Clarence Bowden Wyatt (October 4, 1917 – January 21, 1969) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player and coach. Wyatt played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th sta ...

and was later the head football coach at three schools, the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

(1947–1952), the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkans ...

(1953–1954), and his alma mater, Tennessee (1955–1962). He compiled a 99–56–5 record in 16 seasons as a head coach. In Wyoming, Wyatt turned around a team that had struggled under previous coach Bunny Oakes and had operated intermittently in the previous years because of World War II. His turnaround plan involved a round-the-clock training regimen, one that defensive back

Marv Levy Marvin Daniel Levy (; born August 3, 1925) is an American former football coach and executive who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for seventeen seasons. He spent most of his head coaching career with the Buffalo Bills, le ...

would later note did not allow players adequate time to complete their academic studies (leading Levy to transfer to Coe College). Wyatt's plan would secure Wyoming a

perfect season A perfect season is a sports season, including any requisite playoff portion, in which a team remains and finishes undefeated and untied. The feat is extremely rare at the professional level of any team sport, and has occurred more commonly at the ...

and a win in the 1951 Gator Bowl. Wyatt's most notable victory at Tennessee came on November 7, 1959, when his

Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Tennessee", "Vols", "UT", or "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 130 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 862� ...

Volunteers upset top-ranked LSU, 14–13, by stopping a two-point conversion attempt by eventual

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

winner Billy Cannon late in the game. The victory ended the Tigers' 18-game winning streak. Wyatt was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vo ...

in 1972 as a player and again in 1997 as a coach.

Personal life and death

Wyatt married Mary Alson Miller around 1940. They had one daughter named Mary Gail "Missy", born in 1942. Wyatt died of viral pneumonia on January 21, 1969 at hospital in Sweetwater, Tennessee.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyatt, Bowden 1917 births 1969 deaths American football ends Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches Del Monte Pre-Flight Navyators football players Mississippi State Bulldogs football coaches Oklahoma State Cowboys football coaches Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers athletic directors Tennessee Volunteers football coaches Tennessee Volunteers football players Wyoming Cowboys football coaches All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Kingston, Tennessee Coaches of American football from Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee Deaths from pneumonia in Tennessee