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The Georgia Tech–Vanderbilt football rivalry is an American
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
rivalry between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Vanderbilt Commodores. Both universities are founding members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Southern Conference (SoCon) and
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). Georgia Tech leads the series all time 20–15–3. In the 1910s, both programs were coached by men inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: Dan McGugin and John Heisman. In 2016, a trophy for the contest, the Gold Cowbell, was unearthed after almost 70 years of dormancy. The trophy began in 1924.


History

The schools first meeting was on November 19, 1892. In 1896, both teams joined 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 ...
(SIAA).


McGugin and Heisman

In 1904, Hall of Fame coaches were hired at each school: Dan McGugin at Vanderbilt and
John Heisman John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a player and coach of American football, baseball, and basketball, as well as a sportswriter and actor. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College, Buchtel College ...
at Georgia Tech. Heisman was already of repute, having won a claim to the 1903 SIAA championship at Clemson the previous season. McGugin was new on the job, but is still the only coach in college football history to win the first three games he ever coached each by 60 points. McGugin would coach at Vanderbilt (with the exception of the 1918 season due to World War I) until the 1930s. Heisman would coach at Georgia Tech until after the 1919 season.
William Alexander William or Bill Alexander may refer to: Literature *William Alexander (poet) (1808–1875), American poet and author * William Alexander (journalist and author) (1826–1894), Scottish journalist and author *William Alexander (author) (born 1976), ...
was hired to succeed Heisman, and he continued to produce strong teams utilizing the
Heisman shift The jump shift or Heisman shift, was an American football shift maneuver utilized by John Heisman. In this system, only the center was on the line of scrimmage, and the backfield would be in a line, as one would in an I-formation with an extra ...
. Alexander coached until the 1940s, when he was replaced by Bobby Dodd. Vanderbilt's oldest rival was Sewanee. One publication claims "The first scouting done in the South was in 1905," before the upcoming Sewanee game, "when Dan McGugin and Captain Innis Brown, of Vanderbilt went to Atlanta to see
Sewanee Sewanee may refer to: * Sewanee, Tennessee * Sewanee: The University of the South * ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892 * Sewanee Natural Bridge * Saint Andrews-Sewanee School See also * Suwanee (disambiguati ...
play Georgia Tech." Both Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech claim a Southern title in
1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...
. Seven out of eight newspapers voted the SIAA championship to the "point a minute" Vanderbilt Commodores. The '' Atlanta Constitution'' declared it a tie between Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, which was then independent. However, Tech challenged Vandy's championship. McGugin would win 11 Southern championships in his first 20 seasons coaching the Commodores, including 4 straight from 1904 to 1907, 3 straight from 1910 to 1912, and 3 straight again from 1921 to 1923, as well as the one in 1915. Heisman would win four straight from 1915 to 1918, including a Southern team's first undisputed national title in 1917. McGugin's 1907 team gave Heisman his worst loss at Tech, and Heisman's 1917 team gave McGugin and the Commodores their worst loss ever.


Gold Cowbell trophy

In 2016, a trophy for the contest, the Gold Cowbell, was unearthed after almost 70 years of dormancy. The winner of the contest was awarded the cowbell trophy tradition starting in 1924, and it was still awarded to the winner of the contest up until the 1960s.


Notable games


1892: First matchup

The first matchup was in 1892, a 20–10 Vanderbilt win. It was Georgia Tech's inaugural season (their second-ever game) and Vanderbilt's third season. The 1892 Vanderbilt team was the oldest in the memory of Grantland Rice. He claimed Phil Connell would be a good player in any era.


1906: Manier scores five touchdowns

The 1906 Vanderbilt team was one of the strongest in its history. Owsley Manier rushed for five touchdowns on Tech. Sportswriter Alex Lynn wrote after the game that Manier was: "the greatest fullback and all round man ever seen in Atlanta." Lob Brown scored for Tech.


1907: Heisman's worst loss at Tech

The following season, Vanderbilt beat Georgia Tech 54–0. "The rooters stridently called: "We want ''sixty''! We want ''sixty''!" The highlight of the first half came on a triple pass. Sam Costen passed the ball to Honus Craig, Craig passed it to Morton and Morton passed it to Bob Blake, who ran to the side and passed it 25 yards back to Costen. Costen ran the remaining 20 yards for a touchdown.


1910: Morrison Licks Jackets

In 1910, Vanderbilt won a close game over Mississippi 9–2. Late in the first quarter, Ray Morrison returned a punt 90 yards for Vanderbilt's only touchdown.
John Heisman John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a player and coach of American football, baseball, and basketball, as well as a sportswriter and actor. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College, Buchtel College ...
was the game's field judge, and McGugin did not want to show too much, playing Heisman's Georgia Tech in two weeks. Morrison was the star of the Georgia Tech game too, scoring two touchdowns on road to a 23–0 victory for Vanderbilt.


