The 1911 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

in the 1911 college football season. It was

Dan McGugin Daniel Earle McGugin (July 29, 1879 – January 23, 1936) was an American football player and coach, as well as a lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1904 to 1917 and again from ...

's 8th year as head coach. The team outscored its opponents 259 to 9, winning an undisputed

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conferen ...

(SIAA) title.

Edwin Pope John Edwin Pope (April 11, 1928 – January 19, 2017) was an American journalist known for his sportswriting at the ''Miami Herald'', where his work appeared from 1956 until his death in 2017. He covered Super Bowl I through Super Bowl XLVII. Som ...

's ''Football's Greatest Coaches'' notes: "A lightning-swift backfield of

Lew Hardage Lewis Woolford Hardage (February 11, 1891 – August 29, 1973) was an American college football player and college football and baseball coach. Hardage was an All-Southern halfback every year he played: 1908, 1909, 1911, and 1912—the first tw ...

Wilson Collins Cyril Wilson Collins (May 7, 1889 – February 28, 1941) was a backup outfielder in Major League Baseball, playing mainly at left field for the Boston Braves in the and seasons. Listed at , 165 lb., Collins batted and threw right-handed. ...

Ammie Sikes Ammie Thomas Sikes (July 26, 1892 – September 9, 1963) was an American college football player and physician. He played as a fullback at Vanderbilt University from 1911 to 1914. Early years Sikes was born on July 26, 1892, in Smyrna, Tennessee ...

, and

Ray Morrison J. Ray Morrison (February 28, 1885 – November 19, 1982) was an American football and baseball player and a coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (1915–1916, 1922– ...

pushed Vandy through 1911 with only a 9–8 loss to

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

." The ''

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Con ...

'' voted Vanderbilt's the best

backfield The offensive backfield is the area of an American football field behind the line of scrimmage. The offensive backfield can also refer to members of offense who begin plays behind the line, typically including any backs on the field, such as the ...

in the South. Morrison is considered one of the best

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

s in Vanderbilt's long history

Before the season

Vanderbilt prepared to face its most difficult schedule to date. The halfbacks and fullbacks were new, as Bill Neely and Bo Williams had graduated, and Kent Morrison was shifted to

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

transferred from

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

and joined the team.

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: Birmingham

The season opened with a 40–0 win over Birmingham on a slippery field.

and Lew Hardage proved to be the stars of the game. The starting lineup was Morrison: (left end), Freeland (left tackle), Metzger (left

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

), Morgan (

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

), C. Brown (right guard), T. Brown (right tackle), E. Brown (right end). R. Morrison (quarterback), Hardage (left halfback), Collins (right halfback), and Doherty (fullback).

Week 2: Maryvillle (TN)

The next week, Vanderbilt defeated Maryville 46-0.

Ewing Y. Freeland Ewing Young "Big 'un" Freeland (January 1, 1887 – August 15, 1953) was an American football and baseball player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Daniel Baker College (1912–1914), Texas C ...

and Zeke Martin played well in the

line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

, but above all the game's star was Tom Brown. The starting lineup was: Morrison (left end), Freeland (left tackle), Metzger (left guard), Morgan (center), C. Brown (right guard), T. Brown (right tackle), E. Brown (right end). R. Morrison (quarterback), Hardage (left halfback), Collins (right halfback), and Doherty (fullback).

Week 3: Rose Poly

Vanderbilt won 33–0 over Rose Polytechnic, in a game harder than prior weeks. ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

'''s Spick Hall remarked on Rose's defense, "They all played a vicious game and when they tackled they did it in the good old-fashion way—right from the shoulder." The starting lineup was: Metzger (left end), Freeland (left tackle), Covington (left guard), Morgan (center), C. Brown (right guard), T. Brown (right tackle), E. Brown (right end). R. Morrison (quarterback), Hardage (left halfback), Collins (right halfback), and Sikes (fullback).

Week 4: Central University

Vanderbilt drubbed , 45–0. Central and Vanderbilt were both undefeated the previous year, and Central also had claimed a Southern title, on the grounds that Vanderbilt would not play them. Lew Hardage and

and Rabbi Robins all had two

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s each. Ammie Sikes and Murrah had one each. The starting lineup was: Morrison (left end), Freeland (left tackle), Huffman (left guard), Morgan (center), C. Brown (right guard), Covington (right tackle), E. Brown (right end). R. Morrison (quarterback), Hardage (left halfback), Collins (right halfback), and Sikes (fullback).

