Vanderbilt Commodores football

Vanderbilt Commodores football
2024 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
First season	1890; 134 years ago
Athletic director	Candice Storey Lee
Head coach	Clark Lea 4th season, 15–33 (.313)
Stadium	FirstBank Stadium (capacity: 40,550)
Field	Dudley Field
Year built	1922
Field surface	FieldTurf
Location	Nashville, Tennessee
NCAA division	Division I FBS
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Past conferences	Independent (1890–1894) SIAA (1895–1921) SoCon (1922–1932)
All-time record	618–665–50 (.482)
Bowl record	4–4–1 (.500)
Unclaimed national titles	6 (1906, 1910, 1911, 1918, 1921, 1922)
Conference titles	14 (12 SIAA, 2 SoCon)
Rivalries	Georgia (rivalry) Kentucky (rivalry) Ole Miss (rivalry) Tennessee (rivalry) Georgia Tech (dormant) Sewanee (historical)
Consensus All-Americans	7[1]
Colors	Black and gold[2]
Fight song	Dynamite!
Mascot	Mr. C
Marching band	Spirit of Gold Marching Band
Outfitter	Nike
Website	vucommodores.com

The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) within the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They are led by head coach Clark Lea. Vanderbilt plays their home games at FirstBank Stadium, located on the university's Nashville, Tennessee campus.

History

Main article: History of Vanderbilt Commodores football

See also: List of Vanderbilt Commodores football seasons

Vanderbilt has a winning percentage of .464, the average among all members in the Southeastern Conference. They have had no seasons with ten wins, but 10 with ten losses.

Head coaches

Main article: List of Vanderbilt Commodores head football coaches

Adopting the nickname the Commodores after the 1897 season, the team has played in 1,250 games over 126 seasons. In that time, seven coaches have led the Commodores to a postseason bowl appearance: Art Guepe, Ethan Halbert, George MacIntyre, Bobby Johnson, James Franklin, Derek Mason, and Clark Lea. Four have led them to a conference championship: R. G. Acton, W. H. Watkins, James R. Henry, and Dan McGugin. McGugin is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 198 victories during his 30 years at Vanderbilt. He was awarded two National Championships retroactively by Clyde Berryman.

Of the 29 different head coaches who have led the Commodores, McGugin,^[3] Ray Morrison,^[4] Red Sanders,^[5] and Bill Edwards^[6] have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

The head coach is Clark Lea, who was hired on December 14, 2020.

Conference affiliations

Vanderbilt has been affiliated with the following conferences.^{[citation needed]}

• Independent (1890–1894)
• SIAA (1895–1921)
• Southern Conference (1922–1932)
• Southeastern Conference (1933–present)

Championships

Conference championships

Vanderbilt has won 14 conference championships, with six shared and eight won outright.

Season	Conference	Coach	Overall record	Conference record
1897	SIAA	R. G. Acton	6–0–1	3–0–1
1901		W. H. Watkins	6–1–1	6–0–1
1903†		James H. Henry	6–1–1	5–1–1
1904		Dan McGugin	9–0	5–0
1905			7–1	6–0
1906†			8–1	6–0
1907			5–1–1	4–0
1910†			8–0–1	5–0
1911			8–1	6–0
1912			8–1–1	4–0–1
1915			9–1	5–0
1921†			7–0–1	4–0–1
1922†	SoCon		8–0–1	3–0
1923†			5–2–1	3–0–1

† Co-champions

National championships

Vanderbilt has been awarded 6 national championships for the years 1906, 1910, 1911, 1918, 1921, and 1922.

Season	Coach	Overall record	Conference record	National Championship Selector
1906	Dan McGugin	8–1–0	6–0–0	Billingsley Report[7][8]
1910		8–0–1	5–0–0	James Howell[9]
1911		8–1–0	5–0–0	Billingsley Report[10][11]
1918		4–2–0	4–0–0	David Wilson[12][13]
1921		7–0–1	4–0–1	Berryman QPRS,[14] James Howell[15]
1922		8–0–1	3–0–0	Berryman QPRS,[16] James Howell[17]

Undefeated seasons

Vanderbilt has had 8 undefeated seasons in the years 1890, 1897, 1904, 1910, 1921, 1922, 1943, and 1944.

