Commodore Nation - January 2009 by Vanderbilt Commodores

January 2009

IT TAKES SIX! VANDERBILT ENDS ITS BOWL DROUGHT

table of contents 2 Connecting With The Web 4 National Commodore Club 6 In My Words

Craig Tallent

7 Commodores Cubed Know your Commodores

6 10

8 Point of View Sarah Downing 9 MBB Overcoming Challenges Vanderbilt has been undermanned 10 Practice Makes Perfect

Bowl game provides extra practice time

13 It’s My Turn — Rod Williamson

Staying Connected

15 The Final 4

Thomas Welch

16 Boys of Summer Return to VU

Pro baseball players return to work out

19 Committed to the Community

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Bowler finds joy in serving others

20 Quick Hits A look at Vanderbilt’s sports teams 23 Where Are They Now? Former quarterback Eric Jones 24 The Last Look

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

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VUCOMMODORES.COM Editorial Publisher: Vanderbilt University

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Ryan Schulz

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Connect with Vanderbilt athletics through Facebook.com. The socialmedia site enables Vanderbilt fans to connect online. The site is continuously updated with content relating to the Commodores.

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Marvin Gentry San Antonio Missions Steve Green Stan Jones Paul J. Levy John Russell Mike Strasinger

Contributors: Andy Boggs

Sarah Downing John Erck Larry Leathers Thomas Samuel Chris Weinman

Administrative

It’s Good To Be Gold Videos for Vanderbilt’s spring sports recently were added to VU’s newest online addition — www.itsgoodtobegold.com. The site gives fans an inside look at what the studentathletes are like off the field.

Commodore Nation All-Access Your ticket to free multimedia content online is Commodore Nation All-Access. The page includes live audio, live video, postgame highlights and interviews. Commodore Nation All-Access also is now available for Macintosh users.

Letters Going Bowling It is hard to imagine I was back in college the last time Vanderbilt was in a bowl game. Little did I know, the Hall of Fame Bowl would be my last opportunity to watch Vanderbilt until this year. As a Vanderbilt fan, I couldn’t be happier to end the streak. Here is to hoping I don’t have to wait 26 more years for another one. Bob, Franklin, Tenn. Balancing Act As a graduate of Vanderbilt’s Blair School, it makes me proud to see student-athletes such as Alex Hilliard and Austin Langley balancing the rigors of athletics and music.

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Chancellor: Nicholas S. Zeppos Vice Chancellor for University Affairs: David Williams II Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs: Beth Fortune

Vanderbilt University’s Mission, Goals and Values Vanderbilt University is a center for scholarly research, informed and creative teaching, and service to the community and society at large. Vanderbilt will uphold the highest standards and be a leader in the quest for new knowledge through scholarship, dissemination of knowledge through teaching and outreach, and creative experimentation of ideas and concepts. In pursuit of these goals, Vanderbilt values most highly intellectual freedom that supports open inquiry; and equality, compassion and excellence in all endeavors. Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university.

I know how much time I committed to the Blair School, and I can only imagine the schedule the two of them have. Karen, Nashville Hoops Team Has International Flavor Having five countries represented on one college basketball team is remarkable. Joe, Atlanta To submit a letter, e-mail CN at: commodorenation@vanderbilt.edu. Letters should include the writer’s name and address and may be edited for clarity and space.

ON THE COVER: Images from Vanderbilt’s six regularseason wins in 2008. (Photos by Stan Jones, John Russell and Mike Strasinger) POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to National Commodore Club, 2601 Jess Neely Drive, Nashville, TN 37212. SUBSCRIPTION: To subscribe to Commodore Nation, please contact the National Commodore Club at 615/322-4114. ADVERTISEMENT: To advertise with Commodore Nation, please contact Vanderbilt ISP Sports. Jeff Miller, General Manager 615/322-4468 jmiller@ispsports.com

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C O M M O D O R E C LU B

COR N E R

PHONE: 615/322-4114 vucommodores.com NOV. 22 LETTERWINNER’S DAY

The NCC hosted its Third Annual Vanderbilt Letterwinners Day Barbecue before the final home game against Tennessee.

Vice Chancellor David Williams II shares a laugh with former football player and swimmer, Sam Sullins (right).

Former football player Tom Wilson (left) with former football player and golfer Toby Wilt.

Scott (left) and Linda Roley with former football player Johnny Clark and his son, Cameron.

