1921 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

1921 Vanderbilt Commodores football
SIAA Co-Champions
Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1921 record 7–0–1 (4–0–1 SIAA)
Head coach Dan McGugin (17th year)
Captain Pink Wade
Home stadium Curry Field
1921 SIAA football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Centre § 5 – 0 – 0     10 – 1 – 0
Georgia Tech § 5 – 0 – 0     8 – 1 – 0
Georgia § 6 – 0 – 1     7 – 2 – 1
Vanderbilt § 5 – 0 – 1     7 – 0 – 1
Tennessee 4 – 1 – 1     6 – 2 – 1
Florida 4 – 1 – 2     6 – 3 – 2
Mississippi College 3 – 1 – 1     7 – 2 – 1
LSU 2 – 1 – 1     6 – 1 – 1
Auburn 3 – 2 – 0     5 – 3 – 0
Furman 3 – 2 – 1     7 – 2 – 1
Sewanee 3 – 2 – 0     6 – 2 – 0
South Carolina 2 – 1 – 1     5 – 1 – 2
Birmingham–Southern 2 – 1 – 0     4 – 4 – 1
Transylvania 1 – 1 – 0     1 – 1 – 0
The Citadel 2 – 2 – 1     3 – 3 – 2
Mississippi A&M 2 – 3 – 1     4 – 4 – 1
Tulane 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 6 – 0
Alabama 2 – 4 – 2     5 – 4 – 2
Oglethorpe 2 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0
Chattanooga 1 – 3 – 0     4 – 6 – 0
Presbyterian 1 – 3 – 0     1 – 7 – 0
Louisville 0 – 1 – 0     2 – 2 – 1
Kentucky 0 – 2 – 1     4 – 3 – 1
Ole Miss 0 – 3 – 0     3 – 6 – 0
Wofford 0 – 3 – 0     2 – 7 – 0
Millsaps 0 – 3 – 0     0 – 3 – 1
Georgetown 0 – 3 – 0     0 – 3 – 0
Clemson 0 – 4 – 2     1 – 6 – 2
Howard 0 – 5 – 0     3 – 6 – 0
Western Kentucky 0 – 0 – 0     1 – 0 – 0
§ – Conference co-champions

The 1921 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 1921 college football season. In Dan McGugin's 17th season as head coach, and Wallace Wade's first season as assistant coach, Vanderbilt outscored its opponents 161–21, achieving a record of 7–0–1 (4–0–1 in conference games).

The Commodores tied 7 to 7 with the Georgia Bulldogs on an onside kick for a share of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship. Other claimants of the mythical Southern championship this year include Centre, which upset Harvard in one of the highlights of the season, and Georgia Tech. Vanderbilt was the only claimant to finish the year undefeated in all its games. The Commodores were retroactively selected as a national champion by minor selector Clyde Berryman.[1]

The season included the first of a seven game series with the Texas Longhorns at the Texas State Fair. Played from 1921 to 1928 with the exception of 1924, Vanderbilt led the series 5–2. It also include the first time the Kentucky Wildcats scored on the Commodores. The game with rival Sewanee was called the "muddiest game" in Vanderbilt history.[2]

The Commodores' leading scorer was halfback Rupert Smith, and its captain was "Pink" Wade, the father of Vanderbilt football legend Bill Wade. Vanderbilt played its home games at the Old Dudley Field, later called Curry Field after the new Dudley Field was erected in 1922.

Schedule

Date Time Opponent Site Result Attendance
October 1, 1921 Middle Tennessee State Normal* Curry Field • Nashville, TN W 34–0    
October 8, 1921 4:30 p.m. Mercer* Curry Field • Nashville, TN W 42–0    
October 15, 1921 2:30 p.m. at Kentucky Stoll Field • Lexington, KY (Rivalry) W 21–14   5,000
October 21, 1921 2:30 p.m. at Texas* Fair Park Stadium • Dallas, Texas W 20–0   15,000
October 29, 1921 Tennessee Curry Field • Nashville, TN (Rivalry) W 14–0    
November 5, 1921 at Alabama Rickwood Field • Birmingham, AL W 14–0    
November 13, 1921 Georgia Curry Field • Nashville, TN (Rivalry) T 7–7    
November 24, 1921 2:00 p.m. Sewanee Curry Field • Nashville, TN (Rivalry) W 9–0    
*Non-conference game. All times are in Central Time.

Roster

1921 Vanderbilt Commodores roster

Quarterbacks

Halfbacks

  • 4 Jess Neely
  • 3 Rupert Smith
  • 10 John F. 'Freddie' Meiers
  • 8 Walter 'Red' Rountree'
  • Hugh C. Mixon
  • S. T. Porter
  • George Waller
  

Fullbacks

Ends

  

Tackles

Guards

  

Centers

  • 14 Alfred Sharpe
  • 15 Robert 'Fatty' Lawrence
  • Paul Stumb
  • William E. Porter

Kickers

  • Henry 'Hek' Wakefield
  • 3 Rupert Smith

Punters

  • 23 Thomas Ryan
  

[2][3]

Season Summary

Preseason

Pink Wade.

Wallace Wade was in his first year as a full-time assistant coach for the Commodores. The heightened intensity of Commodore football practices under coach Wade was noted since his arrival, presumably ever since the first workout on September 12.[2][4][5] In years prior, Wallace Wade had played as a guard on Brown teams which, among other achievements, represented the East in the 1916 Rose Bowl. He came to Vanderbilt from his coaching position at the Fitzgerald & Clarke School in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where he won a state prep-school championship in 1920 and went 16-3.[6] Wade brought along with him from Fitzgerald & Clarke the likes of Lynn Bomar, Hek Wakefield, Pos Elam, and Red Williams. Other Commodores to have their first year on the team included Putty Overall and Rupe Smith, who along with Jess Neely played for the Middle Tennessee State Normal School in the years before the First World War.[7] Putty captained its 1917 squad, and Rupe the 1919 one.

