page_title: History of Vanderbilt Commodores football
section_title: Early history (1890–1974)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Vanderbilt Commodores football / Overview / Early history (1890–1974)
caption_attribution_description: w:Ray Morrison
context_page_description: The Vanderbilt Commodores football team represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football.
context_section_description: Vanderbilt and the University of Nashville played the first college football game in the state of Tennessee in 1890.   In late 1894, Vanderbilt was among the seven founding members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA).  Just after the turn of the century, the team enjoyed fairly substantial success, with a composite record of 20–3–2 from 1901 –1903.
  Chemistry professor William Lofland Dudley was known as the "father of Vanderbilt football."  Dudley was a member of the Vanderbilt Athletic Association, formed in 1886 with Dr. W. M. Baskerville as president. Most students at Vanderbilt were members. The early sports played on the Vanderbilt campus were baseball, bicycling, and track and field events. Dudley was primarily responsible for the formation of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The first advance in the direction of its formation was in March 1888 when the Vanderbilt Athletic Association endeavored to secure track and field meets at Vanderbilt from Southwestern Presbyterian University, Sewanee, and Tennessee. Sewanee's opposition stopped it from occurring. On December 21, 1894, the SIAA was formed.
  Vanderbilt played its first football game in 1890 at Nashville Athletic Park, against Nashville (Peabody).  Vanderbilt won 40–0. Horace E. Bemis was the leading scorer. Captain and fullback Elliott Jones, who had played football before in Boston, recalled the meeting which beget the game. Dudley called for a meeting of the Athletic Association, after Peabody had issued a challenge to play a contest on Thanksgiving Day. He felt the challenge a serious matter; that the pride of the university was at stake. In front of some 150 students in the gymnasium, Dudley explained that if the challenge were met, a new era of athletics would be created with the game of football. From his Kansas City law office many years later Jones remembered: "There followed a general discussion of the whole situation. The difficulties, particularly the shortness of time for preparation, and the fact that regular football had not been theretofore played at Vanderbilt at all, were dealt upon. Many thought that it would be unfair to ourselves to hazard a contest under the circumstances. We knew that Peabody Normal had been playing intramural football for several years. The predominating note, however, for discussion was that we had never taken anything off Peabody Normal and should not do now. Finally, P. M. (Pat) Estes, then of St. Louis, made a motion to the effect that the challenge be accepted and that E. H. Jones be authorized and directed to organize and captain a team for the occasion. The motion was unanimously carried."
  
  Of Dudley, Elliott Jones said:
  "Too much cannot be said about Dr. William L. Dudley in connection with early football at Vanderbilt. Since college days his picture has adored my office wall, and when asked by any one who the gentleman is, I always reply, 'The best friend of myself and every other student at Vanderbilt, in my college days.' He went with the team on every trip, and watched over us like a father.
  "He was our inspiration as well as our guardian. He was our true and loyal friend, under any and all circumstances, in adversity as well in prosperity. I have never known a more lovable, more genuine friend. I cherish the memory of his friendship above all else in my college experience."
  Vanderbilt's second ever game was the first instance of the Sewanee-Vanderbilt rivalry–at one time the south's oldest rivalry, on November 7, 1891. Vanderbilt won 22–0 in Sewanee, Tennessee at McGee Field. McGee Field is the oldest stadium in the south, and fourth oldest in the nation, still in use. Vanderbilt went 3–1 in 1891, playing two games each against Sewanee and Washington University of St. Louis. Its first ever loss occurred in that first game against Washington U by a score of 24–6. Vanderbilt's football stadia have been named after Dudley for practically all of the program's existence. The first Dudley Field was christened on October 21, 1892 with the first instance of the Tennessee–Vand
caption: Ray Morrison
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