Vanderbilt Commodores
From Hoopedia
Vanderbilt University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt was founded in 1873 with a gift of $1 million by shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt who, despite having never been to the South, hoped his gift and the greater work of the university would help to heal the sectional wounds inflicted by the Civil War. Today, Vanderbilt enrolls around 11,000 students in ten schools—four undergraduate and six graduate and professional.
Vanderbilt is a charter member of the Southeastern Conference, in which it is the only private school, in Division I of the NCAA.
Vanderbilt's basketball teams are nicknamed the Commodores, in honor of the nickname given to Cornelius Vanderbilt, who made his fortune in shipping. Thus, students and alumni refer to Vanderbilt athletic teams as "Dores" or use the cheer, "Go Dores!" It has also been reported, particularly by alumni from the era, that Vanderbilt students during the McCarthy era referred to Vanderbilt teams by the moniker "Commies," in a droll allusion to the Red Scare of the 1950s.
The term commodore was used by the Navy during the mid- to late-nineteenth century. A commodore was the commanding officer of a task force of ships, and therefore higher in rank than a captain but lower in rank than an admiral. The closest parallel to this now-defunct rank is rear admiral lower-half. (In the Royal Navy, the designation of commodore was applied to the commanding officer of a convoy in the Second World War.)
Since the term was used most during the late nineteenth century—and because it was then that Cornelius received his nickname—Vanderbilt's mascot is always portrayed as a naval officer from the 1880s, complete with chops, cutlass, and nineteenth-century naval regalia.
The school colors are black and gold. Opinions vary as to the reason for selecting black and gold as the colors for Vanderbilt's teams. Some say the original colors were orange and black, given to the university by Judge W.L. Granbery of Princeton. Many say that Commodore Vanderbilt's legacy was called upon to develop school colors for the university that bears his name: black for the magnate's control of coal and gold for his money.
When questioned about the subject in the 1930s, the few remaining members of the school's first football squad from 1890 did not recall why they suddenly began appearing in black and gold. Whatever the source of the colors, by 1892, the Commodores were known by the colors that the Vanderbilt faithful still wear today.
Vanderbilt's primary rival in almost every sport is their in-state nemesis, the University of Tennessee.
At the time of its construction, there was a serious discussion within the Vanderbilt community about whether the school should de-emphasize intercollegiate athletics. As a compromise, the gymnasium was built to hold only about 9,000 seats, and it would be readily adaptable to other uses. Consequently, the gymnasium floor was built up above its surroundings, more in the nature of a stage. The areas out of bounds along the sidelines were very wide, in contrast with the small facility which it replaced, where the walls were right along the sidelines and players could scrape their shoulders bringing the ball up the court. This necessitated the placement of the benches at the end of the court, which was not highly unusual at the time. In addition, each goal is anchored by two far-reaching beams attached to support columns, with extra support coming from cables stretching all the way to the gym's ceiling. In the case of a backboard shatter or beam fracture, replacing these goals would be highly difficult, compared to the usual goal setup at most venues.
Memorial Gym is well-known for its unusual design. The end-of-the-floor bench location is now unique in major college basketball, and said to give Vanderbilt a tremendous home court advantage, since no other facility in which opponents play is arranged in such a way.
Men's Basketball
A team made up of Vanderbilt College men took on the Nashville (Tennessee) YMCA team, and won 3 goals to 2 on February 7, 1893. It is the first documented game involving a college team. The game was a 9-v-9 affair, since the 5-v-5 format did not become standard until the late 1890s.
On December 15, 1900, Vanderbilt played its first varsity basketball game, losing to the YMCA Ramblers, 22-19. They took revenge on the Ramblers later in the season, however, crushing them 24-9. The only undefeated Vanderbilt squad (to date) was the 1903 team, who finished 6-0.
Vanderbilt has won three SEC regular season championships, in 1965, 1974 (tie) and 1993. The Commodores won the 1951 SEC Tournament championship. The Commodores have been to nine NCAA tournaments, though they have never made the Final Four. They have also been to fifteen NITs, winning the championship in 1990 and capturing the runner-up spot in 1994.
Head Coach Kevin Stallings is in his eighth season at the helm of the Commodores. He became coach of the Commodores after being Head Coach at Illinois State University for six seasons.
The highlights of Stallings' tenure as coach have been reaching the Sweet 16 in 2004 NCAA Tournament and back to back 20 win seasons in 2003-04 and 2004-05.
They reached the Sweet Sixteen again in 2007. Coming in as the #6 seed in the East region, the Commodores crushed George Washington, 77-44 in the first round. In the second round they beat a well-respected Washington State squad (seeded third), 78-74.
Vanderbilt is one of only three teams to make a 3 point field goal in every game since the rule was implemented in the 1986-87 season. The other two teams to do so are Princeton and UNLV.
At Vanderbilt home games, after the first 3 pointer of the game is made, the PA announcer says "And the streak continues" and the cheerleaders throw t-shirts commemorating the streak into the crowd.
Women's Basketball
