1915 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

Before the season

The outlook for the upcoming 1915 Vanderbilt football season was not promising. The Commodores were coming off a losing record of 2–8, the first under head coach Dan McGugin, and the second in the school's 25 years of playing football. Additionally, only 10 experienced players from the previous year were returning to the team. Despite the one-platoon system with players featuring on offense, defense, and special teams used in 1915, this meant inexperienced freshmen would be a key to the team's success.

Coach McGugin was assisted by doctor and former Vanderbilt athlete Owsley Manier.

Schedule

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Game summaries

Middle Tennessee State Normal

Nashville, Tennessee

• Sources: Using conventional football, Vanderbilt opened the season with an easy win over Middle Tennessee Normal (MTSU) 51–0. Coach McGugin sent in his substitutes at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The starting lineup was Richardson (left end), Cody (left tackle), Reyer (left guard), Williams (center), Putnam (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Cohen (right end), Curry (quarterback), Zerfoss (left halfback), Wiggs (right halfback), and King (fullback).

Southwestern

In the second week of play, Vanderbilt defeated Southwestern 47–0 on a slippery field. All points were scored in the first half.

Georgetown

Nashville, Tennessee

• Sources: Vanderbilt beat the Georgetown Tigers 75–0. The Commodores racked up 11 touchdowns and 8 field goals, its largest score in three years. "Dough" Ray scored four times and Hubert Wiggs three times. The starting lineup was Williams (left end), Cody (left tackle), Hamilton (left guard), Reyer (center), Lipscomb (right guard), Putnam (right tackle), Hayes (right end), Curry (quarterback), Friel (left halfback), Zerfoss (right halfback), and Wiggs (fullback).

Cumberland

Nashville, Tennessee

• Sources: With four players out due to injury, the Commodores still managed to defeat the Cumberland Bulldogs 60–0 in a drizzling rain. The starting lineup was Chester (left end), Cody (left tackle), Williams (left guard), Reyer (center), Hamilton (right guard), Lipscomb (right tackle), Richardson (right end), Roach (quarterback), Floyd (left halfback), Ray (right halfback), and Wiggs (fullback).

Henderson-Brown

Nashville, Tennessee

• Sources: The Commodores beat Henderson-Brown 100–0. The "Rabbit" 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. The starting lineup was 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), and Wiggs (fullback).

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 ahead of it, 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. and proceeded to score six touchdowns and kick eight extra points against Ole Miss. The final score was 91–0. The starting lineup was 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), and Wiggs (fullback).

Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

• Sources: The Tennessee Volunteers were the first real test for the Commodores, coming to Nashville as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) defending champions and loaded with confidence.

Then Turner entered the game and his first run was 35 yards to the 6-yard line, where Wiggs again scored. 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. The starting lineup was 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), and Wiggs (fullback).

Virginia

• Sources: The Commodores ended the Tennessee game with a 7–0 record, having racked up 459 points with no points scored against them. 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 Orange and Blue. Virginia gained 495 yards to Vanderbilt's 198.

Zerfoss entered the game with an injury. Curry ran for 80 yards to score a touchdown on a fumbled punt. Cody booted a 20-yard field goal for the only other Commodores' score. Vanderbilt could only manage five first downs in the contest. The starting lineup was 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), and Wiggs (fullback).

Auburn

Birmingham, Alabama

• Sources: Next was the Auburn game, which McGugin had been pointing to since before the season began, The game was played in Birmingham at Rickwood Field.

Vanderbilt jumped out to a 17–0 lead on a rain-soaked field. A Curry pass to captain Cohen opened the scoring. The starting lineup was 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), and Wiggs (fullback).

Sewanee

The final game of the season for the 8–1 Commodores was on Thanksgiving Day in Nashville against their rival Sewanee. The SIAA championship was at stake. A shutout over the "Men From the Mountain" would complete the SIAA schedule of being unscored upon. Thoroughly outplayed the first two quarters as Captain Bob Dobbins and Hek Clark led the Tiger attack, intermission found the Commodores behind 3–0, the result of "Red" Herring's field goal from the 20-yard line.

Dan McGugin took the team over by Engineering Hall for a little talk. The Commodores came back playing hard, but at the start of the fourth quarter the score was still 3–0. Finally a sustained drive got underway that ended with "Dough" Ray plunging in for a touchdown from the four-yard line. Then Tom Lipscomb and Cody blocked a punt and Pud Reyer recovered on the five-yard line. Again Ray scored. Later Zerfoss skirted end for 26 yards, and Curry followed with a 34-yard dash and a third touchdown.