Returning veterans included Neely, Frank Godchaux, Doc Kuhn, Tot McCullough, Pink Wade, Alvin Bell, Alf Sharpe, and Percy Conyers. Captain Pink Wade, father of famous Vanderbilt quarterback Bill Wade,[8][9] moved from fullback to guard.[10] Tackle Tex Bradford had played two years for Texas Christian University, and having been at Vanderbilt for a year, was eligible to play for the Commodores.[11]

Sports writer Ferguson "Fuzzy" Woodruff wrote "While prospects seem fair to middling in most of the big southern colleges, there are two notable exceptions. Dan McGugin expects nothing of Vanderbilt this year. Dan has lost Berryhill, his only reliable backfield man, through the matrimonial route."[12] He refers to Grailey Berryhill, who once scored six touchdowns in a 76 to 0 victory over Tennessee in 1918.[8] Berryhill was elected captain of the 1921 team at the end of last year.[13]

Coach Dan McGugin was elected multiple times to the Tennessee state senate,[14] serving his only term during 1921.[15][16] One story reports, “McGugin didn’t want to get involved in politics, but he ‘was drafted into service by a citizens committee.’"[17]

Week 1: Middle Tennessee State Normal

Week 1: Middle Tennessee Normal at Vanderbilt
1 234Total
Normal 0 000 0
• Vanderbilt 6 14014 34
  • Date: October 1, 1921
  • Location: Curry Field
    Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt opened the season at Curry Field against the Middle Tennessee State Normal School of Murfreesboro, winning by a score of 34 to 0. The field was on the northeast corner of campus where Wilson Hall, Kissam Quandrangle, and a portion of the Vanderbilt University Law School now stand, adjacent to today's Twenty-First Avenue South.[19] The Normal school was coached by Alfred B. Miles, in his seventh season as head coach. The Commodores' touchdowns were scored by Tot McCullough, Thomas Ryan, Rupert Smith, Percy Conyers, and Alvin Bell. Two extra points were scored by Smith, and one by Bell.[18] As the game went on, Vanderbilt started to use substitutes. The Commodore, Vanderbilt's yearbook, reported the lone plus of the passing game, stating "Practically the only thing of note was the aerial efficiency—Kuhn to Ryan and Kuhn to McCullough."

It was said Tex Bradford was forced to wear civilian shoes during the Normal game, and until Vanderbilt received its order for cleats big enough to fit his feet.[11]

Week 2: Mercer

Week 2: Mercer at Vanderbilt
1 234Total
Mercer 0 000 0
• Vanderbilt 0 2877 42
  • Date: October 8, 1921
  • Location: Curry Field
    Nashville, TN
  • Game start: 4:30 p.m.
Coach Wallace Wade

In the second week of play, Vanderbilt beat the Mercer Baptists by a rather large score of 42 to 0, handing Mercer its worse loss of the year, despite registering no first downs in the first quarter. Vanderbilt scored four touchdowns in the second quarter on 173 total yards, 91 of which came on just two passes.[21]

Before the game, Wallace Wade told his players "in no uncertain terms that the coaches were disgusted that such ragged material should display no symptoms of fight."[22] The Baptists were led by former All-Southern Vanderbilt tackle Josh Cody, in his second year as head coach. Mercer and Vanderbilt had not played each other in a decade.[23] Mercer had opened its season against the Georgia Bulldogs, holding them to a score of 28 to 0, and of 7 to 0 in the first half. Unfortunately for Mercer, some significant injuries were sustained during the game.[24] The Baptists were also kept from their desired practice schedule by rain.[25] Included among the injured was Mercer lineman and letterman Ike Cowart, who played well in the Georgia game. He was to sit out with a leg infection.[26]

First half:

The opening kickoff was fumbled by Vanderbilt's Tom Ryan and recovered by Mercer on the 30-yard line. Mercer gained little with its line plunges and on fourth down were thrown for a big loss, giving the ball back to the Commodores at the 35. A run through the middle by Rupe Smith netted eight yards, and two Mercer penalties gave Vanderbilt the rest of the yards needed for the first down. On the next series, a long pass from Kuhn to Ryan just missed, broken up by Mercer's Poore. Forced to punt, the Commodores had Godchaux punt the ball only some twenty yards. Godchaux nearly intercepted a pass on the next series but was out of bounds, and Mercer had to punt. Kuhn fumbled the ensuing punt and again it was the Baptists' ball. Mercer got a first down from a Vandy penalty on the first series. The next started with Mercer's Welsh going through the line for a gain of five. Two more short runs got Mercer a first down at Vanderbilt's 28-yard line. Welch again went for five. The Commodores' Tom Ryan threw the Baptists for a loss on the next play, and a failed forward pass after ended the drive. Kuhn was stopped for a 5-yard loss, made up for with a big run from Rupe Smith of fifteen yards and the first down. Red Williams hit the line for five more yards. Godchaux lost some and gained some back, and was forced to punt. This time the punt was much better, down to Mercer's 10-yard line where Ryan hit the ball carrier in his tracks as the first quarter closed.

Godchaux returned the ensuing punt from Mercer ten yards, and started the drive gaining six yards off tackle. On the next play, Kuhn hit Tot McCullough on a short pass which gained twelve yards and the first down on the 9-yard line. Smith ran to the 5-yard line, and again to the 2-yard line. Red Williams fumbled on the next play, but it was recovered by Alf Sharpe in the endzone. Smith kicked goal. After a Mercer punt and a return of fifteen yards by Ryan, Vanderbilt started its next scoring drive. Kuhn went around right for little gain, and Smith went left for some six yards. Williams hit the line for seven yards and a first down. Frank Godchaux then went 48 yards around the left end for a touchdown. Smith kicked goal. A fumble from the Mercer Baptists, recovered by Tex Bradford, led to the next score. After Vanderbilt was caught offside, Smith sprinted eleven yards off tackle. Williams went for two more, and Kuhn then got the rest for the first down with a sneak behind center. The ball now at Mercer's 16-yard line, Red Williams ran for twelve yards on a split buck play. Rupe Smith went in for the touchdown on the next play, and kicked goal.

