History of Vanderbilt Commodores football
Finally, P. M. (Pat) Estes, then of St. Louis, made a motion to the effect that the challenge be accepted and that E. H. Jones be authorized and directed to organize and captain a team for the occasion.
Georgia quarterback Kid Huff prevented Wallace Crutchfield, at that time "the biggest man that ever played on the Vanderbilt football team,"[14] from a Vandy score.
"[28] The 1908 squad was hampered by a wealth of sophomores, which McGugin with the help of halfback Ray Morrison led to a 7–2–1 campaign,[29] derailed from another SIAA title by the tie to Sewanee.
Edwin Pope's Football's Greatest Coaches on the 1911 team reads "A lightning-swift backfield of Lew Hardage, Wilson Collins, Ammie Sikes, and Ray Morrison pushed Vandy through 1911 with only a 9–8 loss to Michigan."
Despite this the team closed fairly strong, including a victory over Virginia on Lambeth Field and handing the only losses to SIAA champion Auburn and Alabama.
Wallace Wade, a former Brown athlete, came over from Fitzgerald & Clarke School in Tullahoma, Tennessee where he won a state preparatory title;[32] bringing with him future Vanderbilt stars Lynn Bomar and Hek Wakefield.
Edwin Pope's Football's Greatest Coaches tells us "The Texas game, sparked by McGugin's unforgettable oratory, was the big one; and Vandy got out of the year without a loss.
"[33] "Instead of hammering detailed strategy into them,"[34] coach Dan McGugin had taken his team to the nearby grave of former Vanderbilt quarterback Irby "Rabbit" Curry in Marlin, Texas.
In a noted speech just before the teams took the field, referring to this grave, McGugin tapped his fingers on the floor and told his boys:[31][33] You are about to be put to an ordeal which will show the stuff that's in you!
He will be degraded in the hearts of the rest as long as they live...The toughest Southern opponent left for either school and both with undefeated conference records, the Georgia–Vanderbilt game decided the SIAA title.
"Thousands of cheering Vanderbilt fans inspired the surge of center Alf Sharp, guard Gus Morrow, tackle Tex Bradford, and end Lynn Bomar, who stopped Michigan cold in four attempts.
"[53] Vandy football historian Bill Traughber chronicles the event:Wallace Wade left for the vacant head coaching position at Alabama.
Spears learned much from his coach and in three seasons had an unbelievably low number of interceptions He led the Commodores three years in which they only lost to Georgia Tech and Auburn in '25, national champion Alabama in '26.
Armistead took Spears' spot at quarterback in 1928 and did admirably, ranked second-team All-Southern as Vanderbilt suffered its only two losses both to undefeated teams: Georgia Tech and Tennessee.
[21] McGugin selected Bull Brown, Josh Cody, Lew Hardage, Ray Morrison, Bill Spears, and Hek Wakefield as the six best players he ever coached.
[63] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 Henry Russell Sanders had a successful stint as head coach at Vanderbilt, compiling a 36–22–2 (.617) record there from 1940 to 1942 and 1946 to 1948.
An eight-game winning streak followed to end the 1948 season, including a #12 ranking in the final AP poll and a defeat of arch rival Tennessee.
These were the first times Vanderbilt defeated a ranked team in years, and there was hope that DiNardo would restore the glories of the past and recruit well despite high academic requirements for acceptance and enrollment.
Despite pleas from the fan base and administration to stay, DiNardo left the Commodores after the 1994 season to accept the head football coach position at LSU.
[97] Rod Dowhower was brought to Vanderbilt from his position as an assistant coach for the NFL's Cleveland Browns amid high hopes that he would build on the momentum of his predecessor DiNardo's tenure.
[100][101] Long-time and well-respected NFL assistant coach Woody Widenhofer was brought to Vanderbilt amid hopes that he was the right hire and that he would resurrect the seemingly dead Commodores football program.
[106] Vanderbilt officials had pursued and offered the position initially to Gary Barnett and Tyrone Willingham, both of whom had steered small, private universities (Northwestern and Stanford, respectively) to football success.
[111] Vanderbilt fans approached the 2007 season with considerable optimism, given the return of many experienced starters, including WR Earl Bennett and the closeness of the Arkansas and Alabama losses.
Vanderbilt started the year strong with a decisive victory over Richmond, but hopes for a win against Nick Saban's Alabama squad fizzled in a 24–10 loss marked by several controversial penalties.
In the following home game against Miami (Ohio), junior wide receiver Earl Bennett made history by breaking the SEC record for most career receptions.
After a lopsided defeat against Florida and a close loss to Kentucky, the Commodores went to Knoxville to play Tennessee at Neyland Stadium for the first time since their 2005 win.
However, after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized it is time for me to step aside and let someone else pick up the hard work and efforts of our staff.”[126] James Franklin, formerly offensive coordinator at Maryland, took over the Vanderbilt football program as head coach.
[137] The victim (who is White) told the court that after Batey (who is Black) raped her, he urinated on her face while saying she deserved what he was doing to her because of the color of her skin, which sources reported was "That’s for 400 years of slavery you b----.
[139] A fifth player, Chris Boyd, pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit accessory after the fact and was dismissed from the team but not the university[140] for his role in helping to cover up the rape.
[150][151][152] (It is important to note that the term “Power Five” was not in use when Katie Hnida became the first woman to score in an NCAA Division I-A game, college football's highest level, on August 30, 2003.
