Vanderbilt Commodores football

Vanderbilt Commodores
First season	1890
Head coach	James Franklin
	1st year, 6–7  (.462)
Home stadium	Vanderbilt Stadium
Field	Dudley Field
Year built	1922
Stadium capacity	39,790
Stadium surface	Field grass
Location	Nashville, Tennessee
League	Division I
Conference	SEC (1932–present)
Division	SEC Eastern Division (1992–present)
Past conferences	SIAA  (1895–1921) Southern Conference  (1922–1931)
All-time record	564–574–50 (.496)
Postseason bowl record	2–2–1
Claimed national titles	0
Conference titles	13 (0 SEC)
Division titles	0
Heisman winners	0
Consensus All-Americans	6[1]
Current uniform
Colors	Black and Gold
Fight song	Dynamite!
Mascot	Mr. C
Marching band	Spirit of Gold Marching Band
Website	www.vucommodores.com

The Vanderbilt Commodores football team represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They play their home games at Vanderbilt Stadium, located on the university's Nashville, Tennessee campus.

History

Early success

Vanderbilt and the University of Nashville played the first college football game in the state of Tennessee in 1890.^[2] In 1894 Vanderbilt was among the seven founding members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Just after the turn of the century, the team enjoyed fairly substantial success, with a composite record of 2–0 3–2 from 1901 –03.^[3] That same year, Vanderbilt began one of its oldest rivalries: the Vanderbilt-Ole Miss rivalry. Even so, Dan McGugin's arrival as coach from his brother-in-law Fielding H. Yost's Michigan program in 1904 showed an immediate impact. The 1904 squad outscored its opposition by 474 to four in winning all nine games.^[4] McGugin's tenure spanned the years 1904–17 and 1919–34 with a record of 197–55–19.^[5]

In 1922, Vanderbilt hosted the University of Michigan to inaugurate Dudley Field. The game ended in a 0–0 tie and figures prominently in the program's history. VU football historian Bill Traughber chronicles the event:

The game between Vanderbilt and Michigan had a carnival-like atmosphere.

Dignitaries and politicians were invited to participate at Dudley Field, the largest football-only stadium in the South at that time. The guest of honor for the dedication game was Cornelius Vanderbilt, the great-great grandson of the university's namesake.

Accompanied by his wife, Vanderbilt arrived at Nashville's Union Station on the morning of the game, his first trip to the city. The day's first event was a luncheon for the young Vanderbilt couple, which was held at the Hermitage Hotel and hosted by Vanderbilt University Board of Trust.

Thousands of Vanderbilt students and alumni met downtown for a parade with Tennessee Governor Alf Taylor riding in the lead automobile. Decorated in orange and black, their automobile began the parade at Twelfth and Broadway, weaving through the side streets to a reviewing stand at the foot of the Capitol Building.^[6]

A young Earnest Albert Craft, born in 1898, employed with the construction team that built the Dudley Field wooden stands was in attendance the day of the game vs. Michigan. Earnest was called on to raise the first American flag during the national anthem. Later, Rev. Earnest Albert Craft would become city councilman of in the West Nashville area and 40 year pastor of Sylvan Park Free Will Baptist Church in Nashville. Clippings of this event are documented in archives of the old Nashville Banner newspaper. A copy of this newspaper account is held today by grandson by adoption, Albert D. Mitchell. Albert, named after E. A. Craft, lives on the west side of Nashville in Bellevue. He was a graduated of Cohn High School and later return to teach and coach at Cohn High School, finally retiring from the Metro Nashville School system in 1989.

1922 was also the year that Vanderbilt entered the Southern Conference as a charter member. The Commodores tied for the conference championship in 1922 and 1923 and continued to finish in the upper half of the conference standings for the next decade.^[7]

In 1932, Vanderbilt—at the pinnacle of its athletics dominance in the South^[8]—joined the other SoCon schools south and west of the Appalachians in founding the Southeastern Conference. The other charter members were Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Sewanee, Georgia Tech, and Tulane.^[9]

Growing difficulty

Vanderbilt football has not won a conference championship since 1923. Vanderbilt has competed in only four bowl games (see below), with a combined all-time post-season record of 2–1–1. By comparison, none of the SEC's other charter members have fewer than 14 bowl appearances. Vanderbilt has finished ranked once, in 1948, when it finished #12 in the AP poll after an 8–2–1 season.