On Mercer's next series they ran a fake punt play which netted four yards around the left end which Ryan had seemed to anticipate, just missing a chance to stop Mercer for a loss of some ten yards. Mercer eventually punted, giving Vanderbilt the ball at their own 39-yard line. On first down the Commodores failed to gain, and on second Williams went for four yards. Kuhn then ran for ten yards from a punt formation. Meiers went for six off tackle. The next play saw a 55-yard pass from Jess Neely to Tot McCullough for the touchdown. Neely kicked goal. The half ended on a good kick return by Mercer of some twenty five yards.

Second half:

Jess Neely

Mercer was again forced to punt in the second half from their own 15-yard line. Neely had his own good return of some twenty five yards. Neely lost five on the next play, Alvin Bell then gained six; and Neely three more. Neely then punted the ball to Poore who fumbled but recovered. Red Williams threw the Baptists for a ten yard loss on third down. The ball was punted to Freddie Meiers who returned the ball seven yards. Another buck for Williams got the Commodores sixteen yards. Meiers got three off tackle, and Williams went for four more yards. Alvin Bell made two yards off tackle, to Mercer's 20-yard line. Meiers got the first down on the next play with a three yard gain, and Neely added two more. Williams got it down to the 5-yard line but was hurt when tackled, and Lynn Bomar went in as replacement. On the next series of downs, Meiers went in for the touchdown. Bell kicked goal.

Red Rountree fumbled Mercer's next punt, but picked it up and ran for twenty five yards around the Baptists' right end. Bomar went for eight yards over left tackle on the next play. Bomar gained five and then fumbled the ball, recovered by Mercer. Mercer failed to gain anything, and punted the ball 54 yards back to Vanderbilt. Meiers returned the punt for five yards around the right end. Again, Bomar fumbled, and again Mercer recovered. Ryan threw the Mercer's Irwin back for a loss of ten yards. A long pass was intercepted by Rupe Smith, who returned the ball to his own 35-yard line. Smith ran for seven yards, and Bomar plunged over center for nine yards and the first down. Bomar made three more yards, and then Smith ran all the way down to Mercer's 10-yard line. Smith made a few more on an end run, and then passed to Ryan for another touchdown. Smith kicked goal.

Bomar returned a kick seventeen yards. Hugh Mixon gained six to the right, and Bomar got six more for a first down. Vandy fumbled and lost fifteen yards in the recovery process. Smith then sprinted around end for ten yards. Mixon punted the ball to Mercer's 5-yard line. Mercer again punted. Mixon eluded four tacklers and returned the punt 42 yards, which would have been yet another touchdown had he not stepped out of bounds. With the series starting at Mercer's 5-yard line, Vanderbilt failed to score. The ball went over on downs to Mercer at their own 2-yard line. Mercer punted back to Vanderbilt, with Smith losing five and then gaining seven and still having to punt. When Mercer punted back, Mixon returned the punt ten yards as the game ended.[20]

The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Mercer was the following: McCullough (left end), Bradford (left tackle), Wade (left guard), Sharpe (center), Wilson (right guard), Elam (right tackle), Ryan (right end), Kuhn (quarterback), Godchaux (right halfback), Smith (left halfback), Williams (fullback).[20]

Week 3: at Kentucky

Week 3: Vanderbilt at Kentucky
1 234Total
• Vanderbilt 14 700 21
Kentucky 0 1400 14
  • Date: October 15, 1921
  • Location: Stoll Field
    Lexington, KY
  • Game start: 2:30 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 5,000
  • Referee: Edward Findlay (Virginia)

In the third game of the year, the Commodores traveled to Lexington and beat the Kentucky Wildcats by a score of 21 to 14. The Wildcats were coached by William "Indian Bill" Juneau, in his second year as head coach.

The Wildcats practiced their signals under cover of night and with closed gates, feeling secrecy a matter of importance this week.[28] The Commodores had been pegged as the hardest team on Kentucky's schedule, and it was the most interesting home game for Kentucky fans in some time.[29] One sportswriter called it "the hardest fought battle that has been staged on the Kentucky gridiron in many a day."[30] Sports writer Bruce Dudley later remarked how the Commodores were outplayed by the Wildcats for three quarters.[31] Kentucky managed to complete ten of twenty passes, among them quarterback "Bobby" Lavin to Fuller and Fuller to Lavin.[2] Prior to this year's game, Kentucky had never scored on Vanderbilt in all of its history;[32] therefore, something of a blow out had been expected, with Vanderbilt having a distinct advantage in weight.[28][33] However, The Lexington Herald reported "That Nashville is intensely interested in the outcome of the game is evidenced by the fact that a special wire, giving the game play by play, will be installed at the field and connected with the Nashville papers."[29]

First half:

Frank Godchaux.

The Commodores' first two touchdowns came early. After the kickoff went to Kentucky and the Wildcats' Saunders returned the ball to the 30-yard line, a punt was kicked to Vanderbilt; and, after a good return but little gain, the ball was punted back to Kentucky. Lavin fumbled on the return, the ball recovered by Jess Neely on the 10-yard line.[2] On third down after very little on first and second, Frank Godchaux ran in a touchdown around end. Rupert Smith scored the second and third touchdowns for the Commodores.

Following an exchange of punts, Vanderbilt started a drive on Kentucky's 32-yard line. Neely connected with Pink Wade on a 22-yard pass. Rupert Smith ran for a gain of some seven yards. A slight gain by Lynn Bomar was then followed by Smith running around right end for a touchdown. Kentucky's Server kicked the ball into the end zone for a touchback. Alf Sharpe was ejected for slugging, and the Commodores were penalized half the distance to the goal.