Former tennis player Murray Garrott (left) and football player Bo Braswell with Murray’s son, Tom.

Former football player William Fuqua — a 1949 graduate.

Former football players Steve Wade (left) and Keith Phillips catch up.

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Letterwinners form the tunnel for the team to run through before the Tennessee game.

NOV. 15 KENTUCKY GAME

Julia Ann (left) and Lee Ann Hawkins with the NCC’s John Erck.

Doris Stephens and Jan Hargett.

DONOR ADVISED FUNDS/ DECLINING BENEFITS Gifts to the NCC from foundation donor-advised funds REQUIRE the donor to decline benefits due to tax laws that govern use of those funds. Under no circumstances will benefits be given to donors who have made their NCC gift via funds subject to the laws governing those funds.

Vanderbilt clinched its first bowl bid in 26 years with the 31-24 win at Kentucky.

Any donor can give to NCC and decline benefits. Vanderbilt will issue a receipt that allows 100% deductibility of the gift. However, if you attempt to secure tickets and parking, the NCC will be unable to fulfill that request. If the need for tickets/ parking persists, you will be required to write a letter indicating the desire to change your intention from decline to accept benefits.

JOIN THE NCC OR RENEW TODAY! You recently should have received your membership renewal for the National Commodore Club. Please mail it in, call 615/322-4114, click vucommodores.com or stop by the office in the McGugin Center to make your gift. Every gift is allocated toward the goal of funding student-athlete scholarships. This year’s membership deadline is May 30 (Vanderbilt’s fiscal year ends June 30). Thank you for your continued support of Vanderbilt Athletics. Your Membership Matters!

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In My Words myself everything. I’ve never had any formal guitar lessons.

Craig

On his band There are just two of us — me and a buddy named Holden Seguso, who is on the tennis team at UCLA. I went to high school at the David Ledbetter Golf Academy, which is in Bradenton, Fla., and he went to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, which are both run by IMG.

Tallent

On how they write music together despite the distance We will work on songs through iChat or Skype four or five times a week. We’ll instant message each other lyrics and tilt the screen down to show our finger positions. We record songs on Garage Band and send files to each other. It is not the same as being in the same room, but it works. That is how we wrote most of the songs for our latest album. The first album, we did it all together in high school. The second one, we might have written one or two songs when we were actually together, and the rest was when we were thousands of miles away.

JOHN RUSSELL

On playing live We don’t because I’m (in Nashville) and he’s in California. We were thinking about transferring to the same school, but I’m plenty happy here and he’s happy there. It does put a strain on us because we’d like to be playing live and promoting our music, but it is kind of hard.

n accomplished golfer and musician who can play the piano, guitar and cello — you would be hard-pressed to find someone who has a more fitting surname than junior Craig Tallent. The Haverford, Pa., native not only is a member of Vanderbilt’s golf team, he also is a member of the band Sleeping Naked, which even has an album on iTunes. On the golf course, Tallent played six rounds last fall for the Commodores and earned a career-best finish of 17th at the Coca-Cola Individual Collegiate in Durham, N.C. On how he became interested in playing music My dad (Mike) is from Kentucky, and he plays a lot of bluegrass. I guess I got into guitar that way. I didn’t know anything besides country music existed until I was about 14 and that is when I was first exposed to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

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On how he learned to play I took classical piano lessons for seven or eight years, and it was through that that I got a music foundation. I enjoyed it, but I couldn’t play any of the songs that I heard on the radio and liked. I guess I just naturally took to guitar, and I picked it up pretty quickly. My dad (Mike) taught me a couple of chords, but I’ve taught

On what the process of recording an album was like It was fun. You go to iTunes or to the store and see the finished product in the form of a CD, but what you don’t see is the whole song writing process, the 13-hour days in a small studio with five other people. There is a lot of tension, but there is a lot of love at the same time. You are all trying for the same goal, but a lot of times it just gets tiring. The music part was the easiest. We were in the studio for a month and then after that, the artwork and how we were going to promote it was the hard stuff. On where he plays I practice in my dorm. I have a little amp and an acoustic guitar and electric guitar. Given how much homework I have, I’ll play anywhere from 30 minutes a day to six hours, but it’s not practice. I love to play. On golf My main two sports growing up were golf and baseball. My dad is a three handicap, and he has certainly been my biggest influence in golf because he’s the one who got me into it. It is a lifelong sport, and it is also really good for business. He told me it was huge in the corporate world if you were personable and

could play golf at a high level. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I’m starting to see that now.

