The 1941 Vanderbilt Commodores football team was an American football team that represented Vanderbilt University in the Southeastern Conference during the 1941 college football season. In their second season under head coach Red Sanders, the Commodores compiled an 8–2 record (3–2 in conference play) and outscored opponents by a total of 260 to 89.[1]
| 1941 Vanderbilt Commodores football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Record | 8–2 (3–2 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive scheme | Single-wing |
| Captain | Joe Atkinson |
| Home stadium | Dudley Field |
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Mississippi State $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Tennessee | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Alabama | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Georgia | 3 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Ole Miss | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 2 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 0 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The highlight of the season was a defeat of seventh-ranked Alabama in a driving rainstorm in Nashville;[2] up to that time, only the second time in Commodore history where they defeated a ranked team. On November 9, Vanderbilt played the school's 439th game and defeated Georgia Tech, 14–7, for the 300th win in program history.
Two Vanderbilt players were selected by the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press (UP) as first-team players on the 1941 All-SEC football team: center Bob Gude (AP-1, UP-1) and fullback Jack Jenkins (AP-1, UP-1).[3][4][5]
Vanderbilt was ranked at No. 14 (out of 681 teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1941.[6]
The Commodores played their home games at Dudley Field in Nashville, Tennessee.
Schedule
edit| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 27 | at Purdue* | W 3–0 | 17,000 | [7] | |||
| October 4 | Tennessee Tech* | W 42–0 | 8,000 | [8] | |||
| October 11 | at Kentucky | W 39–15 | 11,000 | [9] | |||
| October 18 | Georgia Tech | No. 18 |
| W 14–7 | 15,000 | [10] | |
| October 25 | Princeton | No. 15 |
| W 46–7 | 14,000 | [11] | |
| November 1 | Tulane | No. 10 |
| L 14–34 | 22,000 | [12] | |
| November 8 | Sewanee |
| W 20–0 | 5,000 | [13] | ||
| November 16 | 2:00 p.m. | at Louisville* | W 68–0 | 4,000 | [14][15] | ||
| November 22 | No. 7 Alabama |
| W 7–0 | 12,000 | [16] | ||
| November 29 | at Tennessee | No. 12 | L 7–26 | 30,000 | [17] | ||
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Rankings
edit| Week | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Final |
| AP | 18 | 15 | 10 | — | — | — | 12 | — |
References
edit- ^ "1941 Vanderbilt Commodores Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Alabama Crimson Tide 1941 Season Summary (PDF copy at www.rolltide.com)
- ^ "All-Southeastern Team Is Selected". The Odessa American. December 1, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved June 6, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sinkwich, Nelson, Jenkins and Hapes Selected on All-Southeastern Eleven". The Palm Beach Post. December 2, 1941.
- ^ "Eight Teams Represented On UP Grid Squad". Bradford Evening Star. November 25, 1941. p. 12. Retrieved May 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 26, 1941). "Gophers Grid Kings Over 6-Year Span: Tennessee 2d, Pitt 3d Over Period Litkenhous Ratins Are Published". The Courier-Journal. p. Sports 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vanderbilt Wins With Field Goal". The Indianapolis Star. September 28, 1941. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Will Grimsley (October 5, 1941). "Vandy Crushes Tenn-Tech Eagles, 42-0, Under Avalanche of Touchdowns". The Nashville Tennessean. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jimmy Jones (October 12, 1941). "Kentucky Blows Early 15-Point Lead, Vandy Grabs 39-15 Decision". The Courier-Journal. p. IV-1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Escar Thompson (October 19, 1941). "Vanderbilt Remains Unbeaten". The Jackson Sun. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vandy Routs Game but Outclassed Princeton by 46 to 7". The Nashville Tennessean. October 26, 1941. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Raymond Johnson (November 2, 1941). "Tulane Crushes Vanderbilt 34-13 With Great Power Display: Green Wave Rallies To Gain Triumph". The Nashville Tennessean. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Will Grimsley (November 9, 1941). "Vandy Tops Sewanee 20-0 With Early Scoring Thrusts". The Nashville Tennessean. pp. 1D, 5D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Tommy (November 15, 1941). "Barring Reprieve, U. of L. Faces Vandy Here Today". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. 3, section 2. Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Tommy Fitzgerald (November 16, 1941). "U.L. Holds Vandy On 1-Foot Line, Scoreless In 1st Period, But Commodores Win Game 68-0". The Courier-Journal. p. IV-3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Commodores best Tide for muddy 7 to 0 victory". The Tuscaloosa News. November 23, 1941. p. 6. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ^ Tom Anderson (November 30, 1941). "Volunteers Beat Vandy, 26 To 7". The Knoxville Journal. pp. Main 1, Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Coaching Records Game by Game: Red Sanders 1941". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
