Top 25 Historical Teams in Tennessee

[nickknx865]

I spent part of the weekend doing some research on past national rankings. While I understand that national rankings and championships are subjective, I do find them interesting. While we probably all agree that national rankings are difficult to put much stock in, they do represent some nice publicity for the schools that receive them, and it's safe to say that the Tennessee schools that have received them are usually the best, or one of the top three or four schools, in the state in that particular year.

 

Anyway, here are some interesting tidbits I was able to find this weekend:

 

National Rankings. Finding national rankings before 1982 on the internet is a tough chore, but I was able to uncover some of the older National Sports News Service (NSNS) polls pre-1982. It is nice to see some of the Tennessee schools ranked in that period, including some high rankings:

 

Dobyns-Bennett: #9, 1960

Chattanooga Central: #5, 1962

Morristown East: #4, 1969

Tennessee: #4, 1971

Tennessee: #1, 1972

Baylor: #1, 1973

Bradley Central: #19, 1976

 

I'm sure some other Tennessee teams were ranked in other NSNS polls, but I was only able to find a few of the old polls. If anyone is interested in looking at them, I have put them on my website here: NSNS Rankings

 

National Champions. As noted above, and as discussed on this and other threads, Tennessee ('72) and Baylor ('73) have won mythical national titles. The 1958 Oak Ridge team is also credited with a mythical national title. Do any ORHS fans know the media source of that title? The only poll I am aware of that season is the NSNS poll, and a team out of Oregon is listed as its national champion (Note: I am certainly not questioning the quality of that team - Oak Ridge outscored its 10 opponents 438-26 and seemingly was far and away the best team in Tennessee that year - but I have yet to find the media source for that mythical title).

 

On the mythical national championship front, I also found that Knoxville High claimed a mythical national title in 1930. Does anyone know if KHS is the precursor school to Knoxville Central? Anyway, that team went 13-0 and outscored its opponents 568-12 that year. The research I uncovered indicates a team out of Arizona was the NSNS champion that year, but Knoxville High did have a "self-proclaimed" (not my word; just quoting) mythical national title that year.

 

Here is a list of all mythical national champions I have found: Mythical National Champions

 

Just though I would throw these nuggets out there; take them with a grain of salt.

 

 

rollred, Knoxville Central High School was already errected, and was already playing football when Knoxville High won the 1930 national title. They were also bitter rivals. As for the lineage, I think Fulton, and Austin-East would be the schools that superceeded them.

 

Actually, MB Banks, then the coach at Tennessee, left the Vols head coaching job to go coach at Central High School.

 

Another UT coach, Harvey Robinson, who coached the Vols in 1953-1954, coached at Central in the 30's and 40's. The 1939 Central team was one of the best teams in Tennessee history, going 10-0

 

That 1939 team was

BB: Dan Boring

FB: Howard Painter

TB: R.E. Selby

E: Chan Caldwell

E: Ford Owen

[cow451]

I can't vouch for the 1971 scrimmage but in 1970 those two teams scrimmaged and it wasn't even close...a full game type scrimmage and Gate City dominated. The only things keeping it from being a real game were no admission price and no broadcast. Legion field was filled to capacity on both sides. Have never seen another high school contest with that atmosphere!!

I played on the 1969, 1970 and 71 Tennessee High teams. My recollection is that gate City kicked us around in 1969, having a much better team. In 1970, THS returned the favor. Both of those games were played in Bristol. In 1971 we went to Gate City and they handled us pretty well, but we played without about four starters. Coaches had had to curtail hitting in practice because we were having lots of injuries. We didn't really start to gel until about mid-season. It all suddenly started to come together and we were confident on top of confident by the time playoffs rolled around.

Edited July 22, 2013 by cow451

[REBELRON]

There's where you're wrong DBT. As many games as Maryville has won in a row and as many championships as they've won, they don't get 1/10 the hate as D-B does and D-B hasn't won squat except beating up on smaller schools in their area. There's a reason. The fans. Not all D-B fans are this way. I actually have many friends who are D-B fans. It's the few obnoxious ones, who weren't around in the 30's and 40's when D-B was the dominant team in the state, that love to live in the past and run their mouths about how they are the winningest team in the state because they had a team while Moses still walked the earth.

 

It depends where you are located. In the Knoxville area Maryville is by far the most hated team and it isn't even close. When Alcoa plays Maryville. 95% of the William Blount,Heritage and the Knoxville area fans pull for Alcoa. I have been at William Blount and Heritage when it is announced that Alcoa is winning you hear cheers. When it was announced Alcoa was losing you heard groans. I have watched Heritage and William Blount playbacks and if the Maryville score is announced and Maryville is losing i hear a lot of cheers.

[catswild]

Being an Oak Ridge fan I'm certainly biased but as our coach says every time he speaks, we're the only (or one of the very few) teams who has won state titles in so many different decades. I think we should be ranked much higher.

[SweetScience]

Being an Oak Ridge fan I'm certainly biased but as our coach says every time he speaks, we're the only (or one of the very few) teams who has won state titles in so many different decades. I think we should be ranked much higher.

To be fair to the original poster he said his list was "in no particular order", but all time yes we should be up there with the best. At the best top 5 all time, at the worst top 10. I don't really count the privates in with the public schools if i had of made a list like this. Although MBA, Brentwood Academy and the like are all tremendous programs. 600 wins against less than 200 defeats all time for Oak Ridge since 1943, not too shabby.