Commodores Cubed

On the strongest part of his game I’d say my ball striking. I’m a good ball striker. My short game, Coach (Shaw) will tell you that it is not where it should be and it definitely needs a lot of work. From a ball-striking and shot-making standpoint, I feel like I’m one of the best on the team. My chipping is coming along, but my putting is real streaky. If I have a good putting day, I’ll go pretty low, but if I don’t have a good putting day, who knows. On majoring in Chinese I wouldn’t say I’m fluent in Chinese. I can have a basic conversation, but the speed that native Chinese people talk, I’m still not used to. I think the only way to truly become fluent is to fully immerse yourself in it and live with a family that spoke no English, so you force yourself to do it. Studying Chinese at Vanderbilt is awesome, but to actually become fluent, you have to live over there. On traveling to China for the 2008 Beijing Olympics It was awesome. I was in Shanghai, I checked out the Chengdu Panda Breeding Facility, which is phenomenal. I also saw the Terra Cotta Warriors and saw the Great Wall of China. I started a couple of conversations with random strangers, and I think it was a little bit of a culture shock for them to see an American speaking Chinese. n

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john STOKES Football

charles HINKLE

Basketball

michelle SAUER

rebecca ROGERS

Major

Undecided now, but will likely be Medicine, Health and Society

Human and Organizational Development

Biomedical Engineering

Psychology with a minor in Japanese

My New Year’s Resolution

Become bigger, faster and stronger

Win the SEC Championship

Be on time

Figure out what to do after I graduate

Favorite city to visit

Denver

Cancun

New York

I need to sell my ________ on Ebay

iPod

My ticket to the game where Kobe Bryant scored 81 points

Textbooks

Online bookmarks

Vanderbilt Gmail

ESPN.com, Ebay.com

Vanderbilt.edu, USATF.com, Gmail

Failblog.org, ESPN.com

My first job

Basketball camp counselor

Mowing my aunt’s yard

Hostess at Outback Steakhouse

Working at David’s Bridal throughout high school

I’d like to trade places with ________ for a day

My brother, Will

Kobe Bryant

Bono

Michael Phelps

Favorite pizza topping

Ground beef

Pepperoni

Mushrooms

Ham and pineapple

Track

Swimming

C O M M O D O R E N AT I O N

Point of View

It’s A Family Affair By Sarah Downing Editor’s Note: Each month “Commodore Nation” will ask a varsity athlete to sound off on a point of personal interest. Downing is a junior on the lacrosse team. She is following in the footsteps of her parents, who both attended Vanderbilt.

JOHN RUSSELL

y parents met each other at Vanderbilt their freshman year and dated for the four years they attended. My mom was an art history major, and my dad was a French and business major. I have always heard them talking about college as I grew up, whether it be different memories, stories about old friends, or their sorority and fraternity. So, when I committed to Vanderbilt to play lacrosse it was just as exciting for my parents as it was for me. The first time I saw Vanderbilt was at a lacrosse camp that I came to the summer after my sophomore year in high school. In our free moments between practices I walked around the campus and immediately fell in love with the school. I loved that it was close to a city but not directly in Nashville, and I loved the size and the weather. At that point in my life I knew that I wanted to play lacrosse in college, but Vanderbilt was just a thought. Throughout the entire recruiting process my parents were extremely supportive and never once pressured me into anything. I pretty much ran the entire process for myself and picked the schools that I was interested in and that I liked. I went around to various schools with my mom to meet with coaches, the team, and visit the campus the spring of my junior year in high school. When I met with the Vanderbilt coaches, I felt more comfortable than I had felt at any other school. The coaching staff was relaxed and were always honest with me. On my official visit here I met the team and knew I wanted to be a part of a team where everyone is truly best friends off the field as well as on. I committed on my official visit, and the decision was entirely mine. I remember just turning to my mom and saying, “I want to come here,” and she said, “OK.” After I knew I was coming to Vanderbilt, my parents began to get more and more excited. I think they had not really thought about coming back to their school and being in certain places that they remembered being at together years ago. I am a junior, and even three years later every time my parents are on campus there is always a story told, or most likely repeated, about a time they were at SAE or eating at Rotiers on their first date. It is fun for me to see them reminisce because it gives me a glimpse of what they were like at my age. My experience at Vanderbilt has been an incredible one so far. I love my team, and I am positive that I will know the girls from the team forever. My little sister, Lily, has applied early to Vanderbilt, so my parents and I are keeping our fingers crossed. n

