Aug. 15, 2009
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After two hours of work in the heat Friday, the Commodores received a pep talk from the big man on campus – Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos.
Zeppos, an avid fan of Commodore Athletics, praised the Commodores after being invited to address the squad by Head Coach Bobby Johnson.
“The chancellor was great,” Johnson said. “He said he was proud of what they accomplished last year, proud to be the chancellor of their university, and really excited about this season.”
The Commodores worked out in limited gear at the John Rich Practice Facility, preparing for the team’s first full preseason scrimmage today in Vanderbilt Stadium.
Prior to speaking to the team, Zeppos told the media that the Commodores’ 2008 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl victory has energized both Vanderbilt alumni and prospective students.
“We’ve been travelling a great deal right now and everywhere we visit, our folks are excited about the football team and for that matter, our entire athletics program. People love this university and they want it to succeed at everything it does. For many people, the bowl victory was a long time coming. I think it’s fantastic,” the chancellor said.
Zeppos said despite difficult economic times, admission applications at Vanderbilt soared to record levels last year. And he partially credited athletic success and the abundance of national television exposure received last year for the rise.
“Everybody said, ‘In a tough economy, are you flat, are you down?’ I said, ‘Well, we’re up 16 percent.’ I tell Bobby, ‘You can take eight percentage points of that.'”
Zeppos also praised the Commodore head coach as he enters his eighth year on campus.
“I’m really proud of Bobby and the program he’s built, and I have tremendous admiration for him,” the chancellor said. “I think it’s the right guy at the right time, a coach’s coach, good with the kids. I think there was also a collective sense from the whole university that this was somebody who really could be successful.”
Freshman Safety Out for Several Weeks
Johnson said promising freshman safety Jay Fullam will miss more than a month of action after tearing a ligament in his hand on Thursday. Fullam, from Chattanooga, faces surgery to repair the injury.