The Vanderbilt Commodores are the
intercollegiate athletic teams that represent
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 ...
, located in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA)
Division I level as a member of the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC). Vanderbilt's women's lacrosse team plays in the
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
. The
bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...
team plays in the
Southland Bowling League
The Southland Bowling League (SBL) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) bowling-only conference. The SBL was founded in 2015 for schools that sponsor women's bowling teams, but do not have bowling sponsored by their primary confere ...
. The
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
Volunteers
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
are Vanderbilt's primary athletic rival, and the only other SEC team in
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
.
Varsity teams
![SEC logo in Vanderbilt colors](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/SEC_logo_in_Vanderbilt_colors.svg)
Vanderbilt is currently one of only two
Power 5 schools that do not sponsor women's volleyball, the other one being
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...
; however, on April 19, 2022, Vanderbilt announced that it would add a women's volleyball program to begin play in the 2025-26 school year (2025 season). In addition, Vanderbilt is the only school in the SEC that does not sponsor softball.
Baseball
Baseball has been a part of Vanderbilt athletics since its official debut in 1886. The sport started out as a two-game schedule which featured a draw between Vanderbilt and then conference rival Sewanee. As the number of games increased the game became more and more popular especially in 1921 when Vanderbilt (20–8) first reached twenty wins in a season and won the Southern Conference baseball championship. Manager
Bill Schwartz who formerly coached the
Nashville Vols
The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known only as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers (often sh ...
(1917, 1924–40, 1952) helped bring Vanderbilt to national prominence. Under his reign he led the Commodores to a 155–112–1 record which still ranks third all-time in victories at Vanderbilt. Under the direction of
Larry Schmittou
Larry Schmittou (born July 19, 1940) is an American entrepreneur and former baseball executive and coach. He owns S&S Family Entertainment LLC, which operates a chain of bowling centers in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.
From 1968 to 1978 ...
(1968–1978) the Commodores found even more success as the 1971 team began a four-year streak as SEC Eastern Divisional Champs with a 34–19 record. He also guided Vanderbilt to back-to-back SEC conference titles in 1973 and 1974 while being awarded Coach-of-the-Year honors. Schmittou currently ranks second all-time in Vanderbilt wins (306–252–1) and has coached 20 All-SEC players, 14 of which were drafted in the
MLB draft
The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...
.
Tim Corbin
Timothy Carter Corbin (born August 5, 1961) is the head baseball coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team. Since becoming coach at Vanderbilt in 2003, Corbin has transformed the Commodores from a perennial Southeastern Conference doormat t ...
(2003–present) has led Vanderbilt baseball into national prominence with players like
Jeremy Sowers
Jeremy Bryan Sowers (born May 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians from 2006 to 2009, and is currently the manager of major league ...
,
David Price,
Casey Weathers
Casey Brixton Weathers (born June 10, 1985) is an American professional baseball coach and former pitcher. He was drafted 8th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies. He played in college for the Vanderbilt Commodo ...
,
Sonny Gray
Sonny Douglas Gray (born November 7, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds.
Gray attended ...
,
Jensen Lewis
Jensen Daniel Lewis (born May 16, 1984) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Cleveland Indians from 2007 to 2010 and is currently a baseball analyst with Bally Sports.
Career Amateur
Lewis attended Vanderbilt Uni ...
and
Pedro Álvarez. Vanderbilt's baseball team has enjoyed a great deal of success under his reign. The team qualified for the
NCAA Super Regionals in 2004, had the nation's top recruiting class in 2005 according to ''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
'' made the NCAA field again in 2006, and won the
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
SEC regular-season and SEC tournament crowns. The Commodores were ranked first in most polls for a large portion of the 2007 season and earned the #1 national seed for the
2007 NCAA tournament. In
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
the team was ranked as high as #1 for a good part of the season and won the SEC regular-season title. That year the team entered the NCAA Regionals with a #6 national seed and finally accomplished something that they had not done before by going undefeated through Regionals and Super Regionals to enter the
College World Series
The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...
for the first time. That year Vanderbilt also broke a SEC record of most players drafted in the MLB with 12 players, breaking Auburn's record of 11.