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Commodores Dealt Early Season Challenges

JOHN RUSSELL

t took 17 games for Vanderbilt’s men’s bas- early, Stallings believes that the team is strong ketball team to lose its first game last season. enough to overcome the losses. However, he This season has begun much differently for worries the personnel losses have set the team’s the Commodores, who had three losses just development back. “I think this team is going to do fine in terms eight games into the season. With no seniors and six freshmen seeing sig- of its resiliency and adversity, but my concern nificant minutes, this season was supposed to is that these personnel losses are just making it have its bumps along the way, but no one could take longer for us to come together as a cohesive unit. It’s not are we not have expected the team to going to learn from that have to overcome so much adversity of not having so early in the season. guys, it’s that it is delaying First it was freshman our objective of becoming Steve Tchiengang, who a cohesive unit.” was forced to sit out the One area the personnel first six games by NCAA losses is not delaying is rule. Before the second the individual growth of the game of the year, fellow team’s freshmen. Instead, freshman Lance Goulthe challenge of a short bourne contracted monobench has enabled the nucleosis, and late in the team’s younger players to third game against Middle Jeffery Taylor is one of six Vanderbilt grow up sooner than most Tennessee State, sopho- freshmen seeing significant minutes. would have expected. more Andre Walker had “I think (the experience of playing with a short a season-ending knee injury. The team had a slight reprieve against Central Arkansas, but was bench) is going to help us a lot as we grow as quickly dealt another blow when Festus Ezeli a team,” Tinsley said. “As a young team, I think was unable to make the trip to Cancun because experience is one of the biggest things. You just have to get out there and experience different of personal reasons. Add it all up and the Commodores have yet to things, whether it is a win or loss. You learn from have a game this season in which the team has both, and I think that is the biggest thing for our team right now.” been at full strength. After getting out to a hot start last season, the Having to deal with the personnel losses has opened the door for players who otherwise team seemed to slide a bit as the season came wouldn’t have the opportunity to contribute as to a close, losing four of its final six games. As many minutes. Among the players who have the team continues to develop with such a young had their roles increased are George Drake and roster, the Commodores are hoping that the challenges they have overcome in the early going will Charles Hinkle. Even though the team has taken its lumps lead to a much stronger finish than last year. n

COMPLIANCE

COR NER

Q: A:

Once all the bowl games have been set, some of the athletic staff at School X want to enter an online office pool to see who can predict the most bowl victories. Each of the participants will put in $25, and the participant with the most points wins the cash. The office pool is operated and run by the participants and is not linked to any Internet gambling activity or outside organization. Further, School X’s football team did not qualify for participation in a bowl game this year. Is this activity permissible? No. NCAA Bylaw 10.02.1 states that sports wagering includes placing, accepting or soliciting a wager (on a staff member’s or student-athlete’s own behalf or on the behalf of others) of any type with any individual or organization on any intercollegiate, amateur or professional team or contest. Examples of sports wagering include, but are not limited to, the use of a bookmaker or parlay card; Internet sports wagering; auctions in which bids are placed on teams, individuals or contests; and pools or fantasy leagues in which an entry fee is required and there is an opportunity to win a prize. (Adopted: 4/26/07 effective 8/1/07) NCAA Bylaw 10.3 states that the following individuals shall not participate in sports wagering activities or provide information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics: (a) Staff members of an institution’s athletics department; (b) Non-athletics department staff members who have responsibilities within or over the athletics department (e.g., chancellor, faculty athletics rep., individual to whom athletics reports); (c) Staff members of a conference office; and (d) Student-athletes.

Compliance questions? Please contact: Candice Storey Director of Compliance 615/322-7992 candice.storey@vanderbilt.edu

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George Midgett Compliance Coordinator 615/322-2083 george.d.midgett@vanderbilt.edu

John Peach Compliance Coordinator 615/343-1060 john.w.peach@vanderbilt.edu

By The

NUMBERS 1997

The last year a Vanderbilt defensive back (Corey Chavous) earned first team All-SEC honors until D.J. Moore this year.

For the first time ever, the state of Tennessee had two of its four teams from the FBS subdivision represented in bowl games when neither of those teams were Tennessee.