Neely punted the ball away to Lavin, who returned the ball five yards. On the next play Lavin ran around the edge for nineteen yards. Fuller gained two yards and this was followed up by a 5-yard pass. Saunders then made the first down, and fullback Pribble carried the ball in for the score. A bit later, Neely punted the ball into the end zone for a touchback. The Wildcats were called for holding and sent backwards ten yards, which was followed by an unfavorable punt netting the ball at Kentucky's 30-yard mark. Punts back and forth ensued from this spot, sending Vanderbilt closer to midfield. Godchaux made a 20-yard run around the right end, and Tot McCullough caught a 24-yard pass. Smith then skirted around end for the Commodores' final score.

Godchaux returned a ball to the 27-yard line. A fumble lost yardage, and the Wildcats' "Slug" Fleahman blocked Jess Neely's punt giving Kentucky the ball at the 12-yard line. Lavin weaved his way through the Commodores' defense for Kentucky's last touchdown.

Second half:

Kentucky threatened to score late and tie the game, but turned the ball over on downs at the 2-yard line. Neely sealed the game by running the ball 34 yards to the 36-yard line.[30]

The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Kentucky was the following: McCullough (left end), Bradford (left tackle), Lawrence (left guard), Sharpe (center), Wade (right guard), Elam (right tackle), Ryan (right end), Godchaux (quarterback), Smith (left halfback), Neely (right halfback), Williams (fullback).[30][27]

Week 4: at Texas

Week 4: Vanderbilt at Texas
1 234Total
• Vanderbilt 0 7013 20
Texas 0 000 0
  • Date: October 22, 1921
  • Location: Fair Park Stadium
    Dallas, TX
  • Game start: 2:30 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 15,000
  • Referee: Ernest C. Quigley (St. Mary's)

The fourth game of the year saw the Commodores, favored to lose by two touchdowns against the Texas Longhorns, pull off the upset with a win by the score of 20 to 0,[35] handing Texas its only loss of the year. The game was the first of a seven year series from 1921-1928 played between Vanderbilt and Texas in Dallas at the Texas State Fair; played every year in that span with the exception of 1924.[36] The Red River Shootout was played at the fair starting in 1929. In a prior week at the 1921 fair, Boston College had beaten Baylor 23-7 at the first game ever played between teams from the southwest and northeast.

Texas won the Southwest Conference outright with an undefeated record in 1920. The 1921 squad was thought perhaps the best in Longhorns history,[37] and Vanderbilt football seemed to be on the decline when Georgia Tech had beaten the Commodores 44 to 0 the year before. The Longhorns were coached by Berry Whitaker, in his third year as head coach. Montgomery Bell Academy, the high school which would later feature Vanderbilt greats such as Bill Wade, and had been attended by then quarterback Doc Kuhn and center Alf Sharpe, would use Vanderbilt's stadium to play Baylor, and details of the Texas game would be sent over the "wire" to the fans in attendance.[38] The crowd at Fair Park Stadium was expected to be the largest to have seen a game in Dallas.[39]

Coach Dan McGugin

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."[40] "Instead of hammering detailed strategy into them,"[41] coach Dan McGugin had taken his team to the nearby grave of former Vanderbilt quarterback and Third Team all-American 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:[2][40]

You are about to be put to an ordeal which will show the stuff that's in you! What a glorious chance you have! Every one of you is going to fix his status for all time in the minds and hearts of his teammates today. How you fight is what you will be remembered by. If any shirk, the Lord pity him. He will be degraded in the hearts of the rest as long as they live.

Man is a curious kind of a "critter." You will all doubtless eat and have comforts and "butt around" for a good many days, but during the next hour you must forget yourselves absolutely. You are to hurl yourselves like demons with the fury of hell on the crowd that has come here to humiliate us. The man worth while is the man who can rise away above and beyond in the face of a great task. You must transcend yourselves.

I am glad Mr. Curry is here. Some of you knew Rabbit. We felt toward him all the tenderness a mother feels toward her own little boy. He had a little slender body; he weighed only 128 pounds, but he had a heart as big as that loving cup over there on the mantel. He was modest; his life was absolutely clean; and what a fighter he was. His life was a great contribution to Vanderbilt—particularly to our athletic traditions. The influence of his spirit will always abide. He always wanted to play with Vanderbilt against Texas. His body is resting only a few miles south of here; but his spirit is hovering above us now. Some of these days i want to see his likeness looking down on your athletic fields. I am glad his father is here so that he can see face to face, how we regard his son.

There is one thing that makes me sick at heart. I heard repeatedly before we left Nashville that this Vanderbilt team, this crowd of men into whose faces I now look, might win from Texas if it would only fight. Has anybody the right to imply such an insult? And, if so, when before now could such a thing be said of men from Tennessee? How about Pickett's men who moved out of the wood and exposed their breasts and faces to be shattered and torn as they moved up that slope? And how about the Tennesseans of the Thirtieth Division, who broke the Hindenburg Line--a task even greater because it was accompanied by so much mud and misery. All but a few here are Tennesseans and the rest have elected to be educated here. You are a part of us and you must uphold the traditions of Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

Who the devil started all of this bunk about the Texas team? Who thinks they are unbeatable? They say that they have the greatest team in their history and, perhaps this is true. They say Vanderbilt never had a team which could defeat theirs of this year, and that is not true. Texas has no shield like ours. We have some scars on it, but there are a lot of stars there, too. Texas has no such athletic tradition and history.

They say the climate is against us. That is not true. The change should do us good. This light, pure air will help us.

Texas is overconfident. They say it will be a Texas landslide. If you will put every ounce of strength you have into the first fifteen minutes, they will ask themselves: 'What liars deceived us this way?'

Everything is in our favor.

You have seen what the papers have been saying . . .They are betting Texas will beat you 20 to 0, they say you are a bunch of cowards. "Rabbit" Curry, whose father is sitting here with you, is looking down on you from his Eternal Home.[41]... that you are only a shell of the old Vanderbilt teams. You don't deserve anything better unless you give the back of your hand to such an insult.

Now is there any man here who will not fight every inch of the way?

Will any man here disgrace himself and live in the contempt of his teammates the rest of his days?