The Commodores have found the going especially difficult since their last period of sustained success in the mid-1950s. Since 1959, Vanderbilt has posted only four winning seasons—in 1974, 1975, 1982 and 2008.

This trend seemed to be abating in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, with two of Vanderbilt's post-season appearances coming in 1974 and 1982, and with several near-winning season records.

The last Commodore team before the Bobby Johnson era with a winning record, George MacIntyre's 1982 squad (with a record of 8–4), played in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition to the school's third all-time bowl appearance, the 1982 team's season-ending win against Tennessee, in which Vanderbilt quarterback Whit Taylor threw for 391 yards, marked a special season—but a season that proved an exception to years following, when a return to previous levels of mediocrity saw a veritable merry-go-round of head coaches.

MacIntyre was unable to put together another winner, and left after the 1985 season. From 1986 to 2001, when Bobby Johnson was hired, Vanderbilt was led by five coaches who averaged only four wins per season. During this time, the Commodores won only 18 games in SEC play. Included in this run were three 1–10 overall records, as well as five winless SEC records.^[10]

Since the start of the 2000 season Vanderbilt has record of only 36–93 and 14–74 in SEC play. This averages to only 3 wins and 9 losses a year.

Recent resurgence

Bobby Johnson was hired in 2002 as the head football coach. Johnson had previously coached at NCAA Division I-AA power Furman, leading the Paladins to the Division I-AA title game in 2001, his final year. However, at the time, some questioned the wisdom of hiring a I-AA coach to lead a program in what has widely been reckoned as the strongest football conference in the nation.^[11]

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. Both turned down the job for different reasons.^[11]

The same critics that questioned Johnson's initial hiring also derided the loyalty given to Coach Johnson by the Vanderbilt administration after his first three seasons at the school led to three consecutive 2–9 records. During this time, however, Johnson was continuing to recruit players that had been passed over by major-power schools, but whom Johnson and his staff believed could be molded into SEC-caliber players.

Radical administrative restructuring

Along with this concerted program-development, Johnson joined Vanderbilt's Chancellor E. Gordon Gee and Vice Chancellor David Williams II in creating what the Administration called "a new culture in college athletics" at Vanderbilt. The University Administration, with Johnson's public support, abolished the Department of Athletics as a separate entity within the University's administrative structure, along with the job of Athletic Director -- a first among universities in a major Division I-A athletic conference. Intercollegiate athletics are now part of the Division of Student Life, overseen by Williams as Vice Chancellor of University Affairs.

The Administration's loyalty to Johnson, which had paid dividends in his support for the radical changes in administration of the inter-collegiate athletics program also yielded on-the-field results in Johnson's fourth season at the helm of the Commodores.

Difficulty in the 2000s

Since the start of the 2000 season Vanderbilt has record of only 36–93 and 14–74 in SEC play. This averages to only 3 wins and 9 losses a year.

In 2005, Vanderbilt finished with a 5–6 record, the program's best finish since 1999.

All-SEC Quarterback Jay Cutler, the team's offensive captain that season and the offensive player of the year in the SEC, was selected 11th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos and named starting quarterback for the last five games of his rookie season.

In the 2006 season, Vanderbilt finished with a 4–8 record with sophomore Chris Nickson at quarterback. The 2006 team's peak performance came with a 24–22 defeat of conference rival #16 ranked Georgia at Sanford Stadium, the first time Vanderbilt had ever defeated a ranked opponent on the road. The team came within seconds of defeating Arkansas and Alabama in consecutive weeks.

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 10–24 loss marked by several controversial penalties. Vanderbilt rebounded with strong wins against Ole Miss and Eastern Michigan, but the Ole Miss victory came at a cost, as quarterback Chris Nickson suffered an injury that negatively impacted his future performance and led to his mid-season replacement by Mackenzi Adams. While Vanderbilt appeared to be en route to a convincing homecoming win against #21 Georgia, a late-game Bulldog rally coupled with a costly Vanderbilt fumble in the final minutes of the fourth quarter led to a disappointing 17–20 loss. Vanderbilt rebounded with a stunning upset of #6 ranked South Carolina 17–6 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, beating a top 10 team for the first time in 33 years and a Steve Spurrier-coached team for the first time ever. It was the highest ranked team Vanderbilt had beaten since defeating #6 LSU in 1937. In the following home game against Miami (Ohio), junior wide receiver Earl Bennett made history by breaking the SEC record for most career receptions. Vanderbilt would go on to win the game 24–13. With a 5–3 record entering the last four games of the season, the Commodores seemed primed for bowl eligibility. 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. Despite entering as heavy underdogs, Vanderbilt jumped out to a 24–9 lead at the end of the third quarter, but the Volunteers scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win the game by one point. Vanderbilt went on to lose its final game of the series against Wake Forest 17–31.

