Commodores

NCAAF Vanderbilt Commodores

General Information

Conference: SEC (1932)
NCAA Division: Division 1
City: Nashville, Tennessee
Stadium: FirstBank Stadium

Championships

National Championships: 2 (unclaimed)
Conference Titles: 14
Divisional Championships:
Bowl Record: 4-4-1

Past Conferences

Independent(1890–1894)
SIAA(1895–1921).
Southern Conference (1922–1932)

Vanderbilt Commodores Standings & Analysis

Check out all the information related to the Vanderbilt Commodores standings, team stats, team records and the updated college football injury report.

All-Time Vanderbilt Commodores Stats & Records

Passing Yards

Kyle Shurmur: 8,865
Jay Cutler: 8,697
Greg Zolman: 7,891
Whit Taylor: 6,307
Kurt Page: 6,233

Rushing Yards

Ralph Webb: 4,173
Zac Stacy: 3,143
Frank Mordica: 2,632
Carl Woods: 2,490
Ke’Shawn Vaughn: 2,272

Receiving Yards

Jordan Matthews: 3,759
Boo Mitchell: 2,964
Dan Stricker: 2,880
Earl Bennett: 2,852
Kalija Lipscomb: 2,356

Vanderbilt Commodores Football History

The Vanderbilt Commodores began playing football in 1890. The Commodores spent two early stints in the SIAA and some years as an independent. Dan McGugin was the head coach from 1904-1934

The Commodores then joined the SEC Football Conference in 1932. They hit the ground running with a winning record in their first three seasons in the SEC. The Commodores enjoyed a 197-55-19 overall record under McGugin. Additionally, they won 11 conference titles.

The Commodores didn’t enjoy much success after the exit of McGugin. Art Guepe was at the helm from 1953-1962. 1955 was a great season for the Commodores. They finished 8-3 overall, 5-3 in the conference and a win in the Gator Bowl.

The remainder of the 60s were rather quiet for the Commodores. Steve Sloan took over in 1973. He coached for two seasons and they were night and day. In his first season, the team went 5-6. However, in his second season, the Commodores posted a 7-3-2 overall record and earned a trip to the Peach Bowl where they tied against Texas Tech. Coincidentally, Sloan accepted the head coaching job at Texas Tech after the season.

Hall of Fame Classic Bowl

The remainder of the 70s and the 80s were underwhelming for the Commodores. They had only two winning seasons from 1975-2012. However, in 1984 they went 8-4 under coach George MacIntyre. They also earned a spot in the Hall of Fame Classic Bowl.

The Commodores couldn’t find stability in a head coach. Woody Widenhofer became head coach in 1997. The Commodores weren’t good under him. However, 100% of graduate-eligible NCAAF players graduated under Widenhofer.

Bobby Johnson took over in 2002. Johnson had the pleasure of coaching quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler attended Vanderbilt from 2002-2005. Cutler has the second most passing yards in Vanderbilt football history. He was the 2005 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, Maxwell Award Semifinalist in 2005, and a lot of other honors.

Even with Cutler, the Commodores had only one winning season during Johnson’s eight-year tenure. In 2008 they went 7-6 and won the Music City Bowl. He retired in the summer of 2010.

James Franklin became head coach of the Commodores in 2011. Franklin and the Commodores finished 6-7 his first season and lost in the Liberty Bowl. 2012 was a very different story. The Commodores finished with a 9-4 record and had big wins over Tennessee and Ole Miss. They also won the Music City Bowl.

In 2013, the Commodores won nine games again and won the BBVA Compass Bowl. During that time, running back Zac Stacy became the all-time leading rusher at Vandy. In January 2014, James Franklin was hired to coach at Penn State.

Derek Mason was named head coach in 2014. The Commodores only had one winning season under Mason and two bowl appearances. In 2016, the Commodores had huge wins over the University of Georgia, Ole Miss Rebels, and Tennessee. In 2020 the Commodores were on the good side of history. Sarah Fuller, the school’s goalkeeper for the women’s team, played in a game marking the first time a woman played in an SEC game. Mason’s last season was in 2020.