# List of Vanderbilt Commodores head football coaches

The Vanderbilt Commodores college football team represents Vanderbilt University in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Commodores compete as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 29 head coaches since it began play during the 1890 season. Since December 14, 2020, Clark Lea has served as head coach of the Commodores.
The team has played 1,300 games over 135 seasons of Vanderbilt football. In that time, seven coaches have led the Commodores to postseason bowl games: Art Guepe, Steve Sloan, George MacIntyre, Bobby Johnson, James Franklin, Derek Mason, and Lea. Four other coaches won conference championships: R. G. Acton, Walter H. Watkins, James R. Henry and Dan McGugin. Between them, the coaches won eleven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships; McGugin led the team to an additional two titles as a member of the Southern Conference.
McGugin is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 198 victories during his 30 years at Vanderbilt. E. H. Alley has the highest winning percentage with 1.000. Robbie Caldwell has the lowest winning percentage with .167. Of the 28 different head coaches who have led the Commodores, McGugin, Ray Morrison, Red Sanders, and Bill Edwards have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana.

## Key

Key to symbols in coaches list :
| General | General | Overall | Overall | Conference | Conference | Postseason | Postseason |
| No. | Order of coaches | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties | C% | Conference winning percentage | | |
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage | | | | |

## Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards :
| No. | Name | Term | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC | CC | NC | Awards |
| 1 | Elliott Jones | 1890–1892 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0.615 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2 | W. J. Keller | 1893 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0.857 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 3 | Henry Worth Thornton | 1894 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.875 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 4 | Charles L. Upton | 1895 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0.611 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.750 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 5 | R. G. Acton | 1896–1898 | 20 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0.575 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0.714 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 6 | James L. Crane | 1899–1900 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 0.639 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0.650 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 7 | Walter H. Watkins | 1901–1902 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0.853 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0.850 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 8 | James R. Henry | 1903 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0.813 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0.786 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 9 | Dan McGugin$^†$ | 1904–1917 1919–1934 | 272 | 198 | 55 | 19 | 0.763 | 104 | 34 | 13 | 0.732 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | — |
| 10 | Ray Morrison$^†$ | 1918 1935–1939 | 53 | 29 | 22 | 2 | 0.566 | 18 | 15 | 1 | 0.544 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | SEC Coach of the Year (1937) |
| 11 | Red Sanders$^†$ | 1940–1942 1946–1948 | 60 | 36 | 22 | 2 | 0.617 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 0.432 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | SEC Coach of the Year (1941) |
| 12 | E. H. Alley | 1943 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Doby Bartling | 1944–1945 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0.500 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0.333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 14 | Bill Edwards$^†$ | 1949–1952 | 42 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0.524 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 0.397 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 | Art Guepe | 1953–1962 | 100 | 39 | 54 | 7 | 0.425 | 19 | 43 | 6 | 0.324 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | SEC Coach of the Year (1955) |
| 16 | John Green | 1963–1966 | 40 | 7 | 29 | 4 | 0.225 | 2 | 20 | 3 | 0.140 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 17 | Bill Pace | 1967–1972 | 63 | 22 | 38 | 3 | 0.373 | 6 | 28 | 1 | 0.186 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 | Steve Sloan | 1973–1974 | 23 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 0.565 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0.292 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Fred Pancoast | 1975–1978 | 44 | 13 | 31 | 0 | 0.295 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 0.083 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 20 | George MacIntyre | 1979–1985 | 78 | 25 | 52 | 1 | 0.327 | 8 | 33 | 1 | 0.202 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | UPI SEC Coach of the Year (1982) SEC Coach of the Year (1982) |
| 21 | Watson Brown | 1986–1990 | 55 | 10 | 45 | 0 | 0.182 | 4 | 29 | 0 | 0.121 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 22 | Gerry DiNardo | 1991–1994 | 44 | 19 | 25 | 0 | 0.432 | 9 | 22 | 0 | 0.290 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 23 | Rod Dowhower | 1995–1996 | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 0.182 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0.063 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Woody Widenhofer | 1997–2001 | 55 | 15 | 40 | — | 0.273 | 4 | 36 | — | 0.100 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Bobby Johnson | 2002–2009 | 95 | 29 | 66 | — | 0.305 | 12 | 52 | — | 0.188 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | SEC Coach of the Year (2008) |
| 26 | Robbie Caldwell | 2010 | 12 | 2 | 10 | — | 0.167 | 1 | 7 | — | 0.125 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 27 | James Franklin | 2011–2013 | 39 | 24 | 15 | — | 0.615 | 11 | 13 | — | 0.458 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 28 | Derek Mason | 2014–2020 | 74 | 27 | 55 | — | 0.329 | 10 | 38 | — | 0.179 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 29 | Clark Lea | 2021–present | 49 | 16 | 33 | — | 0.327 | 5 | 27 | — | 0.156 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | SEC Coach of the Year (2024) |