In 2008, Vanderbilt began the season winning their first four games, beating Miami (OH) and Ole Miss on the road, and Rice. Vanderbilt lost its next four games, but on November 15, 2008, Vanderbilt defeated the Kentucky Wildcats to become bowl eligible for the first time since 1982. The Commodores finished the 2008 regular season with embarrassing losses to Tennessee and Wake Forest, completing the regular season with a 6-6 record (4-4 in the SEC).

Their 2008 finish was good enough for the Commodores to earn an invitation to play the Boston College Eagles in the Music City Bowl on December 31, 2008. In a come-from-behind win, Vanderbilt narrowly beat Boston College by a score of 16–14, to win its first bowl game in fifty-three years.

The 2008 Vanderbilt Commodore football team is also noteworthy because it won the 2008 Academic Achievement Award from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). This award recognizes graduate rate successes on the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level. Vanderbilt was recognized for graduating 95 percent of its 2001 freshman class, the highest graduation rate among all 119 FBS teams.^[12]

Junior cornerback D.J. Moore received All-SEC first team honors for the second straight season and second team All-American honors following the 2008 season. He was later drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

The upward trajectory of Vanderbilt football took a step back in 2009. Despite returning 18 starters from the 2008 bowl-championship season, the Commodores finished a disappointing 2-10. Numerous injuries contributed to the team's troubles, as several starters were lost with season-ending injuries, including Ryan Hamilton (Safety), Jared Hawkins (RB), James Williams (OL), and Larry Smith (QB). In addition, transfer WR and projected starter Terrence Jeffers was not academically eligible to play the entire season.

Johnson retires

On July 14, 2010, Bobby Johnson announced his retirement. With less than two months until the season opener, the move was a shock to many players and fans. "I’ve decided to retire, not resign," Johnson said.^[13]

James Franklin era

James Franklin formerly a staff member for Maryland, was hired in 2011 as the new head coach after a disappointing 2-10 2010 season under an interim coach. Coach Franklin started out the 2011 season bringing the Commodores to a 3–0 start with wins against Elon, Connecticut, and SEC rival Ole Miss. This was the best start for a new Vanderbilt coach in 68 years. After losing three games including a close loss to Georgia, Vanderbilt improved to 4 wins with a homecoming victory against Army. After losing a 28–31 game against SEC opponent Arkansas and Florida 21-26, the Commodores under Franklin defeated conference opponent Kentucky at home in Nashville by an impressive 38–8, improving to 5 wins on the season. After a close loss to in-state and SEC rival Tennessee, Vanderbilt capped the season with a 41–7 road win against Wake Forest, finishing the season 6–6, with a 2–6 record in the SEC, and earning a trip to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis against the Cinncinati Bearcats with a loss of 24 – 31 Vandy finished 6–7.

Franklin becomes the first Vanderbilt head coach to lead a Commodore team to a bowl game as a first-year head coach.

Records

Bowl records

W/L	Date	PF	Opponent	PA	Bowl
W	December 31, 1955	25	Auburn	13	Gator Bowl
T	December 28, 1974	6	Texas Tech	6	Peach Bowl
L	December 31, 1982	28	Air Force	36	Hall of Fame Bowl
W	December 31, 2008	16	Boston College	14	Music City Bowl
L	December 31, 2011	24	Cincinnati	31	Liberty Bowl

Year-by-year results

Conference Champions

Bowl Eligible

^[14]

