1915 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
| 1915 Vanderbilt Commodores football | |
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SIAA champion
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| Conference | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| 1915 record | 9–1 (4–0 SIAA) |
| Head coach | Dan McGugin (12th year) |
| Assistant coach | Owsley Manier |
| Offensive scheme | Short-punt |
| Captain | Russ Cohen |
| Home stadium | Dudley Field |
| 1915 SIAA football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transylvania | 1 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi A&M | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 3 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chattanooga | 1 | – | 0 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 0 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furman | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercer | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi College | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sewanee | 1 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Centre | 0 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisville | 0 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Citadel | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wofford | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Howard | 0 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1915 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 1915 college football season. The team's head coach was Dan McGugin, who served his 12th season as the Commodores' head coach. Vanderbilt's 1915 were a "point-a-minute team". Vanderbilt was a member of the SIAA and were a legitimate "point-a-minute team", facing a 10 game schedule and leading the nation in scoring with a school record still not equaled today.
Tackle Josh Cody was selected third-team All-America by Walter Camp.
Contents
Before the season
The outlook for the upcoming 1915 Vanderbilt football season was not good. The Commodores were coming off a losing record of 2–8, the first under head coach Dan McGugin, and second in the school's 25 years of playing football.[1] To add to this was Vanderbilt returned only 10 experienced players from the previous year, which meant inexperienced freshmen would be a key to the team's success.[1]
In 1915, football used a one-platoon system in which players played both offense, defense, and special teams. McGugin built his 1915 squad around a 130 pound junior quarterback in Irby "Rabbit" Curry.[1] In the line was Josh Cody, a dominant sophomore tackle and kicker; both a fierce tackler and dominating blocker.[1]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | |||||
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| September 25 | Middle Tennessee State | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 51–0 | ||||||
| October 2 | Southwestern Presbyterian | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 47–0 | ||||||
| October 9 | 3:15 p. m. | Georgetown | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 75–0 | |||||
| October 13 | 4:00 p. m. | Cumberland | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 60–0 | |||||
| October 16 | Henderson State | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN | W 100–0 | ||||||
| October 23 | vs. Ole Miss | Memphis, TN (Rivalry) | W 91–0 | ||||||
| October 30 | 2:45 p. m. | Tennessee | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (Rivalry) | W 35–0 | |||||
| November 5 | at Virginia | Lambeth Field • Charlottesville, Virginia | L 10–35 | ||||||
| November 13 | at Auburn | Rickwood Field • Birmingham, AL | W 20–3 | ||||||
| November 25 | 2:00 p. m. | Sewanee | Dudley Field • Nashville, TN (Rivalry) | W 27–3 | |||||
*Non-conference game.  Homecoming. All times are in Central. |
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Season summary
Vanderbilt racked up 459 points before being scored upon. The team recorded seven shutouts to open the season.[1]
Middle Tennessee State Normal
Using conventional football, Vanderbilt opened the season with an easy win over Middle Tennessee Normal (MTSU) 51–0.[3]
Southwestern
In the second week of play, Vanderbilt defeated Southwestern 47–0 on a slippery field. All points were scored in the first half.[4]
Georgetown
Vanderbilt beat the Georgetown Tigers 75–0. The Commodores racked up 11 touchdowns and 8 field goals. Ray scored four times and Wiggs three times.[5]
Cumberland
With four players out due to injury,[6] the Commodores still managed to defeat the Cumberland Bulldogs 60–0.
Henderson-Brown
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The Commodores beat Henderson-Brown 100–0. Irby Curry ran for a 40-yard touchdown with the game barely a minute old, and later had a 40-yard punt return for a touchdown.[7] Sarah Turner had an 80-yard run, and a 60 yard end run for a score in the third quarter. Tommy Ridley once ran 60 yards on a fake punt.[7] Catching Henderson-Brown exhausted, John Jarrett returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.[7]
The starting lineup against Henderson-Brown: Y. Chester (left end), Cody (left tackle), Hamilton (left guard), Reyer (center), Williams (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Cohen (right end), Curry (quarterback), Floyd (left halfback), Ray (right halfback), Wiggs (fullback).[7]
Ole Miss
Against Mississippi, the team traveled by train from Nashville to Memphis, Tennessee, where the game was to be played. The train was halted near Dickson by a wreck up ahead, and the players complained about the lack of food on the train. The team's manager James Stahlman foraged through neighboring orchards near the tracks and picked three or four hatfuls of green apples.[8] Curry ate several of them,[9] and proceeded to score six touchdowns and kick eight goals after touchdown against Ole Miss.[10] The final score was 91–0.[11]
The starting lineup against Mississippi: Hayes (left end), Cody (left tackle), Williams (left guard), Reyer (center), Putnam (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Cohen (right end), Curry (quarterback), Floyd (left halfback), Zerfoss (right halfback), Wiggs (fullback).[10]
Tennessee
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The Vols were the first real test for the Commodores, coming to Nashville as the SIAA defending champions and loaded with confidence.[13] They were swamped, 35–0 as Curry and Bob Turner ran wild.[13] The 'Rabbit' Curry got away for 50 yards, the only touchdown of the first half.[13] In the third quarter, Johnny Floyd ripped off 47 yards and Hubert Wiggs took it over.[14]
