The 1862 Morrill Act required military tactics to be taught, and in 1869 the university was made the state’s land-grant institution.

[10] From the unit's arrival on campus in April 1943 until its departure on June 30, 1944, these cadets and their instructors were organized as the 63rd College Training Detachment (Air Crew).

[10][11] In addition to receiving university instruction in English, geography, history, mathematics, physics, and physical education, the detachment provided cadets with 10 hours of flight training,[10][11] initially at McGhee Tyson Airport and later at Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, which cadets reached by pulling themselves across the Tennessee River by ferry.

124 directing the establishment of Army Air Corps ROTC units at UT and 76 other colleges and universities effective at the beginning of the 1946–1947 academic year.

[27] As part of this transition, the unit was restructured similar to an Air Force wing composed of groups and squadrons.

[28] In that same month, the unit began sponsoring the Lieutenant General Frank M. Andrews Squadron of the Arnold Air Society.

[39] In 1963, Detachment 800 began sponsoring the Lieutenant General Frank M. Andrews Chapter of Silver Wings (then known as Angel Flight).

[42] In 1988, cadets Shaun Fields, Kerry E. Poole, and Donald W. Smith and student Terri Lynn Papes were killed when their rented single-engine plane crashed into the south bank of the French Broad River near Kodak, Tennessee.

[7] A shortage of on-campus space following World War II caused UT's Army and Air Force ROTC units to relocate from Section X of Neyland Stadium, which had been built for Military Department use in the 1930s, to temporary barracks.

It requires a performance over an extended period of time that is seldom equalled, and a devotation to duty and to the mission of the Air Force that demonstrates the highest standard of professionalism."

[52] In 2008, Detachment 800 again received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the period beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2007.

The detachment was evaluated in five categories: production of officers, education, recruiting and retention, university and public relations, and cadet activities.