Edited July 23, 2013 by SweetScience

[runninblind]

Thank you for adding RIVERDALE ON THERE we have been a high school since 1971 1972 year and i think we have had quite an accomplishment in our breif history when you look at some of these schools that have been qround since 1900 it also looks good...

i know gallatin won state in 78 and 89 when was their other championship WIN?...living in Gallatin in the early 80s there was some good teams there and just ran into some tough luck in the playoffs in 82 there was a good lincoln county team that beat them in the championship game i do not remember all of the players from both teams but gallatin had several D1 signees and LC had a real good back and i cannot recall his name

great list and thanks for compiling it and you are right it should make for some great conversations

Gallatins other state championship was 1992 !

[big red big blue]

Gallatins other state championship was 1992 !

 

That was an unbelievable run for Gallatin....I guess we won't ever see anything like that again, because I think that was the last year of 3 classifications. Over a 2-year period, Gallatin went 29-1, with its only loss coming to Oak Ridge in the '91 Clinic Bowl. From '89-'92, Gallatin appeared 3 Clinic Bowls and won 2 titles...in the old 3A classification where every play-off game was a true battle.

[CNeagle165]

Thank you for adding RIVERDALE ON THERE we have been a high school since 1971 1972 year and i think we have had quite an accomplishment in our breif history when you look at some of these schools that have been qround since 1900 it also looks good...

i know gallatin won state in 78 and 89 when was their other championship WIN?...living in Gallatin in the early 80s there was some good teams there and just ran into some tough luck in the playoffs in 82 there was a good lincoln county team that beat them in the championship game i do not remember all of the players from both teams but gallatin had several D1 signees and LC had a real good back and i cannot recall his name

great list and thanks for compiling it and you are right it should make for some great conversations

Gallatin also beat Rhea County in '81 3-0 for a state title. Both were ranked nationally in the season at one time also.

[KWoodroof]

That was an unbelievable run for Gallatin....I guess we won't ever see anything like that again, because I think that was the last year of 3 classifications. Over a 2-year period, Gallatin went 29-1, with its only loss coming to Oak Ridge in the '91 Clinic Bowl. From '89-'92, Gallatin appeared 3 Clinic Bowls and won 2 titles...in the old 3A classification where every play-off game was a true battle.

...at a time when you had to win your district to get into the play-offs, which consisted of a total of 48 teams in the entire state. 

[EHSfan04]

I played on the 1969, 1970 and 71 Tennessee High teams. My recollection is that gate City kicked us around in 1969, having a much better team. In 1970, THS returned the favor. Both of those games were played in Bristol. In 1971 we went to Gate City and they handled us pretty well, but we played without about four starters. Coaches had had to curtail hitting in practice because we were having lots of injuries. We didn't really start to gel until about mid-season. It all suddenly started to come together and we were confident on top of confident by the time playoffs rolled around.

 

Out of the teams I've followed and seen, I would say the 1972 Tennessee High team, or the 1995 Brentwood Academy team. The Tennessee High team were national champions and BA was the most complete team I've ever seen. The BA team had the most dominating defense this state has seen. The starting defense was loaded with college players. Here is their lineup and college they played at:

 

DE Air Force

DT MTSU

NG nowhere

DT Memphis

DE Tennessee

LB Nebraska

LB Georgia Military ( Tito Lee. The best player on the team, but didn't qualify)

CB Virginia Tech

CB Tennessee

SS Vanderbilt

FS Tennessee

 

Most of these guys played on offense too. An offense that had another receiver that went to Ole Miss and a tackle that went to Texas.

[baylorbigdog1976]

A

Edited August 13, 2013 by baylorbigdog1976

[OldIndian18]

I don't live in Tennessee now, but I grew up in Kingsport in the 1960's and 1970's. From that era, there was no question about the Tennessee High dynasty of the early 1970s. Incredibly balanced and strong teams with top skill players and versatile linemen. I got to play against three strong Oak Ridge teams in the late 1970's. OR had great QB play and imaginative coaching by Emory Hale. DB beat OR in 1979, which was the only loss for the Wildcats in that championship season. 

 

I would include Alcoa on the list for their continued excellence over the decades. In the 1960's, Alcoa had Albert Davis, who is one of the all-time great backs in Tennessee high school history. Knox Farragut was another strong program in the '70's. Coach Sparks had some great teams. 

 

On the Gate City debate. I am familiar with the lore of a Gate City beat down of DB in the early 1970s. I believe it happened and I also believe that was one of the reasons that there was a coaching change at DB in the early 1970s. When we would go to scrimmage GC during my DB days, we were always told to tighten our chin straps because it was going to be a bloody fight on every play. True. I also recall in my senior year in 1979, we took our first and second team units to a preseason scrimmage in Greeneville. That same evening, our third and fourth team players, mostly sophomores, played in a jamboree in Hawkins County against Surgoinsville. In that one quarter of action, Surgoinsville won 6-0. The next day, all of the local papers jumped on the "big upset" story. I relay that tidbit to give some credence to the "everybody in Upper East Tennessee wants to beat DB" story line. It was true then and I bet that it has not changed much over the decades.

 

I am biased as to Dobyns Bennett, but the continued line of strong teams from the 1920's to the present is certainly hard to dispute. Roll Tribe!