Vanderbilt won the
2014 College World Series
The 2014 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, May 30, 2014 as part of the 2014 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 team double elimination tournament concluded with the 2014 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, which start ...
, the school's first national championship in any men's sport. The team returned to the national championship series in 2015, finishing as runners up to Virginia.
Vanderbilt's 2019 baseball team compiled a 59–12 record and won the
2019 College World Series in addition to the SEC regular-season and tournament titles. Freshman
Kumar Rocker
Kumar Rocker (born November 22, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers organization. He played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball, Vanderbilt Commodores. He was sele ...
was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series and Freshman of the Year.
Basketball
Men's basketball
Vanderbilt basketball began on February 7, 1893 with a 9–6 victory over the Nashville YMCA, making it the first basketball game played by a collegiate team. It would take several years for the Commodores to make an impact in the game starting in December 1900 when the school first produced a formal basketball team coached by W.D. Weatherford. The first actual schedule for Vanderbilt consisted of three games against the Nashville YMCA and one against the Nashville Athletic Club. That year the Commodores lost their first meeting against the YMCA but managed to finish their season 2–2. The first modern and successful basketball team began with the hiring of Bob Polk (1948–58, 1960–61) as the school's first full-time basketball coach. During that time Polk was able to recruit Vanderbilt's first scholarship player Billy Joe Adcock who would later become Vanderbilt's first All-American. From 1982–1989 Vanderbilt found success under the coaching of
C.M. Newton
Charles Martin Newton (February 2, 1930 – June 4, 2018) was an American collegiate basketball player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Transylvania University from 1956 to 1968, the University ...
who was able to bring Vanderbilt to new heights. Newton's "Bomb Squad" which consisted of Scott Draud, Barry Booker and
Barry Goheen
Barry Goheen is a former American collegiate basketball player.
Goheen played guard for the Vanderbilt Commodores from 1985 to 1989 and is one of the most clutch college basketball players in NCAA history. He previously led a 1984 high school ...
managed to light up scoreboards with their explosive offense. In 1988 Vanderbilt managed to make it to the
Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament with the help of center and SEC Player of the Year
Will Perdue
William Edward Perdue III (born August 29, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a member of four NBA championship teams, three with the Chicago Bulls (1991–1993) and ...
. Newton was a two-time SEC Coach of the Year and was able to coach other greats such as Phil Cox,
Jeff Turner
Jeffrey Steven Turner (born April 9, 1962) is an American retired professional basketball player and broadcasting announcer. Turner played ten NBA seasons (1984–1987; 1989–1996), spending time with the New Jersey Nets as well as the Orlando M ...
, and
Frank Kornet
Francis Milton Kornet (born January 27, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round (30th overall) of the 1989 NBA draft. Kornet played two seasons in the NBA, both with t ...
. In 1990, coach
Eddie Fogler
Eddie Fogler (born June 12, 1948) is an American retired college basketball player and coach. He played for the University of North Carolina from 1967 to 1970 where he played as a point guard on two NCAA Final Four teams. Fogler was an All-Cit ...
(1990–93) led Vanderbilt to the
NIT championship which still remains to be Vanderbilt's' only national tournament title. In 1992 the Commodores (28–6) managed to win its third and last SEC title and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen with the help of Duke transfer
Billy McCaffrey
Billy McCaffrey (born May 30, 1971) is a former American basketball player. He is also the former interim head coach at St. Bonaventure University.
Basketball career
McCaffrey attended Allentown Central Catholic High School in Allentown, Penns ...
