Taking the Field: Vanderbilt Football

Vanderbilt fielded its first football team in 1890, becoming the first team in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletics Association (SIAA) to do so. The SIAA would serve as the basis for the modern South Eastern Conference (SEC), making Vanderbilt an early leader in the conference. Vanderbilt additionally holds the claim of being the first modern SEC team to have a player in the college football hall of fame. It was during the years of 1905-1915 that Vandy truly began the golden years of football, positioning itself as a competitor to northern powerhouses and forcing other southern schools to do the same. Led primarily by coach Dan McGugin and maintaining a winning 74-20 record, Vanderbilt impressively stood its ground against imposing northern competitors like Yale, Michigan, and Navy. With a total of 412 points scored, the Vandy players showed through the course of the decade that they could go toe to toe with any northern school.