yard barrier in his first season at Tennessee.
Read moreTommy Thigpen
A four-year letter winner at North Carolina, the former linebacker started at Tennessee as the Volunteers' linebackers coach in 2013 after a four-year stint at Auburn. Named the National Recruiter of the Year by Rivals in 2013, Thigpen's a tremendous asset in Knoxville.
Read moreDon Mahoney
A longtime coaching friend of Butch Jones, Mahoney worked with Tennessee's head man at Central Michigan and Cincinnati before arriving in Knoxville in 2013. All five of Tennessee's starting offensive linemen coaching by Mahoney from the 2013 season made an NFL roster.
Read moreSteve Stripling
The current staff's most veteran assistant, Stripling has more than 30 years of experience as a player and coach. Must of his career was spent in the Big Ten Conference during stints at Indiana (1984-96), Minnesota (1997-00), Michigan State (2003-04) and Michigan (2005-07). Stripling also worked as Butch Jones' associate head coach at previous stops Central Michigan and Cincinnati with an emphasis along the defensive line.
Read moreWillie Martinez
Martinez's coaching career began in 1985 and outside of two years at Oklahoma during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, he's spent the last 12 in the SEC at three different stops coming into the 2014 campaign at Tennessee. Since 1990, the secondary's been his specialty, although he did serve as defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2005-09.
Read moreLarry Scott
Larry Scott joined the Tennessee coaching staff after spending the last three seasons as the Miami Hurricanes tight ends coach. Scott has 15 years of coaching experience, including 11 seasons in college.
Read moreDave Lawson
Lawson arrives on Rocky Top with over 20 years experience in athletic performance. Prior to joining Butch Jones's staff, Lawson spent three years as assistant athletic director, sports performance and football strength and conditioning at Cincinnati. His time with the Bearcats was preceded by stints at Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and West Virginia.
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Butch Jones
In 2013, Tennessee ushered in a new era of Vols football with the hire of Jones, an offense-driven coach who achieved success by winning four conference championships in six seasons during prior head coaching stops Central Michigan and Cincinnati. With more resources than he's ever had before, the Michigan native assembled an impressive staff of assistants and hit the ground running on the recruiting trail in Knoxville by bringing in a consensus Top 10 class during his first season. After his playing career ended at Ferris State in 1989, Jones was an offensive assistant for 16 years at various programs…
Read moreDerek Dooley
Derek Dooley was a head coach in the SEC for three seasons at the University of Tennessee from 2010-2012. He took over the Volunteers program after the departure of former head coach Lane Kiffin to USC, and was Tennessee's third coach in three seasons. Dooley led the Vols to one bowl game during his three-year tenure as head coach, but his teams finished with a losing record in all three seasons. After beginning his first season with a 2-6 record, Tennessee won its final four games of the regular season to earn bowl eligibility. The Vols fell to North Carolina in…
Read moreLane Kiffin
A gutsy play-caller who isn't afraid to spar with other coaches, the former Fresno St. quarterback teamed up with Nick Saban at Alabama in Jan. 2014 in hopes of bringing a faster tempo to the Crimson Tide's offense. Kiffin spent six seasons on Pete Carroll's staff at Southern California before becoming a first-year head coach in 2007 with the Oakland Raiders — the NFL's youngest head coach in the modern era (31). When Kiffin's NFL coaching career soon fizzled, he inherited Phillip Fulmer's mess in Knoxville as Tennessee's head coach in 2008 and paced the Vols to a second-place finish…
Read morePhillip Fulmer
Phillip Fulmer is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in SEC history and a 2012 inductee to the College Football Hall of Fame. Fulmer coached at the college level for 37 years (including 32 years in the SEC) and was the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers for 17 seasons from 1992-2008. He posted a career record of 152-52 and won at least eight games in 15 of his 17 seasons at the helm of the Volunteers. His crowning achievement was Tennessee's national championship in 1998, the first championship of the BCS era. He won the SEC championship in…
Read moreJohnny Majors