. Presently,
Kevin Stallings
Kevin E. Stallings (born October 1, 1960) is a former American basketball coach, who formerly served as the head coach at Illinois State University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Pittsburgh. He was an assistant coach at Purdue Univ ...
is in his eighth season leading the Commodores. Under his guidance Vanderbilt has appeared in two NIT's and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. In 2004 Matt Freije became the Commodores all-time leading scorer with 1,891 points. Since the 2000s Vanderbilt has been able to produce several important players including Greg LaPointe, Russell Lakey, Scott Hundley, Corey Smith, Mario Moore, Julian Terrell, Shan Foster,
Derrick Byars
Derrick JaVaughn Byars (born April 25, 1984) is an American professional basketball player and entrepreneur. Collegiately, he played for Virginia, and later for Vanderbilt. He was drafted 42nd overall in the 2007 NBA draft.
High school career
B ...
(2007 SEC Player of the Year),
John Jenkins,
Festus Ezeli
Ifeanyi Festus Ezeli-Ndulue (born October 21, 1989) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player. He previously played five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Vanderbilt Commodores men' ...
, and
Jeffery Taylor
Jeffery Matthew Taylor (born May 23, 1989) is a Swedish-American professional basketball player for BC Wolves of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He played college basketball for Vanderbilt University, before being drafted 31st overall b ...
.
The Vanderbilt men have an overall record entering the 2007–08 season of 1,378–995. Their home record in Memorial Gymnasium is an astonishing 650–184. They have made nine NCAA Tournament appearances including four in the
Sweet Sixteen and one
Elite Eight
In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...
. The Commodores have made 11 NIT (18–10) appearances with one championship (1990) and one Runner-up (1994). The men's basketball program is one of three Division I programs to hit at least one 3-pointer in every game since the 3-point line was implemented in the 1986–1987 season.
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
and
UNLV
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...
are the other two.
Women's basketball
The first Vanderbilt women's basketball game was in March 1897. During that time their schedule consisted of five games which expanded as the game became more popular nationally. The Lady Commodores began their modern and successful period when Joe Pepper (1977–80) was named part-time coach. Phil Lee (1980–91) became the school's first full-time coach in 1980 and helped lead the Lady Dores to their first 20 win season in 1981 and an appearance in the
AIAW women's basketball tournament
The AIAW women's basketball tournament was a national tournament for women's collegiate basketball teams in the United States, held annually from 1972 to 1982. The winners of the AIAW tournaments from 1972 to 1981 are recognized as the national c ...
. The Vanderbilt women captured the
WNIT championship in 1984 and later made their first appearance in the
NCAA Tournament in 1986 while finishing the season ranked No. 20. The Vanderbilt women soon became one of the top SEC teams and were consistently ranked nationally. Coach
Jim Foster (1992–2002) brought the Vanderbilt women to new heights and national prominence with his hiring. Vanderbilt advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament in eight of his 11 seasons. In 1993, the Commodores were able to advance to the
Final Four before falling to eventual champion
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
. Vanderbilt managed to receive a No.1 ranking in the poll taken before the tournament. Foster's teams also won three SEC Tournaments in 1993, 1995, and 2002.
Melanie Balcomb
Melanie Balcomb (born September 24, 1962) is an American basketball coach. She was previously the head coach for the Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt women's basketball team in 2016.
Career
Balcomb attended Hightstown High School, in Hightstown ...
became Vanderbilt's fourth coach in May 2002. She has taken the Commodores to the NCAA Tournament in each of her six seasons and added SEC Tournament titles in 2004 and 2007.
The Commodores have an overall record of 623–307 record entering the 2007–08 season. Their Memorial Gymnasium all-time mark is 344–81. The Commodores have appeared in 20 NCAA tournaments (third most in the SEC) and have 12 Sweet Sixteen appearances.
Football
The first game in Vanderbilt Commodores football history was in 1890 when they met the
University of Nashville
University of Nashville was a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established in 1806 as Cumberland College. It existed as a distinct entity until 1909; operating at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a ...
. Four years later, Vanderbilt became one of the seven founding members of the
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 ...