Are you going to establish yourselves in your own self-respect and in the eyes of thousands who are watching you?

Are you going to make your own records and leave memories for others to live by?

First half:

The Texas Longhorns marching band during halftime.

On a third down, at some point near the middle of the second quarter, Texas' Ivan Robertson, with the Commodores' Tom Ryan and Tex Bradford running after him, threw a pass not near a single Longhorn; which was intercepted by Vanderbilt's captain Pink Wade. Wade returned the interception for 65 yards and the first touchdown of the game.

Second half:

In the final period, Lynn Bomar then returned another interception for a touchdown; this time for 40 yards. The last Vanderbilt scoring drive came later. After a Vanderbilt interception, Texas drew a 30-yard, half the distance to the goal, penalty for slugging. Doc Kuhn completed a pass to the large Tot McCullough, putting the ball at the 8-yard line. The Longhorn defense held strong, but on fourth down was offside. This gave the Commodores a first down on the 1-yard line, leading to a line plunge for a touchdown from Frank Godchaux.[34]

Some Texas supporters blamed its lack of depth on the line for the loss. The Longhorns' passing game was deemed satisfactory, though going 10 of 31 for 125 yards with five interceptions, and two of those for touchdowns; some felt any failure of the passing game could be blamed on the line play.[34] Sports writer Joe Utay, of Dallas, wrote Texas lost because of overconfidence.[31] Blinkey Horn, sportswriter for The Tennessean, said "Vandy outcharged, outfought, and outgamed the boastful Texans. Their courage was finer. Their stamina was greater. Thrust into the throes of a Turkish bath day which blistered tongues and made legs weary the McGuginites shook off the galling heat and won a hellish battle on a hellish afternoon."[8]

Texas punted 10 times, and Vanderbilt punted 14 times. The average distance of a Texas punt was 40 yards, with an average of 37 yards for Vandy. Vanderbilt gained 123 yards to the Longhorns' 150. Vanderbilt completed 2 of 5 passes for 57 yards. Texas intercepted the ball twice, and Vanderbilt five times. The Commodores had 6 first down to the Longhorns' 8.[42] Each school netted some $7,500 from the contest.[43] Texas's only loss this year was against Vandy. The Longhorns also tied Southwest Conference champion Texas A&M 0 to 0 in its final game. The Aggies then upset Centre, which upset Harvard on October 29, for its final game in the Dixie Classic.

The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Texas was the following: Ryan (left end), Elam (left tackle), Wade (left guard), Sharpe (center), Bailey (right guard), Bradford (right tackle), Conyers (right end), Godchaux (quarterback), Neely (left halfback), Smith (right halfback), Bomar (fullback).[34]

Week 5: Tennessee

Week 5: Tennessee at Vanderbilt
1 234Total
Tennessee 0 000 0
• Vanderbilt 7 700 14
  • Date: October 29, 1921
  • Location: Curry Field
    Nashville, TN
  • Referee: Oscar Randolph (Virginia)

For the fifth game of the year, Vanderbilt played the Tennessee Volunteers on a soggy Old Dudley Field, winning by a score of 14 to 0. Team captain Pink Wade did not play due to a case of lumbago. Acting as the captain in his absence, Doc Kuhn scored all of Vanderbilt's touchdowns. Fatty Lawrence also did not play in the game.[45] Tennessee was excited for the game, preparing for weeks with new plays and persistent drilling. It was said Vanderbilt was "the one team that Tennessee enjoys defeating."[46]

First half:

During the first quarter, an end run of about 20 yards from Kuhn first made the score 7 to 0. In the second, after the Commodores obtained good field position from the punt returns of Rupert Smith, Kuhn had a 30 or 35-yard touchdown run utilizing Lynn Bomar as a lead blocker.

Second half:

At one point in the second half, Freddie "Froggie" Meiers carried an onside kick over for a touchdown, but it was called back.[44] The Tennessee backs were repeatedly thrown for no gain or losses all game, and steady improvement from the Commodore eleven had been noticed.[47][48]

The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Tennessee was the following: McCullough (left end), Bradford (left tackle), Bailey (left guard), Sharpe (center), Overall (right guard), Elam (right tackle), Ryan (right end), Kuhn (quarterback), Smith (left halfback), Neely (right halfback), Bomar (fullback).[44]

Week 6: at Alabama

Week 6: Vanderbilt at Alabama
1 234Total
• Vanderbilt 7 007 14
Alabama 0 000 0
  • Date: November 5, 1921
  • Location: Rickwood Field
    Birmingham, AL
  • Referee: Edward Findlay (Virginia)

In the sixth week of play, Vanderbilt beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 14 to 0 at Birmingham. The score reflected the 'dope,' as Vandy was favored by two touchdowns.[50] Jess Neely played a role in both scoring drives.

First half:

Lynn Bomar's touchdown against the "Thin Red Line."

Early in the first quarter, Vanderbilt had the ball in the middle of the field after an Alabama punt.[51] Two line bucks preceded Neely connecting with Tot McCullough for about a 30-yard pass play. Neely ran for some 17 yards more through left tackle,[52] putting the ball on the 9-yard line.[53] After a run by Godchaux, Lynn Bomar then bucked over the line for the score.[51] Smith kicked goal. The second scoring drive started once Paul Stumb had intercepted a pass.