Bowl games

Vanderbilt has been invited to nine bowl games, with the Commodores garnering a record of 4–4–1 in bowl games.

Season	Coach	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1955	Art Guepe	Gator Bowl	Auburn	W 25–13
1974	Steve Sloan	Peach Bowl	Texas Tech	T 6–6
1982	George MacIntyre	Hall of Fame Classic	Air Force	L 28–36
2008	Bobby Johnson	Music City Bowl	Boston College	W 16–14
2011	James Franklin	Liberty Bowl	Cincinnati	L 24–31
2012		Music City Bowl	NC State	W 38–24
2013		BBVA Compass Bowl	Houston	W 41–24
2016	Derek Mason	Independence Bowl	NC State	L 17–41
2018		Texas Bowl	Baylor	L 38–45

Rivalries

Georgia

Main article: Georgia–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Georgia Vanderbilt 2011

Having started in 1893, the Georgia-Vanderbilt football series was played annually from 1968 to 2023. The two were divisional opponents in the SEC East from 1992 to 2023. The series, which rotates between Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia, stands with Georgia leading 61-20–2 through the 2023 season.^[18] Under the new SEC format, they are not scheduled to play each other again in the regular season until at least 2026.^[19]

Kentucky

Main article: Kentucky–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Having started in 1896, the Kentucky-Vanderbilt football series has been played annually since 1953.^[20] The two were divisional opponents in the SEC East. The series, which rotates between Nashville, Tennessee and Lexington, Kentucky, is led by Kentucky at 48-44-4 with the average score being Vanderbilt 17.2-Kentucky 16.9^[21]

Ole Miss

Main article: Ole Miss–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Ole Miss was Vanderbilt's cross-divisional rival in the SEC from 1992 to 2023.

Vanderbilt and Ole Miss have played 98 times since 1894.^[22] Ole Miss leads the series 56-40-2.^[22] The largest margin of victory was by 91 points won by Vanderbilt in 1915. Vanderbilt also holds the longest win streak in the series (18) from 1894 to 1938. Under the new SEC format, they are not scheduled to play again in the regular season until at least 2026.^[23]

Tennessee

Main article: Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt 2007

Vanderbilt and Tennessee have played 117 times since 1892 , Tennessee leads the series 79–33-5.^[24] When the rivalry first started Vanderbilt dominated by taking 19 of the first 24 with 3 ties. But from 1928 to 2022 however, Tennessee has dominated going 77–14–2 against Vanderbilt. The largest margin of victory for Vanderbilt was by 76 points in 1918 at Old Dudley Field in Nashville. (Vanderbilt 76, Tennessee 0) The largest defeat was 65 points in 1994 at Vanderbilt Stadium (Tennessee 65, Vanderbilt 0). The longest win streaks for Vanderbilt is (9) from 1901 to 1913. The longest win streak for Tennessee is 22, from 1983 to 2004.^[25]

Georgia Tech (dormant)

Main article: Georgia Tech–Vanderbilt football rivalry

The Commodores first met the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in 1892 in Atlanta, Georgia with Vanderbilt winning 20–10.^[26] Since 1924, the winning team in the series has received a silver-plated cowbell with the year and final score of each game engraved on it. The trophy was created by Ed F. Cavaleri, who was described by the Atlanta Constitution as “a faithful Georgia Tech supporter though he did not attend the Jacket institution,” according to Georgia Tech's website. Cavaleri purchased a cowbell at an Atlanta hardware store to use as a noise-maker while on his way to a game in 1924. The Commodores defeated Georgia Tech 3–0, however another fan in attendance suggested that Cavaleri award the bell to the winning team. The tradition was born and Cavaleri attended every game between the two teams from 1924 to 1967.^[27] The cowbell has a gold plate screwed into each side, with “GEORGIA TECH-VANDERBILT FOOTBALL TROPHY” inscribed at the top. Three columns list the year of each game, Vanderbilt’s points scored and Georgia Tech’s points scored. The results of the games from 1924 to 1967 are engraved on one side; the results from 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2016 are on the other.^[28] Vanderbilt is 15–20-3 against Georgia Tech in 38 games. The Commodores lost the last matchup 38–7 in 2016.