. During those years, Vanderbilt was often a major player in southern football dominating many teams. In 1932, Vandy became a founding member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The original teams of the SEC consisted of Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Mississippi State, LSU, Auburn, Sewanee, Tulane, and Georgia Tech. Vanderbilt's primary rivalries consist of the
Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...
and the
Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893.
Originally known as th ...
.
In Vanderbilt Commodores football history, there have been several coaches who have been honored with College Football Hall of Fame honors. Some of those coaches often returned to the school to continue the success they found there. This list includes
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 ...
, who coached from 1904–1917 and 1919–1934;
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– ...
, who not only played for the Commodores but also coached for the Commodores from 1936–1939; and
Red Sanders
Henry Russell "Red" Sanders (May 7, 1905 – August 14, 1958) was an American football player and coach. He was head coach at Vanderbilt University (1940–1942, 1946–1948) and the University of California at Los Angeles (1949–1957), compili ...
, who led the Commodores from 1940–1942 and 1946–1948, and Paul "Bear" Bryant prior to his becoming head football coach at Alabama. Over the years, Vanderbilt has sent a numerous players to the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
. One of the most notable football players is
Jay Cutler
Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
, who served as quarterback and offensive captain for the Commodores. He was selected as the 11th overall pick in the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
and went on to play for the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
and then the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
. While at Vanderbilt, he started more than 40 consecutive games and set school records in touchdowns and rushing yards.
Notable non-varsity sports
Climbing
The rapidly expanding and successful climbing team at Vanderbilt was founded in 2017 and is competing in the Appalachian region of the
USA Climbing
USA Climbing is the national governing body of the sport of competition climbing in the United States. It promotes competition climbing in the United States in the disciplines of bouldering, lead climbing, and speed climbing, in elite, youth and ...
Collegiate Series. The American collegiate climbing scene has grown by a staggering amount since the advent of modern climbing gyms and the addition of climbing in the
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
. At the 2019 USA Climbing Collegiate National Championships, where over 100 teams attended, Vanderbilt placed 3rd in
speed climbing
Speed climbing is a climbing discipline in which speed is the ultimate goal. Speed climbing is done on rocks, walls and poles and is only recommended for highly skilled and experienced climbers.
Competition speed climbing, which takes place on a ...
and 13th overall. There are currently over 50 active team members, who compete in all three disciplines -
bouldering
Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help sec ...
, speed climbing and
lead climbing
Lead climbing is a climbing style, predominantly used in rock climbing. In a roped party one climber has to take the lead while the other climbers follow. The ''lead climber'' wears a harness attached to a climbing rope, which in turn is connecte ...
. The club roster has over 200 undergraduate as well as graduate & professional students.
Club baseball
Founded in 2008, the Vanderbilt University Club Baseball team competes in the Mid-Atlantic conference of
NCBA Division 1 in the West division. In the 2012–2013 season, opponents included clubs in the division (
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...
,
UNC Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...
,
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
, and
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
) and others out of conference. The 2012–2013 roster included 26 undergraduate and graduate students, including 12 freshmen and 2 graduating seniors.
Rugby
Founded in 1970, Vanderbilt University Rugby Football Club plays in the Division 1
Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference
The Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference (SCRC) is an annual college rugby competition played every spring among 10 universities from the Southeastern Conference.
The SCRC was formed in December 2010 by a core group of founding schools — Geo ...
against its traditional SEC rivals such as Tennessee and Ole Miss. Vanderbilt had previously played in Division 2, where it was one of the stronger teams. Every fall Vanderbilt hosts the Oak Leaf Cup tournament. Vanderbilt is led by head coach James Snell.
Rowing
Founded in 1985, the Vanderbilt University Rowing team is one of the largest club teams on campus and competes as a member of the Southeastern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) and the
American Collegiate Rowing Association American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) is one of the governing bodies of college rowing in the United States, together with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA).
History
Estab ...