Second half:

Quarterback Doc Kuhn was sent in, invigorating the Commodores,[49] after having not started the game due to injuries. Neely ran for 21 yards around right end. Kuhn then hit Tot McCullough on a 25-yard pass.[49] Rupe Smith or Doc Kuhn then ran the remaining few yards for the touchdown. Alabama once had a chance to score, making it to the 18-yard line of Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt's defense prevailed and Alabama's forward passes failed, as the ball went over on downs. Other chances included Alabama's halfback Rosenfeld once intercepting a pass with a clear field ahead of him, returning it 32 yards before Vanderbilt's Red Rountree tackled him from behind. Alabama's back Bartlett also returned a punt 25 yards before he was tackled by the last Commodore who could have done so.[53] Alabama was captained by sophomore end Al Clemens, who was later captain of the first Alabama team coached by Vanderbilt's Wallace Wade.[54]

In the time between the Alabama and Georgia games, on November 9, the project for a new stadium at Vanderbilt began with the help of civic clubs.[55]

The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Alabama was the following: McCullough (left end), Elam (left tackle), Bailey (left guard), Sharpe (center), Overall (right guard), Bradford (right tackle), Ryan (right end), Godchaux (quarterback), Smith (left halfback), Neely (right halfback), Bomar (fullback).[49][56]

Week 7: Georgia

See also: 1921 Georgia Bulldogs football team and Georgia–Vanderbilt football rivalry
Week 7: Georgia at Vanderbilt
1 234Total
Georgia 0 700 7
Vanderbilt 0 007 7
  • Date: November 13, 1921
  • Location: Curry Field
    Nashville, TN

In the seventh week of play, Vanderbilt faced the defending SIAA champions Georgia Bulldogs at home on Curry Field. The game was to be the highlight of Vandy's schedule this year, deciding the conference champion. It was described by the New York Times as an "important clash."[59]

Georgia was in its second year under coach Herman Stegeman. Its coaches were often working their players at Sanford Field prior to the game, including white footballs in case the need was felt for practice at night.[60] Sporting editor for the Birmingham News "Zipp" Newman had written weeks ago, "Stegeman has a powerful team and with all the regulars in the game, the team has a chance of going through the season undefeated unless it be Vanderbilt that stops her."[61] The game was called a "tooth and toe nail event."[50]

Rupert Smith

Vanderbilt was 6-1 against Georgia all time, its only loss in 1898 by a score of 4 to 0. With all games in the series featuring shutouts, the score all time was 184 to 4 in the Commodores'' favor.[62] The Bulldogs were the favorite to win this meeting of the two schools, first since 1912, in part because the Bulldogs may have outplayed Harvard and defeated Auburn earlier in the season.[63] Georgia had the greatest line in the South,[2] featuring four men deemed All-Southern in guard Puss Whelchel, center Bum Day, tackle Artie Pew, and end Owen Reynolds.[64][65] Not one team all year scored on Georgia through its line.[31]

First half:

In the first quarter both teams had their intensities matched. The Commodores had one best chance to score; Thomas Ryan beat the defense but dropped the pass from Jess Neely.[58] Vanderbilt also had a chance to score when a Georgia field goal was blocked by Lynn Bomar, and picked up by the large Tot McCullough, who was caught from behind before he could score.[58] In the second quarter, Georgia surely outplayed Vanderbilt. The Commodores had only two first downs in the first half, both because of penalties from the Bulldogs.[57] A punt from the Commodores was returned by Georgia some 15 yards to around Vanderbilt's 30-yard line.[66] The Bulldogs completed an 18-yard pass from Dick Hartley to halfback Jim Tom Reynolds,[58][67] to Vanderbilt's 12-yard line. Three punches at the line were stopped for short gains. Hartley gained five yards and Vanderbilt was penalized for offsides. Three line bucks netted three yards. Jim Reynolds, gaining a yard or so, went over for the touchdown with a counter on the following series. It was such a close call that it brought forth considerable argument.[66] Pew kicked goal. The half ended with Georgia gaining 113 yards on offense to Vanderbilt's 9.[2]

Second half:

Snapshot from the game.

The teams matched each other's play much like the first in the third quarter, in which Vanderbilt gained just two first downs.[68] Soon after the start of the fourth quarter,[69] Neely intercepted a pass, weaving for a return of 25 yards to Georgia's 40-yard line before being brought down by Jim Reynolds.[70] Two long pass attempts failed, and Thomas Ryan lined up to punt. Rupert Smith sneaked in behind Ryan, and rushed to recover the 25-yard onside kick. Smith jumped up to get the ball off the bounce among a hoard of Bulldogs, after they had let it bounce,[68] including the outstretched arms of the Bulldogs' Hartley, and raced for a 15-yard touchdown.[71] He added his own extra point and the game ended as a tie, 7-7.

Lynn Bomar's play at the linebacker position was especially noted, "Georgia would have trampled Vanderbilt to atoms but for Lynn Bomar," observed Nashville Tennessean sportswriter Blinkey Horn. His play was again mentioned, "Lynn Bomar was the stellar performer of the game. In the first-half he made two-thirds of the tackles."[71] It is said Bomar stopped five Georgia touchdowns that day.[8] Tom Ryan's punting was also a key to keeping the game close.

The Bulldogs netted 18 first downs.[68] Jim Reynolds was hard for the Commodores to stop throughout.[71] Georgia went on to beat both Alabama and Clemson handily in the following weeks, giving both Vanderbilt and Georgia an equal right to the claim of a 1921 SIAA title.[58]

The starting lineup for Vanderbilt against Georgia was the following: McCullough (left end), Elam (left tackle), Bailey (left guard), Sharpe (center), Wade (right guard), Bradford (right tackle), Ryan (right end), Godchaux (quarterback), Smith (left halfback), Neely (right halfback), Bomar (fullback).[57][72]

Week 8: Sewanee

Week 8: Sewanee at Vanderbilt
1 234Total
Sewanee 0 000 0
• Vanderbilt 0 009 9
  • Date: November 24, 1921
  • Location: Curry Field
    Nashville, TN
  • Game start: 2:00
  • Referee: Lt. Horatio B. Hackett (Army)
A soaked Curry Field.