Week 5: at Michigan

*Sources: The

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

defeated the Commodores 9 to 8. The game matched Michigan head coach

Fielding H. Yost Fielding Harris Yost (; April 30, 1871 – August 20, 1946) was an American football player, coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at: Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska, the University ...

against his former player and brother-in-law,

. Because of the relationship between Yost and McGugin, the two teams played nine times between 1905 and 1923, with Michigan winning eight games and tying one. RayMorrisonatMichigan

Before the game, Coach Yost reminded reporters that Vanderbilt's 1911 team included the same veteran line that had held

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

scoreless in 1910. Yost predicted a hard game. LewHardageatMichigan

After a scoreless first half,

Zach Curlin Zachary Henry Curlin (January 31, 1890 – June 3, 1970) was an American football and basketball player and coach. Background and career Curlin attended Christian Brothers College (now University) in Memphis and the Webb School. and played pia ...

made a

drop kick A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it as it touches the ground. Drop kicks are used as a method of restarting play and scoring points in rugby union and rugby league ...

to put the Commodores up 3 to 0 in the third quarter. ''The Vanderbilt University Quarterly'' notes "when the score was 3 to 0 in our favor the situation in the Michigan grandstands was heartrending." Yost said after the game: "It was one of the most exciting games I have ever witnessed." Michigan tied up the score with a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

of its own, then Stanfield Wells scored a touchdown and Frederick L. Conklin kicked goal. Morrison scored a touchdown for Vanderbilt, but put too much energy into the kick-out and missed the crucial extra point.

Walter Eckersall Walter Herbert "Eckie" Eckersall (June 17, 1883 – March 24, 1930) was an American college football player, official, and sportswriter for the ''Chicago Tribune''. He played for the Maroons of the University of Chicago, and was elected to the ...

served as the umpire and covered the game for the ''

Chicago Daily Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are ...

''. Eckersall wrote that Michigan's offense suffered from "an air of overconfidence", its tackling was poor, and the team was completely fooled on

forward pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron ...

es. He opined that the game was a reversal for Michigan, which would need "vast improvement" to defeat Penn and

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. The starting lineup was: Morrison (left end), Freeland (left tackle), Metzger (left guard), Morgan (center), C. Brown (right guard), T. Brown (right tackle), E. Brown (right end). R. Morrison (quarterback), Hardage (left halfback), Collins (right halfback), and Sikes (fullback).

Week 6: Georgia

*Sources: Vanderbilt easily defeated the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

17–0 under a "cold, leaden sky" with splashes of rain. After a scoreless first quarter, Lew Hardage called for a fair-catch at Georgia's 28-yard line, starting Vanderbilt's first scoring drive. It ended with an Ammie Sikes touchdown from 2 yards out. Hardage ran around right end for 45 yards, down to the 17-yard line. Vanderbilt then worked the ball to the goal with an 8-yard pass from Hardage to

, followed by

going over for a 4-yard touchdown. On one play later in the period, Hardage's left shoulder and arm were badly sprained, threatening his status for the season. In the third quarter, Morrison made 22 yards on a

fake punt A fake punt is a trick play in gridiron football. It involves a running or passing play run out of a punt formation.Examples include: A fake punt can take a number of different forms. The punter may simply take the snap and look to throw a f ...

, Sikes went 35 yards through line. Sikes then made 5 more, Collins 1, and Morrison finished with a 4-yard touchdown. The starting lineup was: K. Morrison (left end), Covington (left tackle), Metzger (left guard), Morgan (center), C. Brown (right guard), T. Brown (right tackle), E. Brown (right end), R. Morrison (quarterback), Hardage (left halfback), Collins (right halfback), and Sikes (fullback).

Week 7: Kentucky State College

*Sources: The Commodores beat

Kentucky State College Kentucky State University (KSU and KYSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Frankfort, Kentucky. Founded in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons, and becoming a land-grant college in 1890, KSU is the second-ol ...

, 18–0. The Wildcats were expected to lose by a larger margin. The first touchdown came on "a pretty forward pass" from Robins to Nuck Brown. The next score came in the third quarter, on a 7-yard run from Ray Morrison. Just after the start of the fourth quarter, Zach Curlin made an 8-yard field goal. He later made another 10-yard field goal from a difficult angle. The starting lineup was: K. Morrison (left end), Covington (left tackle), Metzger (left guard), Morgan (center), C. Brown (right guard), T. Brown (right tackle), E. Brown (right end), R. Morrison (quarterback), Collins (left halfback), Robins (right halfback), and Sikes (fullback).

