Bob Cummings was born on a strawberry farm in Portland, Tennessee, but his first love was playing football. He was the starting center for the Portland High Panthers, and after High School, received a scholarship to Vanderbilt University. There he became the starting center for the freshman team, but because of World War II, he was transferred to Georgia Tech. There he was coached by two Hall of Fame Coaches, Bill Alexander and Bobby Dodd and played 60 minutes in the 1944 Sugar Bowl.
Returning to Nashville after the war, Cummings took over as Isaac Litton’s Head Coach from 1947 through 1953 accumulating a record of 58 wins, 13 losses and 3 ties. Reuniting with Vanderbilt in 1954 as line coach, he played a major role in Vandy’s first Bowl appearance, the 1955 Gator Bowl.
Cummings then moved on to coach with several outstanding college coaches including Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech, Blanton Collier and Don Shula at Kentucky, and Charlie Tate at the University of Miami.
In 1966 his former Litton players convinced him to return home to rebuild the football team at the new Hendersonville High School. At Hendersonville his teams went to six bowl games in 7 years!
A call from former Vandy team mate John North in 1973 lead to his becoming a coach with the New Orleans Saints, where his defense held O J Simpson to 60 yards during his record breaking 2000 yard season.
In 1980 he received another call to coach at the new Beech High School in Hendersonville where he ended his coaching career in 1984 after building another successful program.
Everyone who played for or coached with Bob Cummings talks the same language about his leadership and influence. His engineering and mathematics degrees, plus his marine officer training gave him “THE RIGHT STUFF” to become a great coach. It’s a story of young boys coached by Cummings who grew up to be highly successful in businesses and well respected in their communities. Coach Cummings favorite quote is “Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later THE FELLOW WHO WINS IS THE FELLOW WHO THINKS HE CAN-IT’S ALL IN THE STATE OF MIND”!!
Coach Cummings married Sarah Charlton Davis of Nashville in 1944 and they have five children who all live in the Middle Tennessee area.