Year	Conference	Coach	Conference				Overall				Notes
			Win	Loss	Tie	Pct.	Win	Loss	Tie	Pct.
1890	None	Elliott H. Jones					1	0	0	1.00
1891	None	Elliott H. Jones					3	1	0	.750
1892	None	Elliott H. Jones					4	4	0	.500
1893	None	W. J. Keller					6	1	0	.857
1894	None	Henry Thornton					7	1	0	.875
1895	SIAA	C. L. Upton					5	3	1	.556
1896	SIAA	R. G. Acton					3	2	2	.429
1897	SIAA	R.G. Acton					6	0	1	.857	SIAA Champion
1898	SIAA	R. G. Acton					1	5	0	.167
1899	SIAA	James L. Crane					7	2	0	.778
1900	SIAA	James L. Crane					4	4	1	.444
1901	SIAA	W. H. Watkins					6	1	1	.750	SIAA Champion
1902	SIAA	W. H. Watkins					8	1	0	.889
1903	SIAA	James H. Henry					6	1	1	.750	SIAA Champion (shared)
1904	SIAA	Dan McGugin					9	0	0	1.000	SIAA Champion
1905	SIAA	Dan McGugin					7	1	0	.875	SIAA Champion
1906	SIAA	Dan McGugin					8	1	0	.889	SIAA Champion
1907	SIAA	Dan McGugin					5	1	1	.714	SIAA Champion
1908	SIAA	Dan McGugin					7	2	1	.700
1909	SIAA	Dan McGugin					7	3	0	.700
1910	SIAA	Dan McGugin					8	0	1	.889	SIAA Champion
1911	SIAA	Dan McGugin					8	1	0	.889	SIAA Champion
1912	SIAA	Dan McGugin					8	1	1	.800	SIAA Champion
1913	SIAA	Dan McGugin					5	3	0	.625
1914	SIAA	Dan McGugin					2	6	0	.250
1915	SIAA	Dan McGugin					9	1	0	.900	SIAA Champion
1916	SIAA	Dan McGugin					7	1	1	.778
1917	SIAA	Dan McGugin					5	3	0	.625
1918	SIAA	Ray Morrison					4	2	0	.667	Dan McGugin did not coach due to service in World War I.
1919	SIAA	Dan McGugin					5	1	2	.625
1920	SIAA	Dan McGugin					5	3	1	.556
1921	SIAA	Dan McGugin					7	0	1	.875
1922	Southern	Dan McGugin					8	0	1	.889	Southern Conference Champion
1923	Southern	Dan McGugin					5	2	1	.625	Southern Conference Champion
1924	Southern	Dan McGugin					6	3	1	.600
1925	Southern	Dan McGugin					6	3	0	.667
1926	Southern	Dan McGugin					8	1	0	.889
1927	Southern	Dan McGugin					8	1	2	.727
1928	Southern	Dan McGugin					8	2	0	.800
1929	Southern	Dan McGugin					7	2	0	.778
1930	Southern	Dan McGugin					8	2	0	.800
1931	Southern	Dan McGugin					5	4	0	.556
1932	Southern	Dan McGugin					6	1	2	.667
1933	Southern	Dan McGugin	2	2	2	.500	4	3	3	.400
1934	SEC	Dan McGugin	4	3	0	.571	6	3	0	.667
1935	SEC	Ray Morrison	5	1	0	.833	7	3	0	.700
1936	SEC	Ray Morrison	1	3	1	.200	3	5	1	.333
1937	SEC	Ray Morrison	4	2	0	.667	7	2	0	.778
1938	SEC	Ray Morrison	4	3	0	.571	6	3	0	.667
1939	SEC	Ray Morrison	1	6	0	.143	2	7	1	.200
1940	SEC	Red Sanders	1	5	1	.143	3	6	1	.300
1941	SEC	Red Sanders	3	2	0	.600	8	2	0	.800
1942	SEC	Red Sanders	2	4	0	.333	6	4	0	.600
1943	SEC	E. H. Alley					5	0	0	1.000	Red Sanders did not coach due to service in World War II.
1944	SEC	Doby Bartling					3	0	1	.750	Red Sanders did not coach due to service in World War II.
1945	SEC	Doby Bartling	2	4	0	.333	3	6	0	.333	Red Sanders did not coach due to service in World War II.
1946	SEC	Red Sanders	3	4	0	.429	5	4	0	.556
1947	SEC	Red Sanders	3	3	0	.500	6	4	0	.600
1948	SEC	Red Sanders	4	2	1	.571	8	2	1	.727	Finished #12 in final AP poll
1949	SEC	Bill Edwards	4	4	0	.500	5	5	0	.500
