1953 Tennessee Volunteers football team
# 1953 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1953 Tennessee Volunteers (variously Tennessee, UT, or the Vols) represented the University of Tennessee in the 1953 college football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Harvey Robinson, in his first year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of six wins, four losses and one tie (6–4–1 overall, 3–2–1 in the SEC).

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| September 26 | Mississippi State | No. 17 | Shields–Watkins FieldKnoxville, TN | L 0–26 | 25,000 |
| October 3 | No. 12 Duke* | | Shields–Watkins FieldKnoxville, TN | L 7–21 | 30,000 |
| October 10 | Chattanooga* | | Shields–Watkins FieldKnoxville, TN | W 40–7 | 15,000 |
| October 17 | at Alabama | | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October) | T 0–0 | 40,000 |
| October 22 | Louisville* | | Shields–Watkins FieldKnoxville, TN | W 59–6 | 15,000 |
| October 31 | at North Carolina* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | W 20–6 | 27,000 |
| November 7 | LSU | | Shields–Watkins FieldKnoxville, TN | W 32–14 | 23,000 |
| November 14 | at Florida | No. 18 | Florida FieldGainesville, FL (rivalry) | W 9–7 | 29,000 |
| November 21 | at No. 13 Kentucky | | McLean StadiumLexington, KY (rivalry) | L 21–27 | 37,000 |
| November 28 | Vanderbilt | | Shields–Watkins FieldKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | W 33–6 | 21,000 |
| December 5 | at Houston* | | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | L 19–33 | 23,000 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Team players drafted into the NFL

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Bill Barbish | Back | 8 | 95 | Cleveland Browns |
| Bob Fisher | Tackle | 10 | 115 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
