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 and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player and coach. Wyatt played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

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

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

(1947–1952), the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

(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 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, but has occurred more commonly at th ...

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 "Vols," "UT" and "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 132 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 870–415–53 ( ...

Volunteers upset top-ranked

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, 14–13, by stopping a two-point conversion attempt by eventual

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner

Billy Cannon William Abb Cannon Sr. (August 2, 1937 – May 20, 2018) was an American football halfback and tight end who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He attended Louisiana State University (LSU), wh ...

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 Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

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 Sweetwater is a city in Monroe County, Tennessee, Monroe and McMinn County, Tennessee, McMinn Counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the most populous city in Monroe County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population ...

Head coaching record

References

External links

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Coaching statistics
at

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...

{{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 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 Sportspeople from the Knoxville metropolitan area Coaches of American football from Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee Deaths from pneumonia in Tennessee