the last time vanderbilt played alabama in football was 2009.
when was the last time vanderbilt played alabama in football?
2009
from 1903 to 1905, the commodores outscore opponents 372–22 and posted a 22–2–1 record. in both 1905 and 1906, vanderbilt played seven home games, winning all of them. the only loss in both cases came on the road at michigan. the 1905 team beat sewanee by the largest margin in school history, 68 to 4. the 1906 vanderbilt team had one of the best seasons in school history, once ranked as the south's greatest team by 1905's captain innis brown. for some writers the 1906 vanderbilt team made the entire all-southern eleven. seven of vanderbilt's eight wins came by shutout. only two teams scored on them all season. vanderbilt outscored its opponents 278–16. vanderbilt gave texas, sewanee, and alabama their only loss, and defeated the carlisle indians 4–0, by a single bob blake field goal. for its first major intersectional victory, "the crowning feat of the southern intercollegiate athletic association season." the defeat of alabama was 78 to 0. vanderbilt had its first player ever selected all-american when owsley manier made walter camp's third team.
history of vanderbilt commodores football
sanders left the commodores after the 1942 season to serve in world war ii. ernest alley led the commodores for the 1943 season while sanders was away at war. he posted a 5–0 record before departing to become an assistant at auburn. doby bartling led the commodores for two seasons (1944–1945) until sanders returned. bartling posted a 6–6–1 overall record in those two seasons. sanders returned to lead the commodores for three more seasons. he led vanderbilt to its first top-20 ranking in the school history in 1947, where the team was ranked #10 after opening the season with two wins. the team defended its ranking with a defeat of #18 mississippi, the first time vanderbilt played a ranked school while ranked. an eight-game winning streak followed to end the 1948 season, including a #12 ranking in the final ap poll and a defeat of arch rival tennessee. this still stands as the second longest single-season win streak in vanderbilt football history. sanders left to accept the head football coach position at ucla. he was inducted into the college football hall of fame as a coach in 1996. bill edwards was hired as vanderbilt's head football coach and athletic director in 1949, replacing henry russell sanders when sanders left to become head coach at ucla. vanderbilt gave the 43-year-old coach a three-year contract paying a $12,500 salary ($ in today's dollars). "i don't like to leave the cleveland browns and paul brown in particular," he said at the time. "i'll never forget my experiences with the browns over the past two years." edwards remained at vanderbilt for four seasons, building up a 21–19–2 record. he instituted a modern t formation offense to replace sanders's more traditional single-wing formation. he resigned in 1953 under pressure from vanderbilt alumni following a 3–5–2 season.
history of vanderbilt commodores football