1906 Carlisle vs. Vanderbilt football game

The 1906 Carlisle vs. Vanderbilt football game, played November 22, 1906, was a college football game between the Carlisle Indians and Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt defeated the northern school by a single, 17-yard Bob Blake field goal,[1] Vanderbilt coach Dan McGugin described the win as "the crowning feat of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association season."[2] The 1906 Vanderbilt team had one of the greatest seasons in school history, once rated by Innis Brown as the best the South ever had.[3]

1906 Carlisle Indians vs. Vanderbilt Commodores football game
Carlisle Indians Vanderbilt Commodores (8–2) (6–1) 0 4 Head coach:  Bemus Pierce Head coach:  Dan McGugin
1 2 Total Carlisle 0 0 0 Vanderbilt 4 0 4
Date	November 22, 1906
Season	1906
Stadium	Dudley Field
Location	Nashville, Tennessee
Referee	Mike Thompson

Background

On November 11, Vanderbilt accepted a challenge of the Carlisle team for a game in Nashville. The Indians were given the choice of November 22, 23, or 24.[4] The Nashville Banner predicted it would be "the greatest game the south ever saw." The game started forty-five minutes late to accommodate the large crowd.[5]

One source claims the Carlisle Indians failed to receive supplies on the trip to Nashville, including their receiving carboys emptied of water. "The Indians had the poorest kind of accommodations at Nashville, and on account of the change of water every one of them became ill."[6]

Game summary

Frank Mount Pleasant had four field goal attempts, but missed them all.[7] John Heisman wrote "Manier bucked the Indians' line. Costen handled the ball surely and well downed Mt. Pleasant in his tracks on most of Blake's punts...I am still convinced that outside Yale and Princeton, the Commodores would have an even break with any other team in the country."[5]

Albert Exendine.

Aftermath

Atlanta Constitution sporting editor A. W. Lynn wrote "The general surprises are numerous enough, but the largest particular one was the Commodore–Indian contest, when Vanderbilt took off the greatest honors ever falling to the lot of a southern football team in the hardest battle ever fought on a southern gridiron.[8][9] Edwin Pope's Football's Greatest Coaches describes the game as the first intersectional triumph of the south. Vanderbilt running back Honus Craig called this his hardest game, giving special praise to Albert Exendine as "the fastest end I ever saw."[10]

Players

The starting lineup for Vanderbilt was V. Blake (left end); Pritchard (left tackle); McLain (left guard); Stone (center); Chorn (right guard); E. Noel (right tackle); B. Blake (right end); Costen (quarterback); D. Blake (left halfback); Craig (right halfback); Manier (fullback).[7]

References

1. "Vanderbilt Beats Carlisle". Daily Press. November 23, 1906. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
2. Dan McGugin (1907). "Football In Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association". The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide: 49.
3. "Brown Calls Vanderbilt '06 Best Eleven South Ever Had". Atlanta Constitution. February 19, 1911. p. 52. Retrieved March 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Vanderbilt and Carlisle". The Houston Post. November 12, 1906. p. 3. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Bill Traughber. Vanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History.
6. "In The Football World". The Sun. November 27, 1906. p. 12. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Vanderbilt The Winner". The InterOcean. November 23, 1906. p. 4. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Surprises The Rule During Past Season". The Atlanta Constitution. December 2, 1906. Retrieved March 4, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Alex Lynn (November 25, 1906). "Vandy's Great Victory Will Live In History". Atlanta Constitution. p. 5. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
10. ""Honus" Craig, All-Southern Right Halfback---He Talks". Abilene Daily Reporter. April 25, 1909. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.