Oliver Kuhn

Oliver Kuhn

Kuhn around 1922
Vanderbilt Commodores
Position Quarterback
Class 1923
Major Business
Career history
College Notre Dame (about 1918)
Vanderbilt (1920–1923)
High school Montgomery Bell Academy
Personal information
Date of birth August 14, 1898
Place of birth Nashville, Tennessee
Date of death October 8, 1968 (aged 70)
Place of death Tampa, Florida
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight 155 lb (70 kg)
Career highlights and awards
  • SIAA championship (1921)
  • SoCon championship (1922, 1923)
  • Billy Evans' National Honor Roll (1922)
  • All-America Honorable Mention (1922)
  • SIAA championship (baseball, 1921)
  • All-Southern (baseball, 1921, 1922)
  • Two-sport captain (1923)
  • Porter Cup (1923)

Oliver Wall Kuhn (August 14, 1898 – October 8, 1968), nicknamed "Doc Kuhn", was an American football, baseball and basketball player for the Vanderbilt University Commodores. Kuhn led Vanderbilt to three consecutive Southern college football titles in 1921, 1922, and 1923, the most-recent conference titles for Vanderbilt football. He appeared on Walter Camp's 1922 list of names worthy of mention and Billy Evans' All-America National Honor Roll.

During his senior year Kuhn was the captain of Vanderbilt's football and basketball teams and received the Porter Cup, awarded to Vanderbilt's best all-around athlete. He played guard on the basketball team and shortstop on the 1921 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) championship baseball team. Later in life, Kuhn led an effort to plant podocarpus trees in Tampa, Florida.

Early years and background

Oliver Wall Kuhn was born on August 14, 1898, in Nashville, Tennessee,[1] the seventh child of Katherine Wall of Springfield, Kentucky and Ferdinand E. Kuhn (a secretary for the local board of public works).[2] Oliver, who was said to have played old cat as a child,[3] attended preparatory school at Cathedral High School and Montgomery Bell Academy[3] and won two state football titles (in 1915 and 1917) at MBA. He lost three games in his six years as starting quarterback: three at MBA and three at Vanderbilt.[4] According to Kuhn's draft registration, he worked for DuPont as a civil engineer in Jacksonville, Tennessee.[1]

Vanderbilt University

Football

George Gipp in football uniform
Kuhn played briefly with George Gipp.

During World War I Kuhn played briefly with George Gipp at Notre Dame,[5] and he quarterbacked Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt football teams from 1920 to 1923. His Commodores compiled an overall win–loss–tie record of 24–5–4 (.788) during his four years on the team, and a 15–2–3 (.826) record when he was a starter. Kuhn started on teams which won three straight conference titles, the most recent to date for Vanderbilt. Kuhn was a member of Phi Kappa Psi, and chaired the Vanderbilt University dances.[6]

1920

During Kuhn's first year playing football for Vanderbilt, the Commodores scored 47 points in the first half of an opening-game win against Birmingham-Southern with a team known as "Berryhill, Kuhn, Latham and Company".[7] That year, in a close game with the Alabama Crimson Tide (Alabama's first victory over the Commodores), Kuhn substituted for injured quarterback Swayne Latham and threw the one Vanderbilt touchdown pass (to Jess Neely) in the 14–7 loss. According to The Atlanta Constitution, "Doc Kuhn, subbing for the injured Latham, was the brilliant star of the day. Kuhn was practically unstoppable by the Alabamians and, time after time, threatened to lead the team to victory."[8] In a game against Virginia the following week, starting quarterback Kuhn was cited as an offensive standout;[7][8] the 7–7 tie "completely upset predictions" of a Virginia win, and Vanderbilt outplayed Virginia for three of the game's four quarters.[7]

1921

The Commodores tied for the 1921 SIAA football championship, with an overall record of 7–0–1; Kuhn and Frank Godchaux took turns starting at quarterback. The season opened with a 34–0 victory against the Middle Tennessee State Normal School of Murfreesboro. The Commodore, Vanderbilt's yearbook, described the lopsided win: "Practically the only thing of note was the aerial efficiency—Kuhn to Ryan and Kuhn to McCullough".

