Jimmy Armistead

Jimmy Armistead

Armistead c. 1928
Vanderbilt Commodores
Position Running back/Quarterback
Class Graduate
Career history
College Vanderbilt (1926–1928)
High school Hume-Fogg
Personal information
Date of birth August 29, 1905
Place of birth Nashville, Tennessee
Date of death March 1984
Place of death Nashville, Tennessee
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight 174 lb (79 kg)
Career highlights and awards

James Cate "Jimmy" Armistead (August 29, 1905 – March 1984) was a college football player.

Early years

James Cate Armistead was born on August 29, 1905 in Nashville, Tennessee to Wirt Mayo Armistead and Sarah Adeline Cate.

High school

Armistead attended Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville, Tennessee. The first game played at Dudley Field was between the home-standing Commodores and the powerful Michigan Wolverines. A goal-line stand by the Commodores preserved a 0-0 tie.[1] The following Friday, nearby Hume-Fogg High School played a game at Dudley. Senior Jimmie Armistead returned the opening kick for a touchdown, providing the first touchdown ever recorded in the stadium.

Vanderbilt

Armistead was a prominent running back for the Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University. He was also bald,[2] called by one writer "the bald eagle of Vanderbilt."[3]

1926

He started slow; "Nature neglected to endow him with pugnacity; Or even aggressiveness. As a sophomore he was so timid on attack that he was as easy to snuff out as a candle."[4] He was always shy, and took no joy in seeing his opponent fail.[5] In 1926, Vanderbilt lost its only game to national champion Alabama. Armistead once caught a pass in the game and was tackled just a few yards short of the goal without fighting for extra yardage. From there Vanderbilt failed to score; and so some Vanderbilt fans blamed Armistead for the loss.[5]

1927

He took the criticism of 1926 to heart and emerged a new player in 1927.[5] Armistead led the nation in scoring in 1927 with 138 points,[6] a year in which he was a target of quarterback Bill Spears.[7]

1928

When Spears graduated, Armistead was the triple-threat option,[4] i.e. he now had to pass and kick, as well as captain.[8] Armistead starred in the 14 to 7 victory over Kentucky.[9] He made the second-team of the composite All-Southern eleven behind Florida quarterback Clyde Crabtree.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Vanderbilt Stadium". Vanderbilt Athletics. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Family Stuff, Says Armistead, As He Explains His Bald Head". The Pittsburgh Press. August 26, 1928.
  3. ↑ "Southern Grid Teams to Lose Many Stars At Close of Season". The Evening Independent. December 1, 1928.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Blinkey Horn (November 13, 1928). "Armistead of Vanderbilt Dixie's Brightest Star". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2015 – via Google news archive.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Bald Headed Grid Captain Leads Vandy". The Montana Standard. November 13, 1928. p. 13. Retrieved March 28, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Ernie Couch. SEC Football Trivia.
  7. ↑ Mark Purcell (November 1988). "Spears and Vandy excitement in 1927" (PDF). College Football Historical Society 2 (1).
  8. ↑ "Southern Star". Daily Illini. September 28, 1928.
  9. ↑ "Leads Vanderbilt Attack" (PDF). The Technique. November 9, 1928.
  10. ↑ "All Southern Selections". The Kingsport Times. December 7, 1928.