Three-pointers made in six attempts by senior guard Christina Wirth in Vanderbilt’s victory at Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 4 —a school record for accuracy.

The number of Vanderbilt football coaches who have earned SEC Coach of the Year honors, including Bobby Johnson, who did so on Dec. 10.

The number of schools in the SEC that have made the NCAA Tournament in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and made a bowl game in the past year —Vanderbilt and Georgia.

The number of Vanderbilt players selected to the SEC Football All-Freshman Team —the most since 2002.

The number of appearances on the ESPN family of networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Classic) by Vanderbilt’s football team in 2008 — the most in the Southeastern Conference.

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Vanderbilt Hopes Extra Practice Pays Dividends

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JOHN RUSSELL

here are many advantages of going to a bowl game. There’s the recognition, the bounce in recruiting and the national television appearance just to name a few. Another advantage that is often overlooked is the additional practices that the participating teams receive. While four of the league’s 12 teams spent December on the sidelines, the other eight SEC teams, including Vanderbilt, were getting extra practice in. By participating in bowl games, teams receive an additional 15 days of NCAA-allotted practices. On the flip side, teams that do not play in bowl games don’t get to practice until spring football begins. It may not seem like much, but any added time spent on the practice field gives coaching staffs a leg up on the competition when it comes to preparations for 2009. The 2008 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl may have been the first of Bobby Johnson’s career, but bowl games are far from a new thing for his staff. And there is no one on Vanderbilt’s staff who knows the benefits of going to a bowl game more than Vanderbilt assistant head coach and offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell. Caldwell has now coached in 11 bowl games over his career, the most of any coach on staff. “Bowl games help programs tremendously,” said Caldwell, who was a part of nine bowl teams at N.C. State. “Not only does a bowl game help in recruiting and give the school more exposure, it also brings more practices to you, and that means that your younger guys get more work. Obviously, we don’t work the guys as much that are playing and starting and doing the work all year, this gives us an opportunity where we can work the younger ones.” Vanderbilt defensive line coach Rick Logo has seen bowl games from both sides — as a player and as a coach. Logo played in four bowl games as a player at N.C. State and coached in one while at Troy. His experience has given him an understanding of the impact additional practices can have on a program. “I think (the extra practice) is a big advantage because you get to work with your younger kids that may not be practicing as much during the regular season,” Logo said. “It gives us time to be able to evaluate them through the extra practices that we have that we wouldn’t have had.” The extra time on the practice field meant additional reps for players such as redshirt freshman quarterback Larry Smith and true freshmen defensive backs Casey Hayward and Sean Richardson. Because most teams spend only a few of their practice days in preparation for their bowl opponent, many coaches view the time spent on the field leading up to a

Redshirt freshman quarterback Larry Smith is one of many Commodores who benefited from the additional bowl practices. bowl game much like having two sessions of spring practice. “It is like having another spring practice, and it is a lot more fun because (the team) sees that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” Caldwell said. “It is great to be able to reward these kids for hard work, and it benefits so many things.” Vanderbilt held two of its bowl practices before its destination or opponent was even known. During that time, the team was able to get back to working on fundamentals. “We were able to do some basic things and re-teach with no stress or worry because we didn’t know who we were playing, so we did the basics and that is very helpful,” Caldwell said. Making one bowl game can go a long way toward making the next season successful, but having been a part of nine bowl games at N.C. State, Caldwell understands how important it is to a program to add bowl appearances over time. “In former programs I was in, you go to a bowl game seven or eight years in a row, like I was fortunate enough to do, and those programs have an equivalent of 100 or so more practices,” Caldwell said. “You learn the system and you learn what to do and it just helps all around.” Not every team uses their full allotment of bowl practices in a given year for a variety of reasons, including finals and the date of the actual game, but in a sport where everyone is looking for an advantage, the extra practice time can give teams just that. Take Florida State for example. The team made its 27th straight bowl appearance this year and 26th since Vanderbilt