1917: Vanderbilt's worst loss

The 1917 Georgia Tech team was the South's first national champion. Despite Vanderbilt having a respectable team, Tech beat Vanderbilt 83–0, the worst loss they have ever suffered. "It was not until 1917 that a Southern team really avenged long-time torment at McGugin's hands. And it took one of history's top backfields– Joe Guyon, Ev Strupper, Al Hill, and
Judy Harlan Julian Washington "Judy" Harlan Jr. (November 6, 1896 – May 20, 1978) was an American college football player for the Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football of the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was the fullback in Georgia Tech's famou ...
of Georgia Tech–to do it," wrote Edwin Pope. Guyon was the game's star; according to Morgan Blake, "Guyon has been great in all games this year. But Saturday he was the superman". Vanderbilt captain Alf Adams praised the Tech team: "Tech's magnificent machine won easily over Vanderbilt. It was simply the matter of a splendid eleven winning over an unseasoned, inexperienced team. Tech played hard, clean football, and we were somewhat surprised to meet such a fair, aggressive team, after the reports we had heard. I think that Vanderbilt could have broken that Tech shift if we had had last year's eleven. Being outweighed, Vanderbilt could not check the heavy forwards, or open up the line. Thereby hangs the tale."


1919: Vanderbilt loses in the mud

In Heisman's final year at Georgia Tech, both teams were undefeated entering the game. Vanderbilt suffered its only loss on the year in the mud, 20–0. Halfback Buck Flowers and fullback
Bill Giaver Einar William Giaver (May 29, 1898 – June 20, 1991) was an American football back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Hammond Pros, Rock Island Independents, Racine Legion, Chicago Bulls, and Louisville Colonels from 1922 ...
starred. Flowers had a 78-yard touchdown run. Vanderbilt's captain was Josh Cody.


1920: Flowers and Barron run up a large score

Georgia Tech continued its success with new coach
William Alexander William or Bill Alexander may refer to: Literature *William Alexander (poet) (1808–1875), American poet and author * William Alexander (journalist and author) (1826–1894), Scottish journalist and author *William Alexander (author) (born 1976), ...
. With Flowers and Red Barron in the backfield, SIAA champion Tech defeated Vanderbilt 44–0. During the scoring barrage, Flowers converted a 44-yard
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 ...
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 ...
. In the fourth quarter, a fight broke out between Vanderbilt's
Gink Hendrick Harvey "Gink" Hendrick (November 9, 1897 – October 29, 1941) was an American Major League Baseball player who played for several different teams during an eleven-year career. Early years Born near Mason, Tennessee on November 9, 1897 to Richard ...
, and some Tech players and fans. No ejections could be made since too many players were involved.


1924: Wakefield's field goal beats Tech

All-American Hek Wakefield scored on a 37-yard
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 ...
field goal for Vanderbilt's first win in Atlanta since 1906. Wakefield was considered the greatest drop kicker in Vanderbilt history. The Gold Cowbell trophy was introduced after this game. Vanderbilt elected to start the game with the wind at its back, hoping for an edge in punts which would lead to good field position early. Gil Reese caught one of these punts in the first quarter on the fly and, noticing both of Tech's ends blocked to the ground, raced to within striking distance of the end zone. From there, Hek Wakefield made a drop kick. Wakefield was the star of the game; "He was death on returning punts and when he started around the ends the Tech stars groaned", recalls one account. Tech's one chance to score came when fullback Douglas Wycoff missed a kick low, partially blocked by Vanderbilt. Hendrix attempted to recover but missed, and Georgia Tech retained possession at the 4-yard line. On first down, a snap from center missed Wycoff, and Vanderbilt fullback Tom Ryan recovered the ball at the 15-yard line, and later punted it away to safety.Russell, Fred, and Maxwell Edward Benson. ''Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football''. Nashville, Tennessee, 1938, p. 42-43


1925: Wright should run for governor

Describing the most spectacular play he ever saw, coach Alexander cites one from the 1925 game against Vanderbilt. Doug Wycoff was hurt, and his substitute Dick Wright was sent in with only minutes to go in the game. On a muddy field, Wright ran off tackle and dodged Vanderbilt's safety Gil Reese, "usually a sure tackler," to get the touchdown that gave Tech a 7–0 victory. The yearbook remarked, Wright "should have run for governor of Georgia right after he ran 56 yards against Vandy."