Kuhn in uniform, holding a football
Kuhn about 1921

The team defeated the Longhorns 20–0 at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, although Texas was undefeated in the Southwest Conference the previous year and Vanderbilt was expected to lose by two touchdowns.[9] The 1921 Texas team was considered possibly the best in Longhorns history,[10] and Vanderbilt football seemed to be declining when Georgia Tech defeated them 44–0 the year before. Dan McGugin invoked the late former Vanderbilt quarterback Irby Curry, who was killed in the war, before the game. According to Edwin Pope's book, Football's Greatest Coaches, "The Texas game, sparked by McGugin's unforgettable oratory, was the big one; and Vandy got out of the year without a loss".[11] In the last scoring drive, Kuhn completed a pass to the end at the 8-yard (7.3 m) line and Tot McCullough put the ball in scoring position for Frank Godchaux after an offside penalty.[12]

The next week Vanderbilt played the Tennessee Volunteers on a wet Old Dudley Field, with Kuhn scoring both touchdowns in a 14–0 victory. Team captain Pink Wade did not play because of low back pain, and Kuhn substituted as captain.[13] In the first quarter, Kuhn's end run of about 20 yards (18 m) made the score 7–0; in the second, he had a 30-to-35-yard (27 to 32 m) touchdown run with Lynn Bomar as lead blocker.[14] In the Alabama game that year (won 14–0 by the Commodores), Kuhn did not start due to injuries. Entering the game in the fourth quarter (when the Commodores were leading 7–0), Kuhn completed a 25-yard (23 m) pass to McCullough after Jess Neely's 21-yard (19 m) run.[15] After gaining a few more yards, Vanderbilt scored the second touchdown. They tied defending SIAA champions Georgia 7–7 with a touchdown on a fourth-quarter onside punt, and defeated Sewanee the following week.

1922

Outdoor team picture, with first-row players kneeling
1922 team picture; Kuhn is at far right.

Kuhn was the starting quarterback for a second consecutive undefeated season in 1922, when Vanderbilt had an 8–0–1 record. He started all but one game at quarterback, including a scoreless tie with Michigan in the inaugural game at Dudley Field. Vanderbilt held the tie with a goal line stand, and the result was called "a great surprise to the sporting world";[7][16] Commodore fans celebrated by throwing seat cushions onto the field.[17]

After the next game, a 20–10 Commodore victory against Texas at the Texas State Fair, Kuhn's running game and leadership were praised;[18] according to referee Alfred Michael "Chief" Venne, the Texas defeat was due to the Commodores' "head work."[19] In a 14–6 win against Tennessee, Kuhn caught a 31-yard (28 m) pass from Jess Neely for a touchdown.[20] He returned a punt for 43 yards (39 m) against Kentucky, tackled by the last man before the end zone, but the half ended before the Commodores could score.[21] The Athens Banner described the team's arrival for a game with Georgia: "The Commodores arrived here at one o'clock Friday afternoon, and were whisked directly to the Georgian Hotel. Curious hundreds of Bulldog supporters shuddered at the procession of Vandy giants as they strolled down the sidewalks, led by Huge Tot McCullough, with spry Froggy Miers and clever Doc Kuhn bringing up the rear."[22] Kuhn dropped back, throwing Lynn Bomar a 40-plus-yard pass for Vanderbilt's second touchdown in its 12–0 victory over Georgia at Sanford Field.[23]

He finished the season against Sewanee on Thanksgiving Day. In the first quarter, a trick play caught Sewanee off guard after Kuhn ran six yards out of bounds. He threw a pass to Bomar, who was alone behind the defense and ran the rest of the way for a touchdown.[24] Kuhn featured in a second-quarter scoring drive, completing a 10-yard pass to Scotty Neill inside the five-yard line and faking his way through the line for a touchdown.[25][26] The Commodores won, 26–0; Kuhn was selected as an All-American by Billy Evans[27] and received an honorable mention on Walter Camp's team.[28] Kuhn and Centre's Flash Covington were the two All-American quarterbacks from Evans' All-Southern team. At the December 5, 1922 Vanderbilt football banquet, he was elected Commodore captain for the following season.[29]