last played in a bowl game in 1982. Even if Florida State averaged 12 bowl practices a year, the team would have accumulated 312 more practices than Vanderbilt over the same period of time. Making bowl games consistently is certainly easier said than done. However, as a former player, Logo believes that the experience the players had at the Music City Bowl will make them even hungrier to get back in years to come. “Playing in a bowl game gives players an opportunity to know what a bowl game is all about, and it certainly gives them motivation to want to come back just to get the opportunity to play in another one,” Logo said. “To be in one creates a lot of excitement for these guys and for our program. I think that they will cherish this moment and carry that on and motivate them to know that there are better things ahead.” On top of the experience from this year’s bowl game adding motivation for Vanderbilt to return again, another factor that should help the Commodores’ quest for back-to-back bowl games is the alleviation of pressure that had built up inside the players after 26 years of frustration. “I think (playing a bowl game) is going to help the program tremendously,” center Bradley Vierling said. “We haven’t gone to a bowl game in 26 years, and to now be able to say we (went) to a bowl game, it is huge for recruiting, for morale. Getting that sixth win was huge for us. Everyone felt like this big weight had been lifted off our shoulders, because it was. The monkey is off our back.” n

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It’s My Turn By Rod Williamson

Staying Connected

s this column is being written, we are in the midst of a massive, campuswide push to make the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl a memorable event. Vanderbilt experts are planning special events and the big push is the ticket drive. Today most of this is in the rearview mirror, but there are some lessons worth repeating in print. Because of the tight timetable required to sell, allocate and distribute the tickets, most of our sale occurred online at vucommodores.com. Buying the tickets was relatively easy and was done at one’s convenience, 24/7. Those purchasing their tickets this way didn’t have to drive to McGugin, wait on hold for busy ticket clerks or interrupt their holiday schedules. These same folks buy airline tickets and shop with the stroke of a few keys. It’s quick and easy. We are well aware, however, that there are still those who aren’t handy with computers and may not even own one. When we send out over 100,000 e-mail announcements in a matter of minutes, enabling key information to be transmitted quickly, we are missing this important group. This is one of the new ways of our world. In fact, cyber communicating isn’t even that new. We’ll stick a letter in the mail or strive to make telephone connections with the others but the fact remains that these time honored communication tools are going the way of the dinosaur, especially when time is critical. Old fashioned methods are more personal but much slower. If we believe the demographics, many of you reading this issue are among those that have never checked e-mail or surfed the Internet. You think a Blackberry is something you put on pancakes. However, those of us gray-haired types need to remember that our children and perhaps, grandchildren are nearly polar opposites in how they gather information. Many don’t remember there is a print edition to the local newspaper. I asked a graduate class I taught a few years ago how many got the majority of their news from the newspaper. Two or three hands went up. I asked how many got their news online. Nearly everyone responded. I shook my head, knowing I must drip Wheaties on my hard newspaper every breakfast. Is it any wonder our morning newspaper just had a big layoff? Less than a decade after the Nashville Banner ceased to exist citing declining readership, the Tennessean is also struggling. Our new era isn’t into hard copies. In our communications office we are rethinking how we are spending our time and resources. For decades there were no options — we had to work with the commercial mass media to get our word out there. If the local TV station didn’t run an interview with our coach or star player, it just didn’t get out. If the paper buried our story or didn’t have room to run it, nobody knew and we took our lumps. But nowadays our very fine web site gets thousands of unique visitors every day. We have those interviews — and it may be an Olympic sport player or coach, not just a football star. Where the newspaper might carry one photograph from our game due to space limitations, our online gallery usually has a couple dozen images per game. In short, in many ways we deliver much more to our fans than old-time media. It’s a cyber world and it’s not impossible to teach old dogs new tricks. For those of you unsure about computers I offer a fool-proof suggestion: ask the youngest person in the room! They’ll teach you. n

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The Final

THOMAS WELCH • Football • Junior A native of Brentwood, Tenn., offensive tacke Thomas Welch is one of a handful of Commodores who grew up in the Nashville community. What is it like to play a bowl game in your hometown? It means a lot. I’m really excited about that because all of my friends are going to be able to go to the game. They won’t have to worry about traveling or having to spend extra money to come see us play. It is going to be really nice to able to play in front of my family and friends. Does growing up in the Nashville area give you a different perspective on Vanderbilt making it to a bowl game? I’ve lived here for eight or nine years now, and when I was younger I would always hear about how Vanderbilt was always last in the SEC. (Living in Nashville) gives me a different outlook because I know how big this game is for our program, and it is only going to make us better. How much will the bowl experience help the Vanderbilt program grow? It is definitely going to help the younger guys who haven’t played yet get prepared for upcoming seasons because it gives us extra opportunities to practice. It is just more and more experience for them. What part of the bowl experience are you looking most forward to? I’m just ready for the bowl week festivities. I want to see what goes on with that stuff, and I’m just excited about the total experience of everything. It is something that I will remember for a lifetime.