(ACRA). Coached by former
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
rower Jon Miller, Vanderbilt has won a national championship in the Varsity Women's 4+ race at the ACRA National Championships in 2018 and the Men's Collegiate 4+ race at the
Head of the Charles Regatta
The Head of the Charles Regatta, also known as HOCR, is a rowing head race held on the penultimate complete weekend of October (i.e., on the Friday that falls between the 16th and the 22nd of the month, and on the Saturday and Sunday immedia ...
in 2021.
Championships
NCAA team championships
Vanderbilt has won five NCAA team national championships.
;Men's (2)
*
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
(2): 2014, 2019
;Women's (3)
*
Bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...
(2): 2007, 2018
*
Tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
(1): 2015
*see also
**
SEC NCAA team championships
**
History of Vanderbilt athletics
Vanderbilt is a charter member of the Southeastern Conference and is the conference's only private school. With approximately 6,400 undergraduates, the school is also by far the smallest in the conference; the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
, the next smallest, has nearly twice as many undergraduate students. Vanderbilt fields fewer teams than any of its rivals and sometimes lacks the national prominence enjoyed by schools such as the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
or the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
. Men's and women's
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
and men's and women's
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
are traditionally Vanderbilt's strongest sports, with the more recently founded women's
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...
and
bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...
programs as well as the long-standing men's
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
program experiencing national success, winning the
2014 College World Series
The 2014 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, May 30, 2014 as part of the 2014 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 team double elimination tournament concluded with the 2014 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, which start ...
. After enjoying success in the first half of the 20th century, the
football program struggled through the beginning of the 21st century. In the 2008–09 season, however, the Vanderbilt football team posted a winning season and won
its first bowl game in 53 years. Under previous coach
James Franklin, the football program enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance; since Franklin's arrival at Vanderbilt in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, the Commodores have appeared in consecutive bowl games for the first time in school history (2011 and
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
), and the 2012 team posted Vanderbilt's first 9-win season in over 80 years.
Lack of athletic department
In September 2003, Vanderbilt disbanded its athletic department. Intercollegiate athletics are now administered as a part of the university's Division of Student Life, which oversees all student organizations and activities. Vanderbilt is currently the only Division I school without a separate athletic department. In making this decision, Chancellor
Gordon Gee
Elwood Gordon Gee (born February 2, 1944), known as E. Gordon Gee, is an American academic. As of 2020, he was serving his second term as President of West Virginia University; his first term was from 1981 to 1985. Gee has held more university pr ...
cited a need to reform college athletics, returning the emphasis to the student half of student-athletes.
Mascot history
Vanderbilt's intercollegiate athletics teams are nicknamed the
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
s, in honor of the nickname given to
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
, who made his fortune in shipping. Fans often refer to Vanderbilt athletic teams as "Dores" or use the cheer "Go Dores!"
The term ''commodore'' was used by the Navy during the mid- to late nineteenth century. A commodore was the commanding officer of a task force of ships, and therefore higher in rank than a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
but lower in rank than an
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
. It was the highest rank in the United States Navy until the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. The closest warfighting rank in today's Navy is
rear admiral lower half
A rear admiral in the uniformed services of the United States is either of two different ranks of commissioned officers: one-star flag officers and two-star flag officers. By contrast, in most other countries, the term "rear admiral" refers only t ...
. (In the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, the designation of commodore was applied to the commanding officer.)
Since the term was used most during the late nineteenth century—and because it was then that Cornelius received his nickname—Vanderbilt's mascot is always portrayed as a naval officer from the 1880s, complete with
chops
CHOPS is the stage name of Scott Jung, also known as Scott Chops Jung, an Asian American hip hop producer, rapper and former member of the Asian American Hip-Hop group, the Mountain Brothers. Jung grew up in Philadelphia and has Chinese ancestry ...
, cutlass, and nineteenth-century naval regalia.
School colors
The school colors are
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
and
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
. Opinions vary as to the reason for selecting black and gold as the colors for Vanderbilt's teams. Some say the original colors were orange and black, given to the university by Judge
W.L. Granbery of
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
. Others say that Commodore Vanderbilt's legacy was called upon to develop school colors for the university that bears his name: black for the magnate's control of coal and gold for his money.