1950	SEC	Bill Edwards	3	4	0	.429	7	4	0	.636
1951	SEC	Bill Edwards	3	5	0	.375	6	5	0	.545
1952	SEC	Bill Edwards	1	4	1	.167	3	5	2	.300
1953	SEC	Art Guepe	1	5	0	.167	3	7	0	.300
1954	SEC	Art Guepe	1	5	0	.167	2	7	0	.222
1955	SEC	Art Guepe	4	3	0	.571	8	3	0	.727	Defeated Auburn in Gator Bowl
1956	SEC	Art Guepe	2	5	0	.286	5	5	0	.500
1957	SEC	Art Guepe	3	3	1	.429	5	3	2	.500
1958	SEC	Art Guepe	2	1	3	.333	5	2	3	.500
1959	SEC	Art Guepe	3	2	2	.429	5	3	2	.500
1960	SEC	Art Guepe	1	6	0	.143	3	7	0	.300
1961	SEC	Art Guepe	1	6	0	.143	2	8	0	.200
1962	SEC	Art Guepe	1	6	0	.143	1	9	0	.100
1963	SEC	Jack Green	0	5	2	.000	1	7	2	.100
1964	SEC	Jack Green	1	4	0	.200	3	6	1	.300
1965	SEC	Jack Green	1	5	0	.167	2	7	1	.200
1966	SEC	Jack Green	0	6	0	.000	1	9	0	.100
1967	SEC	Bill Pace	0	6	0	.000	2	7	1	.200
1968	SEC	Bill Pace	2	3	1	.333	5	4	1	.500
1969	SEC	Bill Pace	2	3	0	.400	4	6	0	.400
1970	SEC	Bill Pace	1	5	0	.167	4	7	0	.364
1971	SEC	Bill Pace	1	5	0	.167	4	6	1	.364
1972	SEC	Bill Pace	1	5	0	.167	3	8	0	.273
1973	SEC	Steve Sloan	1	5	0	.167	5	6	0	.455
1974	SEC	Steve Sloan	2	3	1	.333	7	3	2	.583	Tied Texas Tech in Peach Bowl
1975	SEC	Fred Pancoast	2	4	0	.333	7	4	0	.636
1976	SEC	Fred Pancoast	0	6	0	.000	2	9	0	.182
1977	SEC	Fred Pancoast	0	6	0	.000	2	9	0	.182
1978	SEC	Fred Pancoast	0	6	0	.000	2	9	0	.182
1979	SEC	George MacIntyre	0	6	0	.000	1	10	0	.091
1980	SEC	George MacIntyre	0	6	0	.000	2	9	0	.182
1981	SEC	George MacIntyre	1	5	0	.167	4	7	0	.364
1982	SEC	George MacIntyre	4	2	0	.667	8	4	0	.667	Lost to Air Force in Hall of Fame Bowl
1983	SEC	George MacIntyre	0	6	0	.000	2	9	0	.182
1984	SEC	George MacIntyre	2	4	0	.333	5	6	0	.455
1985	SEC	George MacIntyre	1	4	1	.167	3	7	1	.273
1986	SEC	Watson Brown	0	6	0	.000	1	10	0	.091
1987	SEC	Watson Brown	1	5	0	.167	4	7	0	.364
1988	SEC	Watson Brown	2	5	0	.286	3	8	0	.273
1989	SEC	Watson Brown	0	7	0	.000	1	10	0	.091
1990	SEC	Watson Brown	1	6	0	.143	1	10	0	.091
1991	SEC	Gerry DiNardo	3	4	0	.429	5	6	0	.455
1992	SEC	Gerry DiNardo	2	6	0	.250	4	7	0	.364
1993	SEC	Gerry DiNardo	2	6	0	.250	5	6	0	.455
1994	SEC	Gerry DiNardo	2	6	0	.250	5	6	0	.455
1995	SEC	Rod Dowhower	1	7	0	.125	2	9	0	.182
1996	SEC	Rod Dowhower	0	8	0	.000	2	9	0	.182
1997	SEC	Woody Widenhofer	0	8	0	.000	3	8	0	.273
1998	SEC	Woody Widenhofer	1	7	0	.125	2	9	0	.182
1999	SEC	Woody Widenhofer	2	6	0	.250	5	6	0	.455
2000	SEC	Woody Widenhofer	1	7	0	.125	3	8	0	.272
2001	SEC	Woody Widenhofer	0	8	0	.000	2	9	0	.182
2002	SEC	Bobby Johnson	0	8	0	.000	2	10	0	.167
2003	SEC	Bobby Johnson	1	7	0	.125	2	10	0	.167
2004	SEC	Bobby Johnson	1	7	0	.125	2	9	0	.182
2005	SEC	Bobby Johnson	3	5	0	.375	5	6	0	.455
2006	SEC	Bobby Johnson	1	7	0	.125	4	8	0	.333
2007	SEC	Bobby Johnson	2	6	0	.250	5	7	0	.417
2008	SEC	Bobby Johnson	4	4	0	.500	7	6	0	.539	Defeated Boston College in Music City Bowl
2009	SEC	Bobby Johnson	0	8	0	.000	2	10	0	.167
2010	SEC	Robbie Caldwell	1	7	0	.125	2	10	0	.166
2011	SEC	James Franklin	2	6	0	.286	6	7	0	.462	Lost to Cincinnati in Liberty Bowl 24–31
		Totals	124	380	17	.247	564	574	50	.496