Then Turner entered the game and his first run was 35 yards to the 6-yard line, where Wiggs again scored.[13] The next time he ran 60 yards himself for the touchdown and the last score came on a 20-yard dash by Cutter Northcutt, Curry's substitute.[14] The victory was beclouded by a most unfortunate spine injury to Bennett Jared, who died a few months later.[12]
The starting lineup against Tennessee: Adams (left end), Cody (left tackle), Williams (left guard), Reyer (center), Putnam (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Cohen (right end), Curry (quarterback), Floyd (left halfback), Zerfoss (right halfback), Wiggs (fullback).[12]
Virginia
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The Tennessee game placed the Commodores at 7–0 and unscored upon until the next week. A road game at Charlottesville, Virginia to face the University of Virginia was next on the schedule. The high-flying Commodores were overwhelmed, 10–35 by the Cavaliers. Curry ran for 80 yards and scored a touchdown on a fumbled punt. Cody booted a 20-yard field goal for the only other score for the Commodores. Vanderbilt could only manage five first downs in the contest. Buck Mayer, the South's first consensus All-American, starred for Virginia.[15]
The starting lineup against Virginia: Adams (left end), Lipscomb (left tackle), Putnam (left guard), Reyer (center), Williams (right guard), Cody (right tackle), Cohen (right end), Curry (quarterback), Floyd (left halfback), Zerfoss (right halfback), Wiggs (fullback).[15]
Auburn
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Next was the Auburn game, which McGugin had been pointing to since before the season. The game was played in Birmingham on Rickwood Field.[n 1] Auburn had dominated Southern football for the past two seasons, without a single team crossing its line.[18]
Vanderbilt jumped out to a 17–0 lead on a rain-soaked field. A Curry pass to captain Russell Cohen opened the scoring.[17] Cody personally took over from that point. In one of the greatest exhibitions of punt covering Cody smothered the receiver every time, recovering two fumbles, one across the goal line for a touchdown. Then, in the last ten seconds of play, Cody dropped kicked a three-pointer from the 33-yard line.[17] Zerfoss and Friel punted splendidly. Curry's generalship was superb, and late in the game the Vandy line rose as one to throw back three Auburn charges on the five-yard line.[16]
The starting lineup against Auburn: Hayes (left end), Cody (left tackle), Williams (left guard), Reyer (center), Hamilton (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Cohen (right end), Curry (quarterback), Floyd (left halfback), Zerfoss (right halfback), Wiggs (fullback).[16]
Sewanee
The final game of the season for the 8–1 Commodores was on Thanksgiving Day in Nashville against rival Sewanee.[19] At stake entering the game was the SIAA championship. A shutout over the "Men From the Mountain" would complete the SIAA schedule of being unscored upon.[19] Thoroughly outplayed the first two quarters as Capt. Dobbins and Hek Clark led the Tiger attack, intermission found the Commodores behind 3–0 due to `Red' Herring's field goal from the 20-yard line.[19]
Dan McGugin took the team over by Engineering Hall for a little talk. They came back playing hard, but the start of the fourth quarter saw the score still 3–0.[19] Then a sustained drive got underway that ended with `Dough' Ray plunging touchdown ward from the four-yard line. That pulled the stopper out of the bottle. Lipscomb and Cody blocked a punt and Pud Reyer recovered on the five-yard line. Again Ray went over. Zerfoss skirted end for 26, Curry followed with a 34-yard dash and a third touchdown.[19]
Little Rabbit was battered and bruised from terrible pounding, but he generated enough steam for the top run of the day, 80 yards for a touchdown with Josh Cody clearing his path.[20] The final count, 28–3, and another SIAA championship.[19] Sewanee coach Harris Cope said "I think Curry is one of the greatest players I have ever seen."[20]
The starting lineup against Sewanee: Hayes (left end), Cody (left tackle), Williams (left guard), Reyer (center), Hamilton (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Cohen (right end), Curry (quarterback), Floyd (left halfback), Zerfoss (right halfback), Wiggs (fullback).[20]
Post season
The 1915 Vanderbilt football team scored a grand total of 514 points in 510 minutes of actual playing time, thus ranking them as a legitimate "point-a-minute" team. Vanderbilt averaged 51.4 points a game. Vanderbilt led the nation in scoring, then one of few stats kept.
During the season Curry accounted for 118 of Vanderbilt's season total of 514 points.[8] Seven out of eight newspapers voted the SIAA championship to the Commodores. The Atlanta Constitution declared it a tie between Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech.[8] Curry (unanimously), Cohen and Cody were named All-Southern.[8]
In 1975, the team's manager, James G. Stahlman, organized a sixtieth reunion the weekend of the Georgia game. Seven lettermen were present: Cohen, Dough Ray, Hubert Wiggs, Kent Morrison, Alf Adams, and Tom Zerfoss.[8]
Players
Depth chart
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Offense
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Varsity letterwinners
Line
- Yunk Chester, end
- Josh Cody, Franklin, Tennessee - tackle
- Russ Cohen, Augusta, Georgia - end
- C. M. Hamilton, guard
- Frank Hayes, end
- Tom Lipscomb, tackle
- George Reyer, center
- Bob "Sarah" Turner
- Pryor Williams, Athens, Alabama - guard
Backfield
- Irby Curry, Marlin, Texas - quarterback
- Johnny Floyd, Murfreesboro, Tennessee - halfback
- Henry "Dough" Ray, halfback
- Hubert Wiggs, Tullahoma, Tennessee - fullback
- Tom Zerfoss, Ashland, Kentucky - halfback
Notes
- ↑ Birmingham's Rickwood Field (built in 1910) still exists today and has been certified as the oldest ballpark in America. It was home to the Birmingham Red Barons of the old Southern Association for decades until 1987.[17]
Endnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Traughber, p. 58
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Traughber, p. 61
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Traughber, p. 59
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Traughber, pp. 59-60
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 Traughber, p. 60
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Bibliography
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
