NASHVILLE, TN— On June 6th the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame will present the 2015 Significant Historical Achievement Award to the 1955 Gator Bowl Champion Vanderbilt University Football Team. Joining the team in receiving honors that night are the 2015 Inductee Class of Isaac Bruce, John Cropp, Bob Cummings ,William (Billy) Buchanan Dunavant Jr., Jimmy England, Mr. and Mrs. Henry W. Hooker, Galen W. Johnson, John Pierce Jr., Jamie Rotella, Jake Rudolph, and our Lifetime Achievement Inductee William Mack Brown. The 2015 honorees include Cumberland University Baseball Team, University of Tennessee Tennis Doubles Team (Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese), UT Martin Men’s Rodeo, Vanderbilt University Baseball Team, Walters State Community College Golf Team, Dacotah Faught, David Helton and Nick Marable. The banquet will be hosted at the Omni Nashville.
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY 1955 FOOTBALL TEAM
This Vanderbilt squad finished the season 8–3–0 overall with a conference record of 4–3–0. This conference record still stands as their best SEC record in the history of the program. At the end of the regular season the team was invited to their first bowl game. They competed in the 1955 New Year’s Eve Gator Bowl where they totaled 271 yards for the game including 177 rushing for a 25-13 victory over the Auburn Tigers. The team’s head coach was Art Guepe, who was in his 3rd season with the Commodores and accompanying him was 2015 Hall of Fame Inductee, Bob Cummings as a line coach that season.
Coach Guepe was quoted saying, “I can never repay these young men for what they have meant to me, Vanderbilt, its alumni and fans across the country. In adversity and victory they have been the greatest. It was a thrill for all of us, players and coaches, to defeat such a fine team as Auburn. This is truly one of
For more information on the upcoming Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet email Lynn Toy at lynnpowelltoy@gmail.com or 615.202.3996.