1923

Kuhn, in uniform, on a grassy football field
Kuhn on opening day, 1923

In late May 1923, Kuhn received the Porter Cup as Vanderbilt's best all-around athlete.[3] According to the Atlanta Constitution, "Doc Kuhn, in winning the Porter Cup, has taken the last leaf in the laurel. Offered each year by the Porter Clothing company, the trophy has risen in distinction from a mere silver emblem to a symbol more highly prized than which there is none to offer to a Vanderbilt athlete".[30] Kuhn was also captain of the basketball team, president of the student council, president of Phi Kappa Psi and Hellenic president. The Atlanta Journal said, "Doc Kuhn is captain and president of everything at Vanderbilt but the co-eds".[5] The only two football games he lost at Vanderbilt were in 1923, to undefeated teams: national champion Michigan and the Texas Longhorns. The Commodores were Southern Conference co-champions in 1923, with two All-Southern ends (Lynn Bomar and Hek Wakefield) and All-Southern halfback Gil Reese.

Kuhn returned a kickoff 80 yards (73 m) in the season's first game, against the Howard Bulldogs.[7] A rematch with Michigan at Ferry Field was a 3–0 loss, with consensus All-American center Jack Blott kicking the winning field goal for the Wolverines. Although Kuhn and Reese were said to raise fans to their feet with their speed, they were hampered by Michigan's defense.[31] According to a diagram of the game's plays, the only completed Vanderbilt pass was from Bomar to Kuhn.[31]

After a lackluster 2-2-1 season start, Vanderbilt beat Tennessee and Georgia by a combined 86–14 score with Kuhn scoring one of seven touchdowns against Tennessee.[32] He completed a 45-yard (41 m) pass to Wakefield against Georgia, getting Vanderbilt to the four-yard line.[33] The longest of Gil Reese's four touchdowns against Georgia was an 81-yard (74 m) run "behind great interference furnished by the entire Vandy team, and especially Bomar and Kuhn."[33] According to former Vanderbilt assistant and Alabama head coach Wallace Wade, who was scouting Georgia at the game, the Commodores that day were "the smartest I ever saw".[34] The season's final game, against Sewanee in the rain, was a 7–0 Vanderbilt win on a touchdown pass from Kuhn to Reese.[35]

The Florida Gators defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 16–6 that day, ensuring a share of the Southern title for Vanderbilt. A postseason charity game against former and contemporary Princeton Tigers all-stars[36] ended in a 7–7 tie, with the Vanderbilt touchdown scored on an 18-yard (16 m) pass from Kuhn to Bomar. Vanderbilt and Washington and Lee University finished the season as Southern Conference co-champions. A sportswriters' poll gave the Commodores the Pickens Trophy as the best team in the South,[37][38] and it was presented to Kuhn at the annual football banquet on December 4.[39]

Basketball

Kuhn lettered at guard for Vanderbilt's basketball team in 1922 and 1923. His teammate, All-Southern forward Alvin (Pep) Bell, was his backup on the football team. Kuhn's 1921-22 team, which first played Tennessee,[40] had an 8–8 record.[41] In the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) tournament, the Commodores defeated the Citadel Bulldogs 37–22 before losing to the Georgia Bulldogs 27–26.[42] Kuhn scored 10 points against the Citadel and four against Georgia.

The 1922-23 team (captained by Kuhn)[43] went 16–8, defeating the LSU Tigers before losing to the Virginia Tech Hokies in the SIAA tournament.[44] According to Ed Danforth, "Either Vanderbilt was in rare form or L.S.U. has a good fighting team with no shooting ability. Fans were treated to the most one-sided contest of opening day when these two clubs met, the Commodores scoring 13 points before the Louisianans had counted once, winning 36 to 10."[45] Kuhn scored two points.[46]

Baseball

Yearbook photo of Kuhn at the plate
Kuhn at bat in 1922

Kuhn was a shortstop for the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team, competing in the 1921 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) championship. The 1921 team had a 20–5 record (14–4 SIAA). According to Vanderbilt's yearbook, The Commodore, in a 1921 game against Southwestern Presbyterian University the team scored a world-record 13 runs in one inning with two outs. The Tennessean said:

[Jess] Neely singled, as did Kuhn; Neil fanned, but Thomas got his third straight hit and both tallied. Big Tot was hit by a pitched ball and Smith was safe on a fielder's choice with one out. Woodruf flied out to right. Tyner slammed one to center which Jetty juggled and everybody advanced a pair of sacks. Ryan was safe on another error and two runs came over. Neely beat out his second hit of the inning and Kuhn walked. Neil walked. Thomas was safe on an error and Big Tot McCullough picked one over the right field fence, clearing the sacks–but oh, what's the use? Why continue?[47]