Johnny Majors was an All-American halfback and two-time SEC Most Valuable Player during his playing days for the Tennessee Volunteers in the 1950's, and went on to coach the Vols for 16 seasons from 1977-1992. Majors began his coaching career as an assistant at Tennessee in 1957, and would work as an assistant at Mississippi State and Arkansas before accepting his first head coaching job at Iowa State in 1968. He returned to Knoxville in 1977 and led Tennessee to 12 winning seasons during his 16-season tenure as head coach. Majors won three SEC championships with the Volunteers in 1985,…
Read moreBill Battle
Bill Battle began his coaching career in 1964 as an assistant coach at Army for two seasons. In 1966 he was hired as an assistant at the University of Tennessee, and prior to the 1970 season Battle was promoted to head coach of the Volunteers. He was Tennessee's head coach for seven seasons from 1970-1976, posting seven straight winning seasons in that time. His teams played in five bowl games and were 4-1 in those games, and all five teams ended their seasons ranked in the top-20 in the final Associated Press poll. Battle began his head coaching career with…
Read moreDoug Dickey
Doug Dickey served as a head coach in the SEC with the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators from 1964-1978, winning 104 total games in that time. He began his career as an assistant at Arkansas from 1957-1963 before accepting the job at Tennessee prior to the 1964 campaign. After a 4-5-1 season to begin his tenure in Knoxville, Dickey led the Vols to five straight eight-or-more-win seasons and five straight bowl appearances from 1965-69. He led Tennessee to two SEC championships in 1967 and 1969 and had four teams finish a season ranked in the top-15 of the final…
Read moreBowden Wyatt
Bowden Wyatt was a college football coach for 24 years, including two years at the University of Arkansas and eight years at the University of Tennessee. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame twice - he was inducted as a player in 1972 for his career at Tennessee in the late 30's, and again as a coach in 1997. Wyatt began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Mississippi State from 1939-1941 and after World War II returned as an assistant coach at MSU in 1946. Wyatt's first head coaching job came at the University of…
Read moreHarvey Robinson
Harvey Robinson played quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers from 1931-1932, and spent most of his college coaching career as a member of the Vols' coaching staff. Robinson served as a high school coach from 1935-1941 and took his first college job as the coach of Tennessee's freshmen team from 1946-1948. He was promoted to backfield coach beginning in 1949, and in 1953 he was named the head coach of the Volunteers. Robinson served as head coach for two seasons from 1953-1954. His 1953 team finished 6-4-1 and in seventh-place in the SEC standings; his 1954 team regressed to 4-6, bringing…
Read moreJohn Barnhill
John Barnhill was a college football coach from 1931-1949 at the University of Tennessee and the University of Arkansas. After playing at Tennessee from 1927-1929, Barnhill worked as an assistant on the Vols' coaching staff from1931-1940. He took over as head coach in 1941 and posted an impressive 32-5-2 record in four seasons, and his teams ended the season in the final Associated Press poll all four years. Barnhill was 15-3-1 in SEC play and never finished worse than second in the conference standings. He won the 1942 Sugar Bowl and in 1944 was named SEC Coach of the Year despite…
Read moreW. H. Britton
W. H. Britton was a football coach at the University of Tennessee for 18 years between 1926 and 1946, including one season as the head coach of the Volunteers in 1935. Britton served as ends coach from 1926-1934, and again from 1936-1942. He would return to his position as ends coach for one more season in 1946 following his service during World War II. In his lone season as a college head coach, Britton led the '35 Vols to a 4-5 record and a 2-3 mark in the SEC, finishing ninth in the conference standings. He passed away in 1982…
Read moreRobert Neyland
Robert Neyland was a legendary football coach at the University of Tennessee from 1925-1952, winning four national championships and seven conference titles with the Volunteers. He played his college football at Army and after graduating from West Point served as an assistant from 1919-1924 following the conclusion of World War I. He arrived at Tennessee in 1925 and after one year as an assistant with the Vols he was promoted to head coach. Neyland coached the Vols for nine seasons from 1926-1934, winning two Southern Conference titles in 1926 and 1932. From 1926-1932 Neyland's teams were an incredible 61-2-5, his…
Read moreM. B. Banks
M. B. Banks spent more nearly 40 years as a college football, basketball and baseball coach between 1909 and 1948, including five seasons as the head coach of all three sports at the University of Tennessee from 1921-1925. Banks led the Volunteers' football team to four winning seasons in five years, peaking in 1922 with an 8-2 record. His lone losing season came in 1924 when he led Tennessee to a 3-5 record and an 0-4 mark in the Southern Conference. Banks left Tennessee with a 27-15-3 record as coach of the Vols, and would not take another job in football…
