Vanderbilt Coaching History

Ah, Vanderbilt. Long considered to be located firmly in the cellar of the SEC, the Commodores have struggled greatly across the past few decades. A few good recent seasons shine through – such as Clark Lea’s unlikely 2024 campaign – but they’re scattered among scores of truly terrible years of football dating back to the 1950s.

But it wasn’t always like this. In the days of Dan McGugin, Walter Watkins and Ray Morrison, the Commodores were actually considered one of the better teams in football. From the team’s inception in 1890 until just post-World War II, Vanderbilt was consistently average, good or great.

Here’s a look at Vanderbilt’s full coaching history, from Elliott Jones to Clark Lea.

Vanderbilt Coaching History

29 head coaches have served as Vanderbilt’s head coach, including 4 members of the College Football Hall of Fame: Dan McGugin, Ray Morrison, Red Sanders and Bill Edwards.

Vanderbilt has seen more coaches leave Nashville with a winning record than the other way around, despite the fact Vanderbilt’s all-time record currently sits at under .500. The winningest head coach in Commodores history is far and away Dan McGugin, who totaled 198 wins. 2nd place is Art Guepe, who oversaw… 39 wins.

Speaking of Guepe, his tenure marked the beginning of a slow descent for the Commodores football program. Only 2 head coaches since then have finished their Vanderbilt tenure with a record above .500 – Steve Sloan and James Franklin.

James Franklin

James Franklin did something no Vanderbilt coach 50 years before nor since has been able to do: Franklin produced (though brief) consistent success.

Vanderbilt saw one winning season in the 27 years before Franklin’s hire in 2011. Just one, when Bobby Johnson led the Commodores to 7-6 and their first bowl win since 1955. And that’s no small feat – Johnson won SEC Coach of the Year for it.

Franklin only stayed at Vanderbilt 3 years, but he won just under 62% of his games and finished back-to-back 9-win seasons – 2012 was the first 9-win season for Vanderbilt since 1915. Following the 2013 season Franklin left for Penn State – and he’s seen continuous success since.

Dan McGugin

Far and away the best coach in Vanderbilt history, McGugin won 197 games at Vanderbilt and 11 conference titles – 9 SIAA and 2 SoCon. He oversaw 4 undefeated seasons including a stretch from 1920-1923 where Vanderbilt won or tied 19 straight games.

McGugin spent 1 year at Michigan before landing in Nashville in 1904. He then over saw the Commodores for 28 of the next 30 seasons – only missing 1918 and 1919.

During the offseason McGugin was a corporate lawyer – and a well-known one at that. Naturally, he was also a professor of law at Vanderbilt during this time.

McGugin was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951, the inaugural class. This came 15 years after his death in 1936, which came just 2 years after his switch from coaching to Athletics Director.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.