Sewanee (historical)

Main article: Sewanee–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Vanderbilt and the Sewanee Tigers were both founding members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), the Southern Conference, and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). It is the oldest of Vanderbilt's rivalries;^[29] dating back to 1891 when Vanderbilt played its second football game. Vanderbilt leads the series 40–8–4.^[30] The largest margin of victory was in 1905 when Vanderbilt won 68–4. Usually played towards the end of the season on Thanksgiving Day, the two teams have not met again since 1944 and are unlikely to anytime soon as Sewanee plays in NCAA Division III.

Uniforms

Traditionally, Vanderbilt has featured differing designs of gold helmets, black jerseys, and gold or black pants at home, and gold helmets, white jerseys and gold, or white pants on the road. Meanwhile, the traditional alternate uniform saw gold helmets and jerseys matched with white pants.^[31]

The James Franklin (2011–2013), and Derek Mason (2014–2020) eras saw the introduction of several new combinations- including "blackout” (i.e. all black), and "whiteout" (i.e. all white) uniforms. The team's gold alternate jerseys were also re-designed with the addition of black shoulders and a more muted gold.^[32] Eventually, battleship gray was incorporated as well.^[33]

The Clark Lea (2021–Present) era has seen a return to traditional gold helmets (note: featuring a modernized “V” logo), black jerseys, and gold pants at home, and gold helmets, white jerseys, and gold (or white) pants on the road.^[34] More recently, Vanderbilt introduced new all white ("whiteout"),^[35] and all black ("blackout") uniforms^[36] for the 2024 season opening up the possiblity of several different combinations.

Individual awards

College Football Hall of Fame

Vanderbilt Commodore football personnel have been inducted into the National Football Foundation's National College Football Hall of Fame.^[37]

Players

Name	Position	Career
John J. Tigert	HB	1901–1903
Josh Cody	T	1914–1916, 1919
Lynn Bomar	End	1921–1924
William Spears	QB	1925–1927
Carl Hinkle	C	1935–1937

Coaches

Name	Career
Dan McGugin	1904–1917, 1919–1934
Ray Morrison	1918, 1935–1939
Red Sanders	1940–1942, 1946–1948
Bill Edwards	1949–1952

All-Americans

Main article: List of Vanderbilt Commodores football All-Americans

Player	Year	Position
Zach Cunningham	2016	LB
Jordan Matthews	2013	WR
Casey Hayward	2011	CB
D.J. Moore	2008	DB
Earl Bennett	2006	WR
Jamie Winborn	1999	LB
Jamie Duncan	1997	LB
Bill Marinangel	1996	P
Boo Mitchell	1988	WR
Chris Gaines	1987	LB
Ricky Anderson	1984	P
Leonard Coleman	1983	DB
Chuck Scott	1983	TE
Jim Arnold	1982	P
Allama Matthews	1982	TE
Preston Brown	1979	Back
Barry Burton	1974	TE
Bob Asher	1969	T
Chip Healy	1968	LB
George Diedrich	1958	G
Charley Horton	1955	RB
Bill Wade	1951	QB
Bob Werckle	1951	T
Bucky Curtis	1950	End
Bob Gude	1941	C
Carl Hinkle	1937	C
Pete Gracey	1932	C
Bull Brown	1929	G
Dick Abernathy	1928	End
Bill Spears	1926, 1927	QB
Gil Reese	1923, 1924	Back
Henry Wakefield	1923, 1924	End
Oliver Kuhn	1922	QB
Lynn Bomar	1922, 1923	End
Josh Cody	1914, 1915, 1919	T
Irby Curry	1916	QB
Lewie Hardage	1912	Back
Ray Morrison	1911	QB
W. E. Metzger	1910	G
Bob Blake	1907	E
Owsley Manier	1906	Back