Read moreJohn R. Bender
John R. Bender coached college football, basketball and baseball in the early 1900's, ending his career as the coach of all three sports at Tennessee from 1916-1920. He coached the football team for three seasons during that time. Bender led the 1916 Volunteers to an undefeated 8-0-1 record, posting his best individual season as a college football coach. After stepping away from football for two years, he returned to the sidelines in 1919 and led Tennessee to an even 3-3-3 record. Bender improved the Vols to 7-2 in 1920 before stepping down as the football coach for good. He was…
Read moreZora G. Clevenger
Zora G. Clevenger served as the head football, basketball and baseball coach at the University of Tennessee from 1911-1916, leading the Volunteers' football team to a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship in 1914. Clevenger posted just two winning seasons in five years as the football coach from 1911-1915, but his 1914 title team finished a perfect 9-0 and 7-0 against SIAA competition. His other winning season came the year before in 1913, when he led Tennessee to a 6-3 record. Clevenger stepped away from the football team in 1915 and left Tennessee in 1916. His final record as the Vols'…
Read moreAndrew A. Stone
Andrew A. Stone served as the head football coach at the University of Tennessee for one season, leading the 1910 Volunteers to a 3-5-1 record and a 1-4 record in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. He also coached Tennessee' basketball program for two seasons from 1910-1911. Stone passed away in the early 1940's.
Read moreGeorge Levene
George Levene made stops as a football coach at three different programs between 1907 and 1922, including three seasons as the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. Levene began his coaching career at Tennessee in 1907 and led the Vols to a 7-2-1 record in his first season as a head coach. He led Tennessee to another 7-2 season in 1908 but regressed mightily in 1909, finishing the season with a 1-6-2 mark. He left the Vols following the '09 season and would return to coaching for one season as an assistant at Penn in 1920 and one season as…
Read moreJames DePree
James DePree spent two seasons as the head football coach at the University of Tennessee, posting back-to-back losing seasons in 1905 and 1906. DePree led the '05 Volunteers to a 3-5-1 record and led the '06 squad to an even-worse 1-6-2 finish. His teams were a combined 0-8-2 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association during those two seasons. He also coached the Tennessee baseball team in 1906. DePree passed away in 1972 at the age of 93.
Read moreS. D. Crawford
S. D. "Sax" Crawford coached the University of Tennessee football team for one season in 1904, leading the Volunteers to a 3-5-1 record and a 1-4 mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. He also played his college football at Tennessee from 1901-1902. Crawford passed away in 1964 at the age of 82.
Read moreH. F. Fisher
Hubert F. Fisher served as head football coach at the University of Tennessee for two season from 1902-1903, leading the Vols to one winning season in that time. His 1902 team ended the season with a 6-2 record, and his 1903 team dropped to 4-5. His teams were a combined 4-6 against Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Fisher left coaching following the '03 season, and eventually served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1917-1931. He passed away in 1941 at the age of 63.
Read moreGeorge Kelley
Thomas Kelley was a college football and basketball coach in the 1910's and early 1920's. He coached the University of Alabama football team for three seasons from 1915-1917 and went 17-7-1 in 25 games as coach of the Crimson Tide. He was also Alabama's athletic director in 1915. Kelley made several other coaching stops, including a 5-3 season at Missouri in 1922. He played college football at the University of Chicago for Amos Alonzo Stagg, one of the biggest innovators in college football history.
Read moreJ. A. Pierce
J. A. Pierce was the University of Tennessee's first-ever head football coach, taking over the program prior to its inaugural season in 1899. He led the Volunteers to an impressive 6-2 record in their first season of existence, and Pierce's bunch followed that season up with a 3-2-1 campaign in 1900. He left Tennessee after two seasons with a combined record of 9-4-1 and a 2-3-1 record against Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association competition.
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