When questioned about the subject in the 1930s, the few remaining members of the school's first football squad from 1890 did not recall why they suddenly began appearing in black and gold. Whatever the source of the colors, by 1892, the Commodores were known by the colors that Vanderbilt fans still wear today.
Traditions and rivalries
;Rivalries
Vanderbilt's primary rival in almost every sport is the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
. There is also a rivalry with the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
in basketball. In addition,
the Commodores' second-oldest rivalry is with
Ole Miss, and the two schools play each other every year as SEC cross-division "permanent opponents". In addition, Vanderbilt and the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...
of the ACC play for the "Battle of the Barrel" each year in baseball.
;V-U hand sign
Formed by extending the thumb, index, and middle fingers of the hand (similar to the
Serbian three-finger salute), the resulting shape forms a "V" and "U". It was introduced by Vanderbilt's cheerleaders in 2003.
;Football gameday traditions
Vanderbilt has a number of football traditions: the "Commodore Creed" in the football locker room; the "Corridor of Captains" that honors Vanderbilt's athletics history; the "Star Walk" with fans, cheerleaders, and the
Spirit of Gold Marching Band
The Spirit of Gold Marching Band is the collegiate marching band organized by Vanderbilt University.
Membership
A unique feature of the Spirit of Gold is that membership in the marching band is open to all students enrolled at Vanderbilt Universi ...
; the "Star V," an on-field formation by the marching band; the "Admiral", a foghorn from a U.S. Navy battleship that blows after every Vanderbilt score; "Mr. C," the mascot; the "Anchor Dash" by first-year students rushing the football field before kickoff of each season's home opener; the "Victory Flag" that is raised over Dudley Field after home wins; and the singing of the "Alma Mater" at the conclusion of a game (in most sports), win or lose.
;Fight song
The Vanderbilt fight song, "
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...
," was written by student Francis Craig in 1924. The song references the vigor with which Vanderbilt plays and the enthusiasm of the university's fans, who cheer regardless of the outcome of the game.
Program success
Vanderbilt's athletics programs have seen more success in recent years, and 2006–2007 was one of the best in the school's athletic history. At one point, seven of Vanderbilt's 16 teams were ranked in the Top 25 of their respective sports. Women's bowling won the NCAA championship, bringing the university its first team championship since the advent of the NCAA.
In 2014, the baseball team won its first
College World Series
The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...
over the
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as ''Wahoos'' or ''Hoos'', are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic C ...
. In 2015, the Vanderbilt women's tennis team won its first national championship by defeating the defending champions
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
. In 2018, the women's bowling team won its second national championship by defeating the defending champions
McKendree University
McKendree University (McK) is a private university in Lebanon, Illinois. Founded in 1828 as the Lebanon Seminary, it is the oldest college or university in Illinois. McKendree enrolls approximately 2,300 undergraduates and nearly 700 graduate ...
. And in 2019, the baseball team won its second College World Series title.
Facilities
Campus athletic facilities include:
*
Vanderbilt Stadium
FirstBank Stadium (formerly Dudley Field and Vanderbilt Stadium) is a football stadium located in Nashville, Tennessee. Completed in 1922 as the first stadium in the South to be used exclusively for college football, it is the home of the Vander ...
, seating capacity: 40,350
*
Memorial Gymnasium, 14,326
*
Hawkins Field
Hawkins Field is a baseball stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the home field of the Vanderbilt Commodores college baseball team. , 3,700
*Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex, 2,400
*Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Tennis Center
*Vanderbilt Legends Club of Tennessee (off-campus golf course)
References
Relevant literature
*Goheen, Barry. 2020 ''Buzzer Beaters and Memorial Magic: A Memoir of the Vanderbilt Commodores 1987-1989.'' Mercer University Press.
External links
*
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