Kuhn and Dot Fulghum of Auburn University were considered the South's best shortstops.[48] According to a 1922 newspaper report:

Doc Kuhn is possibly the greatest ball player on the squad, due to his miraculous fielding around short this season. Starting with the opening college games he went for six straight games without an error, finally putting Tot McCullough off the bag with a wide heave that broke the run. The Michigan and Ohio coaches were loud in their praises for Kuhn as one of the greatest fielding shortstops they had seen in some time. His hitting this season has been hard and timely, including a homer, four triples, and three doubles. He hits in streaks, however, and this alone will keep the phenomenal Vandy star out of a major berth in the near future. Kuhn, Embry and McCullough stand out head and shoulders above anybody in their respective lines that has visited here in recent years.[49]

Kuhn was the only Vanderbilt baseball player who was named All-Southern by Cliff Wheatley in 1922.[50] Wheatley's choice read, "Vanderbilt's sole representative is "Doc" Kuhn, who came in several lengths ahead of the other shortstops. Kuhn is a wonderful batter and fields well enough in comparison with other Dixie infielders".

Later life

After graduating from Vanderbilt in 1923 with a Bachelor of Science degree in commerce, Kuhn worked for the Cheek-Neal Coffee Company in Chicago.[51] He married Nancy Lee Pierce at Lylehurst in Nashville, the home of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Lyles, on October 27, 1924. By 1926 he and his wife moved to Tampa, Florida, where Kuhn was an investment broker and spent the rest of his life. He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla and the University Club. Kuhn was a charter member of the Merrymaker's Club, the Sword and Shield Club and the Tampa Quarterback Club, and was president of the State and Tampa Exchange Club and the Tampa Junior Chamber of Commerce.[52][53] He also aided the start of the athletics program at the University of Tampa.[53]

