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College Hall of Fame Includes Vanderbilt 9/22/2004 by Bill Traughber In part six of his weekly Commodore History Corner, Nashville historian Bill Traughber discusses Vanderbilt players and coaches who have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. South Bend, Ind., is not only the home of the University of Notre Dame, but also the College Football Hall of Fame. Several former Vanderbilt players and coaches are enshrined in this hall of honor. These are those members with a Vanderbilt connection: Dan McGugin-McGugin coached Vanderbilt football for 30 years (1904-17, 1919-34) and was inducted as a charter member into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. He served in the U.S. Army in 1918. The Tingley, Iowa native’s record at Vanderbilt was 197-55-19. McGugin played one year of football for Drake University and three years at Michigan (1901-03). He was the left guard in the first Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1902. After earning a law degree from Michigan, McGugin came to Vanderbilt. McGugin practiced law in Nashville in the off-season. His first Commodore team in 1904 went 9-0-0, and outscored the opposition 474-4 leading the nation in scoring. Four of his teams were undefeated and 11 teams finished the season with one loss. McGugin died in Nashville on Jan. 19, 1936 at age 56. Ray Morrison-In Morrison’s four seasons (1908-11) as a Commodore quarterback, he became All-Southern Conference. In his tenure as a player, Vanderbilt’s record was 30-6-2. He was head football coach at SMU (1915-16, 1922-34). Morrison also coached at Vanderbilt (1918, 1935-39), Temple (1940-48) and Austin (1949-51). His 1923 Mustangs finished 9-0-0 and his 1926 team was 8-0-1. At SMU his record was 82-31-20 and was known for his passing attack from any situation in the game. At Vanderbilt he was 29-22-2. After he retired from coaching, he became Vice President for Development at SMU. Morrison was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1954 and died Nov. 19, 1982. Lynn Bomar-The Commodore end played in 1921-24 and was one of the first Southern football players to make the Walter Camp All-America team in 1923. He led Vanderbilt to a 7-0-1 record as a freshman. In the Georgia game, at linebacker, he was credited with saving five touchdowns. In 1922 his Commodore team was 8-0-1. His collegiate football career ended in the fifth game of his senior season. After receiving a blow to the chin, he suffered a brain hemorrhage. For a time his life was in danger and he was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. Later, he fully recovered. Bomar died in Nashville on June 11, 1964, and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1956. Carl Hinkle-This Battle Ground Academy graduate played center for Vanderbilt from 1935-37. In 1937, Hinkle gained more recognition from any Southern lineman. He was the SEC’s MVP and a consensus All-American. After graduating from Vanderbilt, Hinkle obtained an appointment to West Point. Though he was not eligible to play football, he helped in coaching. He served as a pilot during World War II and was highly decorated. Later he was named to the All-Time SEC team. The Hendersonville, TN native died in Little Rock, Ark. in 1992 and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1959. Bill Spears-Grantland Rice once said that Vanderbilt quarterback Bill Spears (1925-27) was the fastest and one of the most remarkable quarterbacks he’d ever seen. In 1926, the junior led the Commodores to an 8-0-1 record. An All-America senior year resulted in an 8-1-2 season. Coach Dan McGugin said about Spears, “Spears was a classic example of the results a boy can gain if he works hard enough and has a fighting heart. Bill was as skillful as any man who ever played football. Spears became an attorney in Chattanooga and served as a Trustee at Vanderbilt. He died in 1992 and was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1962. Josh Cody-Cody is another BGA graduate who was born in Franklin, Tenn., and played for Vanderbilt in 1914-16, 1919. Cody’s collegiate football career was interrupted during World War II when he joined the military. The 225-pound tackle on both sides of the ball became an All-American as a Commodore. Playing in 35 games, Cody was also honored in three seasons as All-Southern. Vanderbilt won 23 of 35 games while Cody was a team member. After graduation he became a coach at Clemson, Mercer, Vanderbilt, Florida and Temple. Cody was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1970 and died in 1961. John Tigert-Born in Nashville and playing for Vanderbilt (1901-03), Tigert was a flashy halfback in the Commodore backfield. The All-Southern selection was a sure All-American, but in this era Walter Camp refused to name a Southerner to his prestigious team. Tigert became Vanderbilt’s first Rhodes Scholar. Tigert was a president of the University of Florida and U.S. Commissioner of education. In those roles he is credited with implementing the athletic grant-in-aid program for colleges. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970 and passed away in Gainesville, Fla. in 1965. Jess Neely-Neely was selected into the College Hall of Fame as a coach in 1971. He played halfback at Vanderbilt in 1920-22. Neely was captain of the 1922 team. After receiving a law degree from Vanderbilt, Neely entered the coaching profession. Neely was an assistant coach at Southwestern and Alabama. He then became a head coach for Clemson (1931-39). Then Rice University hired him where he stayed 27 years (1940-66). Neely’s overall coaching record in 40 years was 207-176-19. He became Vanderbilt’s athletic director in 1967-71. He died in Texas in 1983. Bill Edwards-Edwards was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 as a coach. He was born in Ohio and played for Ohio State as a freshman, but transferred to Wittenberg College. He coached for Western Reserve (1936-40), Vanderbilt (1949-52) and Wittenberg (1955-68). In 23 seasons he was 168-45-8. Edwards was 49-6-2 at Western Reserve, 21-19-2 at Vanderbilt and 98-20-4 at Wittenberg. At Wittenberg he won five Ohio Conference championship and two national titles. He also coached the Detroit Lions in 1941-42. Edwards died in 1987 in Springfield, Ohio. Red Sanders-Sanders was also inducted into the College Hall of Fame as a coach in 1996. He was an outstanding athlete at Vanderbilt lettering in football, basketball and baseball. His first coaching assignment was at Clemson (1927-29) and from 1931-37 he was the head coach at Columbia Military Academy and Riverside Military Academy. Those teams combined for a 55-4-2 record. He then joined the coaching staffs at Florida (1938) and LSU (1939) before becoming a college head coach for the first time at Vanderbilt. In two stints at Vanderbilt (1940-42, 1946-48), Sanders was 36-22-2. His coaching career was interrupted during World War II where he became a lieutenant commander in the Navy. Sanders left Vanderbilt for UCLA in 1949. His record as a Bruin was 66-19-1 when he retired in 1957. In 1954, UCLA was 9-0, national champions and Sanders was Coach-of-the-Year. Sanders died in 1958 in Los Angeles. Next week read about Dan McGugin, Vanderbilt’s winningest football coach of all-time. If you have any comments or suggestions you can contact Bill Traughber via e-mail. |
