Vanderbilt Commodores

The Vanderbilt Commodores football team represents Vanderbilt University in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Early Success
Vanderbilt and the University of Nashville played the first college football game in the state of Tennessee in 1890. In 1894 Vanderbilt was among the seven founding members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Just after the turn of the century, the team enjoyed fairly large success, with a record of 20-3-2 from 1901-03. Dan McGugin's arrival as coach in 1904 showed an instant impact. The 1904 squad outscored its opposition by 474 to four in winning all nine games. McGugin's occupancy spanned the years 1904-17 and 1919-34 with a record of 197-55-19 and two national championships.

Although McGugin never managed to defeat Michigan, the 1922 0-0 tie with the Wolverines to launch Dudley Field figures outstandingly in the program's history. VU football historian Bill Traughber records the event:

Growing difficulty
However, Vanderbilt football has not won a conference championship since the foundation of the Southeastern Conference in 1932, and its last winning season was in 1982 under coach George McIntyre. In its entire history, Vanderbilt has only competed in three bowl games, with a combined all-time post-season record of 1-1-1.

It was in the late 1970s and early 1980s but with two of Vanderbilt's post-season appearances coming in 1974 and 1982, and with several near-winning season records.

Recent Years
The Bobby Johnson eraBobby Johnson was hired in 2002 as the head football coach. At the time, University administrations decided to elevate a Division I-AA coach to perceive the nation's opening college football conference, the SEC.

The same critics that questioned Johnson's early hiring also knocked the misplaced loyalty given to Coach Johnson by the Vanderbilt administration after his first three seasons at the school led to three successive 2-9 records. During this time, however, Johnson was continuing to recruit players that had been passed over by major-power schools, but whom Johnson and his staff believed could be molded into SEC-caliber players.

Radical administrative restructuring
Along with this determined program-development, Johnson joined Vanderbilt's Chancellor E. Gordon Gee and Vice Chancellor David Williams, II in creating "a new culture in college athletics" at Vanderbilt. The University Administration, with Johnson's public support, eliminated the Department of Athletics as a separate entity within the University's administrative structure, along with the job of Athletics Director, a first among universities in a major Division I-A athletic conference.

The Administration's loyalty to Johnson, which had paid dividends in his support for the radical changes in administration of the inter-collegiate athletics program, also surrendered on-the-field results in Johnson's fourth season at the helm of the Commodores.

Twenty-first Century
In 2005, Vanderbilt finished with a 5-6 record, the program's best finish since 1999. For the first time since 1982, and for the first time in Knoxville since 1975, Vanderbilt defeated its in-state rival, the Tennessee Volunteers.

Quarterback Jay Cutler, the team's offensive captain, was selected 11th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos and named starting quarterback during his recruit season.

In the 2006 season, Vanderbilt finished with a 4-8 record with sophomore Chris Nickson at quarterback. The 2006 team's peak performance came with a defeat of Georgia at Sanford Stadium, though the team came within seconds of defeating Arkansas and Alabama in consecutive weeks.

Perspective on the program
Atlanta Journal-Constitution college football writer Tony Barnhart's 2006 postseason survey of ten former SEC coaches ranked the Vanderbilt job the least attractive in the SEC.

Records
Win/loss recordsAs of December 2006, the Vanderbilt Commodores' have won more games than they have lost. Though, records show that in the mid- and late-twentieth century, the Commodore football program experienced a considerable downswing in success on the playing field.

* All-time record: 537-527-50 (.505)
* Against current SEC teams: 179-340-22 (.345)
* Since 1950: 177-376-17 (.320)
* Under current head coach (Bobby Johnson, 2002-present): 15-43-0 (.259)
* Against SEC opponents under current head coach: 6-40-0 (.130)