Source: 2010 Media Guide

Coaching staff

As of 2011, the following persons are listed as the Vanderbilt Football Coaching Staff

Name	Position	Years at VU
James Franklin	Head Coach	1
John Donovan	Offensive Coordinator / Running Backs Coach	1
Bob Shoop	Defensive Coordinator / Safeties Coach	1
Charles Bankins	Special Teams Coordinator / Tight Ends Coach	1
Open	Wide Receivers Coach	0
Herb Hand	Offensive Line Coach	3
Wesley McGriff	Defensive Backs Coach	1
Ricky Rahne	Quarterbacks Coach	1
Brent Pry	Co-Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers Coach	1
Sean Spencer	Defensive Line Coach	1
Andy Frank	Assistant Director of Football Operations	3
Jemal Griffin	Football Chief of Staff	1
Ricky Rahne	Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach	1
Michael Hazel	Director of Football Operations	3
Norval McKenzie	Assistant Recruiting Coordinator	3
Joey Orck	Offensive Graduate Assistant	3
Tom Bossung	Head Athletic Trainer	13
Kevin Colon	Associate Director of Student Athletics	1
Dwight Galt	Football Strength and Conditioning Director	1
Chuck Losey	Football Assistant Strength Coach	1
Kevin Threlkel	Offensive Administrative Assistant	1
Luke Wyatt	Head Equipment Manager	29

^[15]

Commodores currently in the NFL

Player	Years at VU	NFL Team
Reshard Langford	2004–2008	Kansas City Chiefs
D.J. Moore	2006–2008	Chicago Bears
Earl Bennett	2005–2007	Chicago Bears
Curtis Gatewood	2004–2007	Arizona Cardinals
Jonathan Goff	2004–2007	New York Giants
Chris Williams	2004–2007	Chicago Bears
Jay Cutler	2002–2005	Chicago Bears
Jovan Haye	2002–2004	Tennessee Titans
Jamie Winborn	1999–2001	Tennessee Titans
Myron Lewis	2005–2009	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Thomas Welch	2005–2009	New England Patriots

[2]

College Football Hall of Fame

Vanderbilt Commodore football personnel have been inducted into the National Football Foundation's National College Football Hall of Fame.^[16]

Players

Name	Position	Years at VU
John J. Tigert	Halfback	1901–1903
Josh Cody	Tackle	1914–1916, 1919
Lynn Bomar	End	1922–1924
William Spears	Quarterback	1925–1927
Carl Hinkle	Center	1935–1937

Coaches

Name	Years at VU
Dan McGugin	1904–1917, 1919–1934
Ray Morrison	1915–1952
Jess Neely	1924–1966
Red Sanders	1940–1942, 1946–1948
Bill Edwards	1949–1952

Commodores All-Americans

Player	Year	Pos
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 Werickle	1951	T
Bucky Curtis	1950	Receiver
Bob Gude	1941	C
Carl Hinkle	1937	C
Pete Gracey	1932	C
John Brown	1929	G
Dick Abernathy	1928	End
Bill Spears	1927	QB
Henry Wakefield	1924	End
Lynn Bomar	1923	End
Josh Cody	1915, 1916, 1919	T
Irby Curry	1916	Back
Lewis Hardage	1912	Back
Ray Morrison	1911	QB
W.E Metzer	1910	G
Owsley Manier	1906	Back

Conference recognition

Vanderbilt Commodores personnel, including coaches and players, have received recognition from the Southeastern Conference for their performances on the football field.^[16]

Players

Most valuable player

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

Offensive player of the year

Name	Year
Jay Cutler	2005

Freshman of the year

Name	Year
Kwane Doster	2002
Warren Norman	2009

Best blocker

Name	Year
Jack Jenkins	1941, 1942

Best wide receiver

Name	Year
Earl Bennett	2005–2007

Coach of the year

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

References

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. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1190452/index.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-23. 

External links

• Official website

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