Tennessee’s bounce-back football campaign of 2006, when the Vols finished 9-4 and advanced to the Outback Bowl after missing the postseason the year before with a 5-6 finish, was more than just a return to normalcy for in Big Orange Country.
It also extended the nation’s longest active streak without consecutive losing seasons to 95.
Not since a three-year stretch from 1909-11 — when Tennessee compiled records of 1-6-2, 3-5-1 and 3-4-2 — have the Vols turned in back-to-back seasons of sub-.500 football. In fact the Vols since 1911 have had only 10 losing seasons, period: 1924, 1935, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1977, 1980, 1988 and 2005.
According to research by Dave Plati, Colorado’s associate athletics director/sports information, Tennessee is the runaway leader in this category, followed by Ohio State (82), Southern Mississippi (72) and Arizona State (59). Alabama is next at 49, although the Crimson Tide must rally from a 6-7 record last season to keep that streak intact. Others of note from the SEC are Georgia at 43 and Florida with 27.
The closest Tennessee came to breaking its run of success was 1963, when one-year head coach Jim McDonald’s only team won four of its last five, including shutouts of both Kentucky and Vanderbilt, to finish 5-5. The 1962 squad had gone 4-6 in Bowden Wyatt’s final campaign, while Doug Dickey’s first team in Knoxville finished 4-5-1 in 1964.
Johnny Majors also rallied his 1978 Vols to wins in their final three contests for a 5-5-1 slate, one season after his 1977 return to East Tennessee resulted in a 4-7 finish.

Years since consecutive losing seasons
School Years Last
TENNESSEE 95 1909-11
Ohio State 82 1922-24
Southern Miss. 72 1933-34
Arizona State 59 1946-47
*Alabama 49 1954-57
Nebraska 45 1956-61
Southern Calif. 45 1960-61
Michigan 43 1962-63
Georgia 43 1961-63
Texas A&M 33 1968-73
Clemson 30 1975-76
Florida State 30 1973-76
Miami (Fla.) 29 1975-77
*Toledo 28 1975-78
Florida 27 1978-79
West Virginia 27 1976-79
*Virginia 24 1980-82
*Colorado 22 1979-84

*Losing season in 2006.

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