The Commodores closed the season with a 9 to 0 win over Sewanee in the "muddiest game" in its history.[2] The Commodores were supposedly knee-deep in mud and water,[74] with players unrecognizable.[75] The two teams were considered a fairly even match before the game. Sewanee felt confident its line gave them a chance to win, but also a bit nervous about Vanderbilt's passing attack.[76] In a game for bragging rights and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association title, Lynn Bomar was injured.[77]

The game went scoreless until the fourth quarter, when Sewanee fumbled the snap on a punt and the punter was smothered by Jess Neely, Frank Godchaux, and Pink Wade for a safety. Later in the fourth, Hek Wakefield punted the ball 54 yards from his own 38 yard-line, and Elam recovered a fumble by Sewanee's Powers. Wakefield ran in the game's only touchdown off-tackle from about 5 yards out. Wakefield kicked goal. Sewanee had more first downs than Vanderbilt, six to Vandy's two, but suffered four successive fumbles.[31][73]

The starting line up for Vanderbilt against Sewanee: McCullough (left end), Elam (left tackle), Bailey (left guard), Sharpe (center), Wade (right guard), Bradford (right tackle), Ryan (right end), Kuhn (quarterback), Smith (left halfback), Neely (right halfback), Williams (fullback)[78]

Post-season

On November 30, Vanderbilt accepted an offer to play the University of Florida in a postseason game on New Year's Day in Jacksonville.[79]

The regular season closed with four undefeated teams in the south: Centre, Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Vanderbilt.[80] Centre, which upset Harvard, lost to Texas A&M in the 1922 Dixie Classic, leaving Vanderbilt as the only one of those four undefeated in all its games. Georgia coach Herman Stegeman, in the section on southern football in Spalding's football guide, wrote that Vanderbilt had a good year, but was unable to play up to its full capabilities; and that the Commodores should prepare for a fine season the next year. For Stegeman, the contest for the mythical title of the greatest southern team in 1921 was between Centre, Georgia Tech, and Georgia.[31] Clyde Berryman retroactively listed Vanderbilt as national champion.[1]

Lynn Bomar at fullback, Pos Elam at tackle, and Thomas Ryan at end were listed on Walter Camp's list of all players worthy of mention.[31] The yearbook claimed Tom Ryan was the only one to appear on an All-Southern team.

Players

Vanderbilt baseball also won an SIAA championship in 1921. Football players Frank Godchaux, Doc Kuhn, Tot McCullough, and Jess Neely were all also on the baseball team. Godchaux was the first son to follow in his father's footsteps as a Vanderbilt football player;[81] Frank Sr. was a quarterback on the 1899 team.

Varsity Letter Winners

Tackle Tex Bradford.
Tackle Pos Elam.
Quarterback Doc Kuhn.
End Tom Ryan.
Center Alf Sharpe.
Hek Wakefield.

Reserves

Scoring Leaders

Player TouchdownsExtra points Field goalsPoints
Rupert Smith516046
Frank Godchaux40024
Lynn Bomar20012
Doc Kuhn20012
Tot McCullough20012
Thomas Ryan20012
Freddie Meiers1208
Alvin Bell1107
Pink Wade1107
Hek Wakefield1107
Percy Conyers1006
Alf Sharpe1006
Jess Neely0101
Safety Against Sewanee0002
TOTAL23210161

