CHC: Vanderbilt Baseball 1901

4/5/2006

by Bill Traughber

The Vanderbilt baseball records indicate its inaugural year was 1886 with a 1-1 mark with unknown coach.

In 1901, professional baseball returned to Nashville with the Nashville Vols. Their home games were played at Athletic Park (later Sulphur Dell). The Commodores played their home games on the original Dudley Field (Law School site).

Nashville organized professional baseball teams as members of the original Southern League (1885-99). Nashville would field these teams: Americans (1885-86), Blues (1887), Tigers (1893-94) and Seraphs (1895). The Vols were now members of the new Southern Association (1901-63).

It was natural for the Vols and Commodores to play each other in practice games, which occurred each year for decades. So the cross-town teams got together with their first practice game on April 8, 1901.

The Commodores lost that contest to the professionals 28-6 in a nine-inning game. The Nashville American reported on Vanderbilt:

The Vanderbilt boys put up a good game, taking everything into consideration, and the best judges of the sport who witnessed the game say it was played well. The college boys did not have their regular team out yesterday because several of their best men were injured during their Southern tour last week.

The crowd was large. There was at least 1000 in attendance, if not 1,200, and it was composed of some of the most prominent men in the city, while the “rooters” of years ago were on hand to cheer the boys along. Each team was well supported by the crowd, while the college yells of Vanderbilt were to be heard at all stages of the contest.

The Vols, managed by Newt Fisher, scored runs in the first inning (5), second (6), third (1), seventh (7), and ninth (9). One of the top players for Vanderbilt was second baseman Grantland Rice, the future legendary sports writer.

Rice was a graduate of Vanderbilt University (class of 1901) and was team captain. He claimed to have never missed a baseball practice or game after his freshman year. His most memorable game came against the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Rice contributed to a 4-3 Vanderbilt victory with 15 assists, no errors, a home run and a double.

The Nashville American reported:
Vanderbilt did not get to first in this inning, and in the second Fisher’s men pounded the life out of the ball. The college boys failed to reach first in this inning, but in the third, with two men on bases, Rice hit it out for a single, scoring both men.

The next day the teams squared off for the second of a three-game series at Athletic Park. Vanderbilt played much better, but lost to the Vols, 10-5. The Nashville American complimented the Commodores on their improved play:

It was by far the best game Vanderbilt has ever played in this city. The men were fast and played with more vigor than on the previous day, but Fisher’s men held the game safe from end

to end.

The Vols once again dominated the final game of the series beating the Commodores, 22-6. Rice got one hit in three official at-bats. The Nashville American reported:

Despite the fact that Vanderbilt put up a strong game for amateurs yesterday in the last of the series played against the Nashville league team, they were beaten by the score of 22-6, in a game that was slow from end to end.

Vanderbilt’s official record for that season was 9-3. Rice helped lead Vanderbilt to the Southern Conference championship just before his graduation in the spring of 1901. He graduated with a B.A. degree in Greek and Latin. Rice also graduated in the first Phi Beta Kappa class out of Vanderbilt.

The Nashville Vols won the Southern Association title with a record of 78-45.

Researcher’s discovery: While during research for Vanderbilt baseball stories, this writer made an interesting discovery about a Vanderbilt baseball player. An April 8, 1908 story in the Nashville Tennessean reported on an incident where Vanderbilt was playing a baseball game in Clarksville, TN. The caption heading the article read:

Vanderbilt Ball Player A Hero:

The friends of Vanderbilt University will be gratified to know that there is one hero on the baseball team. On the day of the second game of the series at Clarksville while this member of the squad was making his way to the park, he heard a great deal of commotion on the opposite side of the street. On looking over he saw one of the Clarksville belles collapsing under the burden of a huge merry hat.
He rushed across, but was too late to prevent the crash. The young lady had been entombed and from within could be heard her cries of anguish. Being unable to give relief himself the particular individual, rushed to the field, where practice, preliminary to the game, was in progress had summoned the whole Vanderbilt team finally succeeded in raising the hat from the perishing lady.

A tobacco wagon which was coming down the street was halted, and with the aid of a lever the hat was loaded on the wagon and was thus taken home. The young lady, who was but slightly injured, made her way to the athletic field and enjoyed the exhibition. Whatever may be the feeling or the students or the Clarksville public in general toward the Vanderbilt team, it is certain that one friend has been made in Clarksville.
Now this raises questions. What type of a “huge merry hat” caused the young lady to falter? The dictionary didn’t help. Maybe in 1908 “hat” could have referred to something other than a head covering. Or could it have been some type of early 20th century humor?

And the last and most important question that will never be answered is why didn’t the newspaper article mention the name of the Vanderbilt baseball player turn hero?