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Boys of Summer Find Winter Home at VU

GETTY IMAGES

itchers and catchers don’t report to spring training until the end of February, but you wouldn’t know it if you were to visit Vanderbilt’s weight room during the winter months, when every day seems like the start of spring training. Instead of working out at their respective team’s spring training facilities or at another warm-weather destination during the offseason, the boys of summer have found a winter home at Vanderbilt. During each of the past few years, the total number of former Vanderbilt baseball players who are calling Vanderbilt their home during the offseason has increased exponentially. This year alone, there are enough former Commodores who have returned during the offseason to form a team. The number of players reaches double digits and ranges in age from Ryan Klosterman, who last played at Vanderbilt in 2004, to players such as Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty and Brett Jacobson, who were drafted after the 2008 season. Each winter the players return to Vanderbilt to work out together and train for the upcoming season. However, with so many places across the country that seem more like offseason training destinations than Nashville, it begs the question: Why here? “I come back because a lot of guys that played at Vanderbilt that are now in pro ball come back, and Vanderbilt has the facilities I need,” said Matt Buschmann, who graduated from Vanderbilt in 2006 and now is a pitcher in Double A with the San Diego Padres organization. “All of us enjoyed our time at Vanderbilt, and a lot of us give credit to the coaching staff and especially the strength coaches. They are always here as a reference for us to use and try to get better. We want to come back, and they want us to come back, so it makes it easier.” One way Vanderbilt is able to keep players coming back each year is by providing them

MARVIN GENTRY

David Price is one of many former ’Dores who choose to work out at VU during the offseason.

Ryan Rote finds time to work out at Vanderbilt between four jobs.

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with state-of-the-art baseball training facilities and resources that are as good, if not better, than any other place in the country. “Personally, I think I am able to do more at Vanderbilt (than anywhere else),” Buschmann said. “Vanderbilt’s baseball facilities are some of the nicest in the country. The pitching lab we have downstairs for all the pitchers is one of the most high-tech places you can pitch anywhere. (Vanderbilt pitching coach) Derek Johnson is also one of the best pitching coaches in the country, so I get to pick his brain. Overall, I think we have a better chance of doing a lot more here then anywhere else.” Ryan Rote, who graduated from Vanderbilt in 2005 and now is a pitcher in the Chicago White Sox organization, agrees with Buschmann that the facilities at Vanderbilt make it hard not to come back. “The facilities at Vanderbilt are better then we have in the minor leagues,” Rote said. “I couldn’t say that about the big-league side because I haven’t been there yet, but there is no comparison to the minor leagues.” Returning to Vanderbilt also allows the players an opportunity to work out with other professional players. On the flip side, if the players were to train at a local gym, they would be missing the motivation that comes from working out in a group setting. “It is a good time for us to catch up with everybody, and it is easier to work out when you are with a group then by yourself,” said former Vanderbilt pitcher David Price, who just completed his first season with the Tampa Rays. Having the facilities and providing a group setting is one aspect, but an even larger reason the players continue to return to Vanderbilt is the way they are welcomed with open arms by the coaching staff. A driving force behind the way players are welcomed back is the alumni program that Vanderbilt Coach Tim Corbin established. “I keep coming back because of the alumni

program here,” Rote said. “It is a great environment to be around guys who are in the same shoes that you are, and you kind of feed off each other.” Like Rote, Price also believes that the way the team openly welcomes players back is a big draw. “They welcome us when we come in,” Price said. “They want us to come back, and we all enjoy being around here, so that is why we do it.” Part of what makes the team’s alumni program so strong are the little things such as having an alumni locker room, which was completed in 2006. “Just to have an alumni locker room alone is enough to want to make you come back,” Rote said. “Coach Corbin has really opened his arms for the alumni.” Of the players who return to Vanderbilt each offseason, few make as large a commitment as Rote does. During the offseason, Rote has to fit his workouts around the jobs he holds. On top of his one-hour round-trip commute to work out at Vanderbilt, Rote teaches pitching lessons, teaches strength and speed lessons, sells appliances at Sears and sells campers and ATVs for his father-in-law. “I have to pay the bills, so a lot times our workouts are based on when I can fit it in between my other jobs,” Rote said. As busy as his schedule gets between jobs, returning to Vanderbilt has become a tradition for Rote as it has for the others who return each year. It is a tradition that the players believe will expand for years to come. “We’ve got a great group of guys already, and I think it will just keep expanding,” Rote said. “Coach Corbin even mentioned that he’d have to build another alumni locker room because there are not enough spaces. There are five lockers total and there are three guys sharing one locker right now. It is great to have that, and I think it will just keep growing.” Buschmann also agrees that returning to