Awards and honors

Coaching staff

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Official 2013 Football Bowl Subdivision Records Book (PDF). The National Collegiate Athletic Association. pp. 76–77.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Russell, Fred, and Maxwell Edward Benson. Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football. "1921-Wallace Wade Hired As Assistant". Nashville, TN, 1938, p. 39
  3. ↑ "No Thirteen on Vanderbilt Team". Dallas Morning News. October 18, 1921.
  4. ↑ "Vanderbilt Commodores Sweat Blood In Drive For Condition". The Macon Daily Telegraph. September 25, 1921.
  5. ↑ "Dudley Field Shaping Up for Vandy Gridders". The Macon Daily Telegraph. September 4, 1921.
  6. ↑ Lewis Bowling. Alabama Football Tales: More Than A Century of Crimson Tide Glory. p. 28.
  7. ↑ Pittard, Homer. The First Fifty Years: Middle Tennessee State College 1911-1961. p. 101.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Traughber, William L. Vanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History. Charleston, SC: History, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Wilmington Morning Star". January 18, 1952.
  10. ↑ The Commodore (Vanderbilt Yearbook). 1921 p. 117-120
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Texans Bolster Vandy Eleven". Dallas Morning News. October 2, 1921.
  12. ↑ "Southern Football Squads Held Back by Broiling Heat". Montgomery Advertiser. September 18, 1921.
  13. ↑ "Berryhill Named Captain Of Vandy". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 30, 1920.
  14. ↑ Vanderbilt University Quarterly, Volume 10. p. 315.
  15. ↑ The Michigan Chimes Volumes 3-4. p. 23.
  16. ↑ Moshier, Jeff (January 20, 1936). "Playing Square". The Evening Independent.
  17. ↑ Chuck Offenburger. "A BLAST FROM THE PAST: Vanderbilt U’s football debt to Tingley, Iowa, the tiny town that produced legendary Commodore coach Dan McGugin".
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Vanderbilt Downs Middle Tennessee". Montgomery Advertiser. October 2, 1921.
  19. ↑ William L Traughber (August 25, 2005). "William Dudley: a Father of Vanderbilt Athletics".
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Vandy's Eleven Tears Loose In Second Quarter". The Macon Daily Telegraph. October 9, 1921.
  21. ↑ "Vanderbilt Eleven Defeats Mercer". Augusta Chronicle. October 9, 1921.
  22. ↑ Blinky Horn (October 8, 1921). "Vandy's Line Given Lecture". The Macon Daily Telegraph.
  23. ↑ "Mercer Gridders Now Pointing For Battle With Vandy Eleven In Nashville, Tenn. Saturday". The Macon Daily Telegraph. October 3, 1921.
  24. ↑ "Vanderbilt Wins; Play 'Gators' Next". The Mercer Cluster. October 14, 1921. Archived from the original on 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  25. ↑ "Mercer Practice Stopped by Rain". Macon Telegraph. October 4, 1921.
  26. ↑ "Mercer Gridmen Leave For Game". Macon Telegraph. October 7, 1921.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Cats Lose Stubborn Scrap To Vanderbilt". Kentucky Kernel. October 21, 1921.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Wildcats Run Signals In Dark". The Lexington Herald. October 12, 1921.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Great Crowd to See Vandy Play". October 14, 1921.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Joe T. Lovett (October 16, 1921). "Pribble, Lavin First To Cross On Commodores". Lexington Herald.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 Camp, Walter, ed. National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Rules: Official Intercollegiate Football Guide. 45 Rose St, New York: American Sports, 1922. Print. Spalding's Athletic Library.
  32. ↑ The Commodore (Yearbook) 1921, p. 117
  33. ↑ "Vandy Outweighs Kentucky And Wins". Montgomery Advertiser. October 16, 1921.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 "Commodores Defeat Texas Longhorns before Crowded Stadium, 20 to 0". Dallas Morning News. October 23, 1921.
  35. ↑ cf. "Vanderbilt Victory Removed Last Chance of Perfect Year Slate". Dallas Morning News. October 25, 1921.
  36. ↑ 2012 Vanderbilt Commodores Football Fact Book. p. 121.
  37. ↑ "Southwestern Champions Bring Wonder Team Here to Battle Vandy Eleven". Dallas Morning News. October 16, 1921.
  38. ↑ "A Brief History of MBA Football 1899-1997".
  39. ↑ "Texas-Vanderbilt Game Today's Big Feature at Fair". Dallas Morning News. October 22, 1921.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Edwin Pope. Football's Greatest Coaches. p. 335-347.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Charles Cason (1964-12-22). "Public Forum". Delta Democrat-Times.
  42. ↑ "Statistics of Game". Dallas Morning News. October 23, 1921.
  43. ↑ "Texas Nets $7,500 In Vanderbilt Game". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 28, 1921.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 "Vanderbilt Wins from Tennessee". Columbus Daily Enquirer. October 30, 1921.
  45. ↑ "Hope and Fear In Crimson Hearts". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 4, 1921.
  46. ↑ Volunteer Yearbook 1922, p. 138
  47. ↑ "Aerial Attack Grows in Favor.". The Macon Daily Telegraph. October 31, 1921.
  48. ↑ "Vanderbilt Wins Over Tennessee". The Times Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana). October 30, 1921.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 49.3 "Vanderbilt Winner Over Alabama Team". Montgomery Advertiser. November 6, 1921.
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 C.E. Baker (November 1, 1921). "Vanderbilt To Play Bama Eleven Saturday". Macon Telegraph.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 "Vanderbilt Wins Over Alabama U". Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana). November 6, 1921.
  52. ↑ "Vanderbilt Wins From Alabama". Augusta Chronicle. November 6, 1921.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 "Alabama - 1921 Football Recap" (PDF).
  54. ↑ "Bryant Museum-1921 Season".
  55. ↑ "Vanderbilt Plans Erecting Stadium". Montgomery Advertiser. November 10, 1921.
  56. ↑ "Vandy Trims U of Alabama". Atlanta Constitution. November 6, 1921. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 "Commodores Tied In Last". The Columbus Ledger. November 13, 1921.
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 58.3 58.4 "Bulldog Eleven Is Held To Tie By The Commodores". The Macon Daily Telegraph. November 13, 1921.
  59. ↑ "Many Good Games On Schedule Today". New York Times. November 12, 1921.
  60. ↑ "Bulldogs Prepare For Vandy". The Red And Black. November 11, 1921.
  61. ↑ Zipp Newman (October 31, 1921). "Georgia Heeds Opportunity's Knock While Auburn Turns Deaf Ear Says Zipp Newman". The Columbus Enquirer Sun.
  62. ↑ "Georgia Beat Vandy in '98". Columbus Ledger. November 10, 1921.
  63. ↑ "Gridiron Gossip". Montgomery Advertiser. November 11, 1921.
  64. ↑ "1920s Georgia Football".
  65. ↑ "All-Southern Football Team". Charlotte Observer. December 4, 1921.
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 "Vanderbilt Holds Georgia To A Tie". Dallas Morning News. November 13, 1921.
  67. ↑ Vanderbilt Holds Georgia To 7-7 Tie Fort Worth Star Telegram November 13, 1921
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 "Game With Vandy Is Tied As Novel Play Is Pulled Successful". The Red And Black. November 18, 1921.
  69. ↑ "Vanderbilt Ties With Bulldogs". The State (Columbia, SC). November 13, 1921.
  70. ↑ "Commodores Tie In Last Period". The Palm Beach Post. November 13, 1921.
  71. ↑ 71.0 71.1 71.2 "Georgia and Vandy Battle to a Draw". The Columbus Enquirer. November 13, 1921.
  72. ↑ Fuzzy Woodruff (November 13, 1921). "Onside Kick In Final Quarter Ties Struggle For Commodores". Atlanta Constitution. p. 3. Retrieved March 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  73. ↑ 73.0 73.1 "Final Period Rally Wins for Old Vandy". Charlotte Observer. November 25, 1921.
  74. ↑ "Vanderbilt Wins From Sewanee In Final Quarter, 9-0". Augusta Chronicle. November 25, 1921.
  75. ↑ "Vanderbilt 9, Sewanee 0.". Morning Oregonian. November 25, 1921.
  76. ↑ "Gridiron Gossip". Montgomery Advertiser. November 10, 1921.
  77. ↑ "Vanderbilt-Sewanee Clash is Big Even". Montgomery Advertiser. November 24, 1921.
  78. ↑ "Vandy Clashes With Sewanee". The Columbus Ledger. November 24, 1921.
  79. ↑ "Vanderbilt in Post-Season Game". New York Times. December 1, 1921.
  80. ↑ "Four Southern Elevens Claim Dixie's Title". The Meriden Daily Journal. November 26, 1921.
  81. ↑ Couch, Ernie (2001). SEC Football Trivia. Thomas Nelson Inc.

External links

Middle Tennessee State 1917 football team Includes Jess Neely, Rupert Smith, and Putty Overall.