Kuhn led an initiative to plant podocarpus trees in downtown Tampa, for which he was named Man of the Year a year before his death.[54] A tree was planted on Bayshore Boulevard in his honor. He died at his home in Tampa on October 8, 1968; pallbearers at his funeral included Vanderbilt teammates Jess Neely and Alf Sharpe and sportswriter Fred Russell.[54]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Registration State: Tennessee; Registration County: Davidson; Roll: 1877600; Draft Board: 2.
  2. ↑ Annual Reports, City of Nashville. 1903. p. 5.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Oliver D. Kuhn". The Guardian. June 16, 1923. p. 5.
  4. ↑ "Montgomery Bell Academy".
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Notre Dame Alumnus (PDF). December 1929. p. 121.
  6. ↑ "Kuhn Winner of Students Honors". Kingsport Times. November 27, 1923. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Russell, Fred (1938). Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football. Nashville, TN. pp. 38–42.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Crippled Vanderbilt Team Finished With Fine Rally". Atlanta Constitution. November 29, 1920. p. 8. Retrieved March 20, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Vanderbilt Victory Removed Last Chance of Perfect Year Slate". Dallas Morning News. October 25, 1921.
  10. ↑ "Southwestern Champions Bring Wonder Team Here to Battle Vandy Eleven". Dallas Morning News. October 16, 1921.
  11. ↑ Edwin Pope. Football's Greatest Coaches. pp. 335–347.
  12. ↑ "Commodores Defeat Texas Longhorns before Crowded Stadium, 20 to 0". Dallas Morning News. October 23, 1921.
  13. ↑ "Hope and Fear In Crimson Hearts". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 4, 1921.
  14. ↑ "Vanderbilt Wins from Tennessee". Columbus Daily Enquirer. October 30, 1921.
  15. ↑ "Vanderbilt Winner Over Alabama Team". Montgomery Advertiser. November 6, 1921.
  16. ↑ "Football Squads Begin practice". The Kingsport Times. September 14, 1923.
  17. ↑ Traughber, William L. Vanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History. Charleston, SC: History, 2011, p.33 and p. 77–80
  18. ↑ "Vandy Whips Texas Team". The Atlanta Constitution. October 22, 1922. p. 2. Retrieved March 20, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Vandy's Headwork Won From Texas Says Venne." San Antonio Express 24 Oct. 1922: 12.
  20. ↑ "Vanderbilt Wins From Volunteers." The State [Columbia, SC] 5 Nov. 1922: 11. (password-protected)
  21. ↑ "Wildcats Lose Hard Fought Game To Vandy Eleven At Nashville". The Kentucky Kernel. November 17, 1922. Retrieved March 20, 2015 – via Kentucky Digital Library.
  22. ↑ "Mulvihill Out As Georgia Goes To Battle With Vandy". Athens Banner. November 18, 1922 – via Digital Library of Georgia.
  23. ↑ Morgan Blake (November 23, 1922). "Aerial Attack By Vanderbilt Stars Won Game Saturday". The Red and Black (University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia). Retrieved March 20, 2015 – via University of Georgia.
  24. ↑ "Vandy Trounces Sewanee 26 to 0." The Macon Daily Telegraph 1 Dec. 1922
  25. ↑ "Vanderbilt Easily Wins." Columbus Ledger 1 Dec. 1922: 7. (password-protected)
  26. ↑ "Sewanee Loses To Vanderbilt, 26-0". The Sewanee Purple. December 14, 1922.
  27. ↑ Evans, Billy (December 13, 1922). "Big Ten Given Eleven Places on Honor Roll: Kirk, Kirke and Goebel Named". The Lima News.
  28. ↑ "Camp's All America Stars Show Why They Are Winners; Have Brains, Power, Spirit". Harrisburg Telegraph. December 26, 1922. p. 15. Retrieved March 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "Kuhn Vandy's Pilot". The Washington Post. December 6, 1922.
  30. ↑ "Kuhn Given Porter Cup". Atlanta Constitution. June 1, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved March 20, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 cf. "Michigan Wins From Vanderbilt". Michigan Alumnus 30: 48–52.
  32. ↑ "Vandy Defeats Tennessee 51-7". The Bee (Danville, Virginia). November 12, 1923.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Morgan Blake (November 22, 1923). "Gil Reese Stars As Commodores Defeat Athenians". The Red and Black. Retrieved March 20, 2015 – via University of Georgia.
  34. ↑ Russell, Fred, and Maxwell Edward Benson. Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football. Nashville, TN, 1938, p. 38-43
  35. ↑ "Vanderbilt Noses Over Sewanee 7-0". Times-Picayune. November 30, 1923.
  36. ↑ "Vanderbilt Ties With All-Star Princeton Team". Springfield Republican. December 9, 1923.
  37. ↑ "Wolf Pack, U.C. Grid-Game Held Season Feature". Nevada State Journal. December 3, 1923.
  38. ↑ Walter Eckersall (December 30, 1923). "6 Grid Teams Undefeated In 1923 Season". Chicago Daily Tribune.
  39. ↑ R. D. Kuhn (1924). "Tennessee Delta - Vanderbilt University" (PDF). The Shield 44: 141.
  40. ↑ "VU/UT first met in 1922".
  41. ↑ "1921-22 Vanderbilt Commodores Schedule and Results". Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  42. ↑ "History of the Early S.I.A.A. Atlanta Basketball Tournament - 1922". Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Vandy Quint Starts Work". Atlanta Constitution. December 10, 1922. p. 3. Retrieved March 14, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ↑ "Vanderbilt Basketball 2011-12" (PDF).
  45. ↑ Danforth, Ed (February 28, 1923). "Vandy Shows Class in Beating L.S.U.". Atlanta Georgian.
  46. ↑ "History of the Early S.I.A.A. Atlanta Basketball Tournament - 1923". Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  47. ↑ Bill Traughber. "The Historic 1921 VU Baseball Team".
  48. ↑ "College Baseball". Atlanta Constitution. January 1, 1922. Retrieved March 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ↑ "Great Shortstop in Kuhn" 27 Apr. 1922
  50. ↑ "Constitution's All-Star Baseball Team". The Atlanta Constitution. June 4, 1922. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ↑ October 28, 1924 Nashville Tennessean.
  52. ↑ "Oliver Kuhn, Civic Leader, Dies at 70". Tampa Tribune. October 9, 1968.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 "Oliver Wall (Doc) Kuhn Sr." (PDF). The Shield 89 (1): 71–72.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 "Oliver Kuhn, Former VU, MBA Star, Funeral Set". Nashville Banner. October 8, 1968.

External links