1926: Spears beats Tech

in 1926, Vanderbilt beat Georgia Tech 13–7. Tech scored on an off-tackle play when
Carter Barron Carter Tate Barron (January 30, 1905 – November 16, 1950) was a college football player and motion picture executive. College football Carter Barron was one of a trio of football playing brothers for Bill Alexander's Georgia Tech Yellow J ...
got loose for a 50-yard run.
Bill Spears William Douglas Spears (August 31, 1906 – December 31, 1992) known as "Bounding Bill Spears" was an American football player and stand-out quarterback for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores football teams from 1925 to 1927. Spears was elected ...
faked a pass and ran for 24 yards to spark a drive to tie the game at 7, and added two field goals to win the game for Vanderbilt.


1927: Spears and Armistead held scoreless

On a wet field, Tech's strong defense held the high scoring Vanderbilt team, including Hall of Famer
Bill Spears William Douglas Spears (August 31, 1906 – December 31, 1992) known as "Bounding Bill Spears" was an American football player and stand-out quarterback for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores football teams from 1925 to 1927. Spears was elected ...
and high scorer Jimmy Armistead, to a scoreless tie.


1928: National champions end Commodores title hopes

Georgia Tech ended the Jimmy Armistead-led Vanderbilt Commodores' hopes of a southern title with a 19–7 victory. Tech went on to win the Rose Bowl and a national title. Georgia Tech's first touchdown came on a pass from Tom Jones to
Warner Mizell Luke Warner Mizell (October 8, 1907 – May 1971) was an American football player. He played at the halfback position for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team and was selected by the Associated Press, United Press, and Central Press ...
on a triple pass play. Georgia Tech's next score came on an end run from Mizell. Vanderbilt's lone score came on an run by lineman
Bull Brown John Neil "Bull" Brown was an American football and baseball player for the Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University. He was said by coach Dan McGugin to be one of his six best players ever coached. He was selected All-Southern in 1928 and 1 ...
after picking up a
Stumpy Thomason John Griffin "Stumpy" Thomason (February 24, 1906 – April 30, 1989) was a professional American football player who played running back for seven seasons for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football for t ...
fumble. The game has also been credited as the first Vanderbilt football game on the radio.


1931: McGugin's trick

Vanderbilt's All-American center
Pete Gracey Clarence "Pete" Gracey (December 18, 1910 – December 5, 2000) was an American football player who was an All-American center for the Vanderbilt Commodores football team of Vanderbilt University. Early years Gracey was born in Franklin, Tenne ...
once said "In my first varsity year, the night before we played Georgia Tech, Coach McGugin casually walked up to me in the lobby of our hotel, put his arm around my shoulder and sorta whispered, "I was with some Atlanta newspapermen this afternoon and I told them you were the finest sophomore center I had ever coached. I hope that I haven't made it embarrassing for you" We beat Tech, 49 to 7. Afterward I talked to seven other players and you know, Coach McGugin told them all the same thing he told me."


1933: Wroton Tallies In Closing Minutes

In 1933, Vanderbilt won a close game 9–6. In the closing minutes, a tipped pass was caught by Vanderbilt's Lang Wroton for a score.


1935: Geny wins it with interception

In the fourth quarter, Willie Geny intercepted a pass and raced 67 yards for a touchdown to win the game for Vanderbilt 14–13. This is the last win for Vanderbilt in Atlanta to date, and the season had Vanderbilt's best SEC record.


1937: Tech wins; trophy returns

Georgia Tech beat a previously undefeated Vanderbilt 14–0, and the Golden Cowbell trophy had been recovered after previously being stolen.


1941: Vanderbilt remains unbeaten; Jenkins scores

Vanderbilt's last victory in the rivalry came in 1941 with a 14–7 win in Nashville. Vanderbilt remained the only untied and unbeaten team in the SEC, with SEC Player of the Year Jack Jenkins scoring two touchdowns. Georgia Tech scored with a minute left in the game.


1951: Tech wins by a point in the mud

With just over a minute left and undefeated Georgia Tech up 8–0, Vanderbilt quarterback
Bill Wade William James Wade (October 4, 1930 – March 9, 2016) was an American football quarterback who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He is considered one of the greatest athletes in Nashville and Vanderbilt University hi ...
threw a touchdown pass to Ted Kirkland. Vanderbilt tried an onside kick, but was unsuccessful, and lost 8–7.


1952: National Champions run away with the game in final quarter

The 1952 Georgia Tech team were to be national champions and played Vanderbilt for its homecoming. Vanderbilt was coming off its first win of the season, over a strong Florida team. The first quarter was scoreless, and the score at the half was 6 to 0. After a Vanderbilt fumble, it was 13 to 0, and in the fourth quarter Tech ran away with the game 30 to 0.


2003: Tech beats Vandy in overtime

Georgia Tech beat Vanderbilt in overtime. Jay Cutler led Vanderbilt in rushing.


Game results


See also

* List of NCAA college football rivalry games


Notes


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Georgia Tech-Vanderbilt football rivalry College football rivalries in the United States Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football Vanderbilt Commodores football