No. 1 overall seed Tennessee (58-12, 22-8 SEC) will play No. 3 overall seed Texas A&M (52-13, 19-11 SEC) in the championship series of the College World Series.
The best-of-three championship series will be contested at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. Game No. 1 is slated for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EDT (ESPN).
The two schools share a historical connection.
Former Tennessee football head coach Robert Neyland played football and baseball at Texas A&M. He played for head coach Charley Moran in both sports. Moran played football for the Vols in 1897.
Neyland later transferred to Army, where he played football, baseball and competed in boxing for the Cadets.
Neyland served three stints as the Vols’ football head coach, leaving twice due to military service commitments. During Neyland’s first stint in Knoxville from 1926-34, he had five undefeated seasons (1927-29, 1931-32) and guided Tennessee to winning streaks of 33 and 28 games.
After serving in Panama, Neyland returned to Tennessee from 1936-40, winning national championships in 1938 and 1940 before another military service call.
Neyland returned as the Vols’ head coach, serving from 1946-52, winning two more national titles in 1950-51.
He was also Tennessee’s athletics director from 1936-41 and 1946-52. Neyland compiled a head coaching record of 173-31-12. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956 and Tennessee’s stadium is named in his honor.
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
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