in what year did the tennessee volunteers suit up for their inaugural football season
History of Tennessee Volunteers football Tennessee's football program began in 1891, organized in large part by Henry Denlinger, a teacher who had played at Princeton. The team's first game, a loss to Sewanee, was played on November 21, 1891.[1] The program's first win did not come until October 25, 1892, when they defeated Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, by a score of 25â€“0. Tennessee competed in their first 5 seasons without a coach.