Curry was hurt from the terrible pounding by Sewanee, but he still managed the top run of the day, 80 yards for a touchdown with Cody clearing his path. The final count was 28–3, and another SIAA championship. Sewanee coach Harris Cope said: "I think Curry is one of the greatest players I have ever seen." The starting lineup was 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), and Wiggs (fullback).

Postseason

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.

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.

Players

Depth chart

The following chart provides a visual depiction of Vanderbilt's lineup during the 1915 season with games started at the position reflected in parentheses. The chart mimics a short punt formation while on offense, with the quarterback under center.

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Varsity letterwinners

Line

Backfield

Notes

Endnotes

Bibliography

References

1. Bill Traughber. (September 16, 2009). "Vanderbilt's 1915 point-a-minute team".
2. (September 26, 1915). "Vandy winner over Normals". The Atlanta Journal.
3. (October 4, 1915). "S.P.U. loses to Vanderbilt". The Leaf-Chronicle.
4. (October 10, 1915). "Vanderbilt in runaway". The Chattanooga Sunday Times.
5. (October 14, 1915). "Vandy good in mud; Pile up 60 points while keeping Cumberland scoreless". The Commercial Appeal.
6. (October 17, 1915). "Vanderbilt goes wild in game with Henderson-Brown". The Birmingham News.
7. (October 24, 1915). "Heavy Vanderbilt eleven swamps Mississippi". The Montgomery Advertiser.
8. (October 31, 1915). "Commodores secure revenge on Tennessee, 35 to 0". Nashville Tennessean.
9. (November 7, 1915). "Plunging Virginia backfield crumbles the frail Vanderbilt defense for overwhelming victory". The Birmingham Age-Herald.
10. (November 14, 1915). "Vanderbilt crushes Auburn". The Journal and Tribune.
11. (November 26, 1915). "Commodores finished strong rolling up a score of 27 points in the last quarter". The Journal and Tribune.
12. "2019 Vanderbilt Football Fact Book".
13. (September 26, 1915). "Is Easy For Vanderbilt". Daily Arkansas Gazette.
14. Blinkey Horn. (September 26, 1915). "Commodores Have Easy Sailing Over Middle Tennessee Normal". The Tennessean.
15. (October 3, 1915). "Vanderbilt 57, S. W. P. U. 0". The Atlanta Constitution.
16. Blinkey Horn. (October 10, 1915). "Commodores Roll Up Largest Score Made In Past Years". The Tennessean.
17. (October 10, 1915). "Is Soft For Vanderbilt". Daily Arkansas Gazette.
18. (October 13, 1915). "Vandy Vs. Cumberland". The Charlotte News.
19. Blinkey Horn. (October 14, 1915). "Commodores, In Drizzling Rain, Romp Over Cumberland". The Tennessean.
20. Blinkey Horn. (October 17, 1915). "Commodores Make Hundred Points On Henderson – Brown". The Tennessean.
21. (November 16, 1934). "Today's Choice Football lYarn". Reading Eagle.
22. (October 24, 1915). "Vanderbilt Wallops "Ole Miss", 91 to 0". The Atlanta Constitution.
23. (1934-11-16). "Today's Grid Story". Kingsport Times.
24. (October 31, 1915). "Play for Play In Vandy-Tennessee Grid Battle". The Tennessean.
25. {{Harvnb. Traughber. 2011
26. Blinkey Horn. (October 31, 1915). "Commodores Wipe Out 1914 Defeat". Atlanta Constitution.
27. {{Harvnb. Traughber. 2011
28. (November 7, 1915). "Buck Mayer Sounds Commodores' Doom". The Tennessean.
29. Blinkey Horn. (November 4, 1915). "Twenty Commodores To Leave For Virginia This Morning". The Tennessean.
30. {{Harvnb. Traughber. 2011
31. (November 14, 1915). "Auburn's Goal Line Crossed; Defeat Is Administered by Rejuvenated Commodores". Atlanta Constitution.
32. {{Harvnb. Traughber. 2011
33. (November 26, 1915). "Rabbit Curry Lifts Black and Gold Above The Purple Banner". The Tennessean.