Commodores Visit With FDR

Commodores Visit With FDR

9/1/2005

by Bill Traughber

One of the advantages of winning a national championship in football is the traditional visit with the President of the United States at The White House. On November 2, 1934 the Vanderbilt football team made such a presidential visit, but not as champions. Coach Dan McGugin’s Commodores were in Washington, D.C. to play George Washington University the following day in a regular season contest.

Marvin H. McIntyre was a personal secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, an 1897 graduate of Battle Ground Academy (Franklin, TN) and once attended Vanderbilt

With the Commodores in town, McIntyre was able to arrange a brief visit with Roosevelt. The meeting was in the FDR’s office.

The Tennessean gave this report of the greetings:

Some of the boys got a lucky break today and had a moment or so with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, which to a heap of folks was far more important than whether Vandy wins tomorrow from George Washington University.

They got in touch with him through Marvin McIntyre, head secretary for F.D.R., who once went to Battle Ground Academy at Franklin.

Naw, not Roosevelt.

He went to Harvard.

It was McIntyre who went to Battle Ground.

Which makes some people wonder why Josh Cody and Nuck Brown and other celebrated grads of that famous institution of learning failed to get a post. Surely they would be entitled to something like Minister of Timbuctoo.

Mr. President did not talk to any of the boys about how he stands on the California EPIC plan, but he beamed his celebrated smile while smoking a cigarette (none of the boys could detect the brand although none were blindfolded) and chatted gaily for a very, very little while during the press conference.

Josh Cody was a Vanderbilt All-American who graduated in 1919. He was also a graduate of Battle Ground Academy and an assistant coach for the 1934 Commodore team.

McIntyre once lived in Nashville and attended Vanderbilt in 1897-98, but did not receive a degree. A search at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library at Hyde Park, NY indicates the team only met with the president for 10 minutes from 4:10 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. There were not any records of photographs located.

McIntyre was born in LaGrange, Ky., on November 27, 1878. He began a career in journalism in 1905 where he became city editor of The Washington Post. McIntyre left that post to become Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and served as a member of the committee of public information and as publicity director, U.S. Navy (1917-21).

He also was a valuable worker on Roosevelt’s political campaigns. In July 1937, McIntyre was appointed Secretary to the President and remained in that capacity until his death in 1943.

The U.S.S. Marvin H. McIntyre was a Haskell Class Attack Transport ship that was named for FDR’s old friend. The ship was launched in September 1944 and decommissioned in 1946.

The newspaper stated that the team went on a sight seeing tour of Washington D.C and the game was to be played at Griffith Stadium. The Commodores stayed at the Wardman Park Hotel. Also reported in the Washington D.C. area newspapers were glowing remarks about McGugin and his accomplishments with Southern football.

The Tennessean reported on the game with George Washington:

The New Deal, as one and all know, started in Washington back in the spring of 1933. But Vanderbilt’s New Deal did not start until they came to Washington today. After going eight periods with only one touchdown and being slaughtered by L.S.U. a week ago for their worst defeat in 14 years, Vandy came back today as 15,000 fans shivered, to win from the hitherto unbeaten George Washington outfit, 7-6.

By their triumph the Commodores became the first foe of the Colonels to cross their goal line this season. Willie Geny made the touchdown and Dick Plasman kicked the point. Stopped colder on the ground than the temperature, the Commodores rode to victory through the air. Rand Dixon heaved a nine-yard pass to Geny for the touchdown late in the second quarter after Big Dick Plasman, from Miami where it’s always June, blocked one of Tuffy Leeman’s punt and Harry Guffee recovered on the nine-yard line.

Vanderbilt only recorded three first downs in the game with 55 rushing and 26 passing yards. George Washington scored their points on a 40-yard pass completion for a third quarter touchdown. But the extra point was missed as the Commodore defense held for the Vanderbilt 7-6 victory.

Vanderbilt had loss the previous week to LSU, 29-0. The Commodores came into the game with wins over Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati and Auburn. They would conclude the season with a 6-3 record (SEC, 4-3).

McGugin would retire after 30 years (197-55-19) at the Vanderbilt helm at the end of the year. He is Vanderbilt’s all-time winningest coach and was replaced by former Vanderbilt quarterback Ray Morrison.

Personal Note: The photos of President Roosevelt are from his visit to Nashville on November 17, 1934. The late father of this writer, Gilliam O. Traughber, was 11 years old when he played as a child in the automobile seen in the photos during that FDR Nashville visit. My father (also a BGA graduate, Class of 1941) and his childhood friends played in the car that belonged to a Nashville car dealership on Nolensville Road.

Next week read about part one of the Vanderbilt football players that made All-American teams.

If you have any comments or suggestions you can contact Bill Traughber via e-mail WLTraughber@aol.com.