Week 8: Ole Miss

*Sources: Vanderbilt beat Ole Miss, 21–0, and claimed the championship of the South. "This was easily the greatest southern game of the season". In the second quarter, a long trick pass was caught by Ammie Sikes, who ran to Ole Miss's 5-yard line. Ray Morrison then got the score. At one point Morrison had a 70-yard run. Zach Curlin later made a field goal. In the second half, Morrison ran 75 yards on a fake punt and went out of bounds at the 30-yard line. On the next play,

started around left end, then reversed right, and was again crowded out, reversing field back around left end. He seemed to break a tackle by every Ole Miss player. Vanderbilt scored a final touchdown in the last quarter. The starting lineup was: K. Morrison (left end), Covington (left tackle), Metzger (left guard), Morgan (center), C. Brown (right guard), T. Brown (right tackle), E. Brown (right end), R. Morrison (quarterback), Collins (left halfback), Hardage (right halfback), and Sikes (fullback).

Week 9: Sewanee and Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the las ...

traveled to Nashville on the Monday of the week of the Sewanee game to act in the play '' The College Widow''. Cobb watched the team practice and donned a Vanderbilt uniform to practice with the team during the week, including punts and drop-kicks. 1913 Ty Cobb portrait photo

*Sources: Vanderbilt defeated the

Sewanee Tigers The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 Province 4 of the Epis ...

31 to 0. Vanderbilt's first score came on a 3-yard end run from Ray Morrison. In the next period,

Will Metzger William Edgar "Frog" Metzger, Jr. (August 21, 1890 – December 2, 1951) was a college football player. Vanderbilt Metzger was a prominent guard for the Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University from 1908 to 1911. Metzger was Dan McGug ...

and Tom Brown blocked a kick. Brown then picked up the ball and ran it in for a touchdown. The next score came on a pass from Morrison to Hardage. After the half, Wilson Collins had a touchdown run over tackle. In the same period, Sewanee had a bad

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places * Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits * Mountain pass, a lower place in a moun ...

from center for a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

. In the final period, Collins had another touchdown behind tackle. Vanderbilt had 455 total yards to Sewanee's 69. The starting lineup was: K. Morrison (left end), Freeland (left tackle), Metzger (left guard), Morgan (center), C. Brown (right guard), T. Brown (right tackle), E. Brown (right end), Morrison (quarterback), Curlin (right halfback), Hardage (left halfback), and Sikes (fullback). The umpire was

Ted Coy Edward Harris Coy (May 23, 1888 – September 8, 1935) was an American football player and coach. Coy was selected as a first-team All-American three straight years from 1907 to 1909 and was later selected as the fullback on Walter Camp's All-T ...

Post season

Awards and honors

Vanderbilt claimed an undisputed SIAA and Southern title. "Usually Texas and Arkansas have entered strong claims for the coveted honor, but little Sewanee this year disposed of Texas and in turn Texas disposed of Arkansas." The ''

'' voted Vanderbilt's the best

in the South. Ewing Freeland,

, Hugh Morgan, Morrison, and Hardage were all consensus All-Southern selections. Morrison is considered one of the best quarterbacks in Vanderbilt's long history. He won

Bachelor of Ugliness The Bachelor of Ugliness was a title conferred onto Vanderbilt University's most popular male undergraduate. One of the highest honors that a student could achieve, it was given to the male undergraduate student believed to be most representative of ...

for the class of 1912, and both Morrison and Metzger were later selected for an

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Southeast Area All-Time football team 1869–1919 era.

Departures

Assistant coach Dr.

Owsley Manier John Owsley Manier (March 18, 1887 – September 1, 1956) was an American college football player and coach and physician. He played at Vanderbilt University as a Fullback from 1904 to 1906 and at the University of Pennsylvania in 1908 as a ...

left the team to spend the winter of 1911 practicing medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. As well as Morrison graduating, Freeland went to Texas and Metzger entered into business.

Players

Depth chart

The following chart provides a visual depiction of Vanderbilt's lineup during the 1911 season with games started at the position reflected in parentheses. The chart mimics a

short punt formation The short punt formation is an older formation on both offense and defense in American football, popular when scoring was harder and a good punt was itself an offensive weapon.Retyl, Richard U-M's Shotgun Offense is Older than the Winged Helmets T ...

while on offense, with the quarterback under center.

Varsity letter winners

"Wearers of the V"

Line

Backfield

Substitutes

Coaching staff

, head coach *

, assistant *

Sam Costen Samuel Cutter Costen (May 18, 1882 – January 21, 1955) was an American football player and coach. Costen was a quarterback for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University. As a player, he weighed some 150 pounds. He was the thir ...

, assistant *Frank Gilliland, manager

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * {{SIAA football champions Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Commodores football seasons

Vanderbilt Commodores football The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the East Divis ...