Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Best pregame speech. Ever.

October 14, 1922: Vanderbilt opens its newly built Dudley Field by hosting mighty Michigan. Dan McGugin (above) is the head coach of the Commodores, who are a national power. (McGugin would end up with a record of 197-55-19.) McGugin gathers his team before the game and, referring to a nearby miliary burial ground, says ...

In that cemetery sleep your grandfathers ... and on that field are the grandsons of the damn Yankees who put them there.

(What McGugin did not say was that he himself was the son of a Union officer. Sadly, the exact quote seems to have been lost to time, but what you see above is close and makes for a pretty good telling.)

The game ended in a 0-0 tie. It was the only blemish on either team's record that year.
 
-- R. Trentham Roberts

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm one of them Damn Yankees, but that's a good one!!!!!!!!!

Scott Lundgren said...

Hopefully this won't be the only positive post you write about Vanderbilt all season.

Observer Sports said...

capitalfellow, I'm hoping Vandy turns it around and we can give them a little more positive press. That said, I was stunned when I looked up the numbers and saw how good they were, and for how long.

-- RTR