Consensus All-American

Vanderbilt has had seven consensus All-Americans in their history. In 2016, Zach Cunningham became the first unanimous All-American in Vanderbilt's history.^[38]

Player	Year	Position
Lynn Bomar	1923	E
Hek Wakefield	1924	E
Pete Gracey	1932	C
George Deiderich	1958	G
Jim Arnold	1982	P
Ricky Anderson	1984	P
Zach Cunningham	2016	LB

All-Southerns

Main article: List of Vanderbilt Commodores football All-Southerns

Conference recognition

Vanderbilt Commodores personnel, including coaches and players, have received recognition from the Southeastern Conference for their performances on the football field.^[37]

Most Valuable Player

Five Vanderbilt players have been awarded Most Valuable Player, with three of them being awarded over a six year span to Commodores.

Name	Year
Willie Geny	1935
Carl Hinkle	1937
Jack Jenkins	1941
Bill Wade	1951
Bob Goodridge	1967

Offensive Player of the Year

One Vanderbilt player has won Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Name	Year
Jay Cutler	2005

Freshman of the Year

Two players have won Freshman of the Year while at Vanderbilt.

Name	Year
Kwane Doster	2002
Warren Norman	2009

Best Blocker

One Commodore has won Best Blocker, doing so twice.

Name	Year
Jack Jenkins	1941, 1942

Best Wide Receiver

Name	Year
Earl Bennett	2005–2007

Coach of the Year

Five Vanderbilt coaches have won Coach of the Year honors over the past century.

Name	Year
Ray Morrison	1937
Red Sanders	1941
Art Guepe	1955
George MacIntyre	1982
Bobby Johnson	2008

Future opponents

Conference opponents

From 1992 to 2023, Vanderbilt played in the East Division of the SEC and played each opponent in the division each year along with several teams from the West Division. The SEC will expand the conference to 16 teams and will eliminate its two divisions in 2024, causing a new scheduling format for the Commodores to play against the other members of the conference.^[39] Only the 2024 conference schedule was announced on June 14, 2023, while the conference still considers a new format for the future.^[40]

2024 Conference Schedule

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Opponent	Site	Result
at Missouri	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	L 27-30
Alabama	FirstBank Stadium Nashville, TN	W 40-35
at Kentucky	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry)	W 20-13
Texas	FirstBank Stadium Nashville, TN	L 24-27
at Auburn	Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	W 17-7
South Carolina	FirstBank Stadium Nashville, TN	L 28-7
at LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 24-17
Tennessee	FirstBank Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	L 36-23

2025 Conference Schedule

Opponent

at Alabama

Auburn

Kentucky

LSU

Missouri

at South Carolina

at Tennessee

at Texas

Non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of December 12, 2024^[41]

No games are scheduled for the 2030 and 2031 seasons.

2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2032	2033
Virginia Tech	at Virginia Tech	Austin Peay	Eastern Kentucky	SMU	Purdue	at Stanford	Stanford
Alcorn State	Georgia State	NC State	at Stanford	at NC State	at SMU
Ball State	Utah State	Delaware
at Georgia State	Charleston Southern

References

1. "2011 NCAA Football Award winners" (PDF). NCAA.
2. "Athletics". Vanderbilt University Brand Style Guide. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
3. "Dan McGugin". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
4. "Ray Morrison". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
5. "Red Sanders". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
6. "Bill Edwards". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
7. "Richard Billingsley Report College Football National Champion". syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/212378-the-history-of-vanderbilt-football-part-1-1890-1934.amp.html.
8. "Richard Billingsley Report College Football National Champion". nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/vanderbilt_database.htm.
9. "James Howell 1910 College Football National Champion". www.jhowell.net/cf/cf1910.htm.
10. "Richard Billingsley Report College Football National Champion". www.liveabout.com/college-football-national-champions-791518.
11. "Richard Billingsley Report College Football National Champion". Archived from the original on October 24, 2001. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
12. "David Wilson 1918 College Football National Champion". wilson.engr.wisc.edu/perform/1918/byrating.txt.
13. "Vanderbilt All National Championships". August 8, 2009. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
14. "Clyde P. Berryman QPRS College Football National Champion" (PDF). wilson.engr.wisc.edu/rsfc/oth_sites/rate/.
15. "James Howell 1921 College Football National Champion". www.jhowell.net/cf/cf1921.htm.
16. "Clyde P. Berryman QPRS College Football National Champion". cfbalmanac.com/fbs-teams-vanderbilt-row121-football-history-records-and-database/.
17. "James Howell 1922 College Football National Champion". www.jhowell.net/cf/cf1922.htm.
18. "Winsipedia - Georgia Bulldogs vs. Vanderbilt Commodores football series history".
19. https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/sports/2024/03/21/sec-announces-2025-football-season-scheduling-format
20. "mcubed.net : NCAAF Football : Series records : Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt". mcubed.net.
21. "Kentucky Vanderbilt series". Retrieved August 2, 2017.
22. "mcubed.net : NCAAF Football : Series records : Mississippi vs. Vanderbilt". mcubed.net.
23. https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/sports/2024/03/21/sec-announces-2025-football-season-scheduling-format
24. "mcubed.net : NCAAF Football : Series records : Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt". mcubed.net.
25. "School Photos: Vanderbilt Sports" (PDF). grfx.cstv.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2023.
26. "Winsipedia - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Vanderbilt Commodores football series history". Winsipedia.
27. "College Football News, Videos, Scores, Teams, Standings, Stats". FOX Sports.
28. "Inside The Chart: The Cowbell". Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. September 15, 2016.
29. William L. Traughber. "CHC- Sewanee Was Vandy's First Rival". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
30. cf. William L. Traughber (2011). Vanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History. History Press. p. 26. ISBN 9781609494230.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
31. "Vanderbilt uniform history". Saturday Down South. April 12, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
32. "The Best of 2012: Uniform Combination". Vanderbilt University Athletics - Official Athletics Website. December 10, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
33. "New Uniforms for Vanderbilt Football". UNISWAG. October 10, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
34. "Vanderbilt Commodores 2023 Uniforms | CFBUniforms". cfbuniform.com. April 18, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
35. "Vanderbilt Commodores Unveil New All White Football Uniform". Uni Watch. August 8, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
36. "This Magic Moment". Vanderbilt University Athletics - Official Athletics Website. October 5, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
37. According to the Vanderbilt 2006 Football Media Guide.
38. Inabinett, Mark (December 17, 2016). "SEC Consensus All-Americans by the Numbers: Alabama has half the league's 2016 haul". AL.com. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
39. Emerson, Seth (June 1, 2023). "SEC approves 8-game football schedule for 2024, no decision yet on long-term format". The Athletic. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
40. Gerson, Aria (June 14, 2023). "Vanderbilt football schedule 2024 includes Tennessee, Texas". Nashville Tennessean. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
41. "Vanderbilt Commodores Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.

Further reading

• Rosenberg, Michael (September 19, 2011). "Ultimate Underdog: For Vanderbilt, playing in the nation's toughest conference is a losing proposition. But the only team in the SEC that everyone can love is 2—0, thanks to a new coach who has turned a blind eye to the past". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 27, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2011.

Seifried, C.S., & Pfleegor, A. (2022). When Vanderbilt Ruled the South: A Review of Football and Playing Grounds 1890-1940. Tennessee Historical Quarterly, 81(2), 134-163.

External links

• Official website