Player

Organization

Pedro Alvarez.................. Pittsburgh Pirates Mike Baxter................................. San Diego Matt Buschmann......................... San Diego Ryan Flaherty..........................Chicago (NL) Brett Jacobson.................................. Detroit Ryan Klosterman..............................Toronto Jensen Lewis................................Cleveland Tony Mansolino........................ Philadelphia David Price........................................ Tampa Antoan Richardson................San Francisco Ryan Rote................................ Chicago (AL)

Vanderbilt is turning into a tradition for former players because they realize that it not only reconnects them with the program, but it also benefits them as players. “We all look forward to it,” Buschmann said. “It is similar to when we were in college and we’d all come back from summer ball and seeing everybody. Everyone looks forward to coming back here. We all had a great time, and we are all really close friends. I think the big thing is that we all have the same mindset that we all want to get better. There is a large amount of talent that comes out of here, and to be around that, we are all going to get better because of it.” Having professional players return each offseason not only benefits the players, it also benefits the program as a whole. One of the benefits it provides is fostering relationships between former players and current players.

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“That is one of the biggest things,” Buschmann said. “One of the reasons we come back is because we want to be a part of the new team that is here now. We invested our time in it, and we want to keep investing our time in it. “I think Coach Corbin loves us coming back and mixing in with the players. We don’t want to go in and tell (the players) what to do, but if they want to pick our brain, we definitely would listen and answer any questions they might have. I just think it helps us pass down that winning tradition that we are trying to build with Vanderbilt baseball.” As one of the youngest members of the alumni group that has returned to Vanderbilt this offseason, Price is still connected with players on the team that he played with while in school, but by returning to Vanderbilt he has been able to connect with the younger players on the team that he didn’t play with. “We are in the locker room with them,” Price said. “We see them at basketball games and talk to them, so we do build relationships with them. I played with some of the guys on the team, but some of the guys, I’m just meeting for the first time and that is fun.” Another benefit of having former players around the program is in recruiting. “I think it is a huge advantage (in recruiting),” Rote said. “The coaches are able to bring recruits in and just see us standing around in the locker room and see all the professional logos. It is a huge recruiting tool.” Other programs certainly have professional

players who return to their colleges in the offseason, but you’d be hard pressed to find a program that has as many players return as Vanderbilt does. It is just another part of what makes Vanderbilt’s baseball program unique. “For as many as we have that come back, I think it is a rarity,” Buschmann said. “There are some programs that have guys go back, but not as far as how close we are to the team that is here now and just the amount of guys that are here now, I think it is just a credit to Vanderbilt.” n

SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS

Former Players Working Out At Vanderbilt This Offseason (As of Dec. 2)

Matt Buschmann pitched in Double A for the Padres in 2008.

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Kane Finds Joy in Serving Others

JOHN RUSSELL

he holidays are a time for giving, and few people know this better than Tara Kane — a senior on Vanderbilt’s bowling team. Whether it is building houses for Habitat for Humanity, walking dogs for local animal rescue agencies through Vanderbilt Loves Animals or doing service projects through her two service honor societies, Omicron Delta Kappa and Mortar Board, it is certain Kane is donating her time to make the rest of the world better. With a schedule that already includes her commitment to the bowling team, as well as a rigorous academic course load as a sociology major with a minor in psychology, the obvious question is: Where does she find the time? “It definitely takes a little bit of time management and preparation and scheduling,” Kane said. “A lot of times, I have to make the sacrifice of not hanging out with friends or not doing something I would have liked to do. For example, if I decide to wrap presents for three hours in the evening, that homework for the next day has to be done further in advance.” Kane’s generosity for others and the community began in high school as an outlet after school. Little did she know at the time, her outlet quickly would become an integral part of her life. “Before I came to Vanderbilt, I was involved at my local animal shelter for five years, and I was the very first young volunteer at the shelter,” Kane said. “I volunteered two to four hours every week, going there and helping out after high school. It was a way for me to get away and relieve stress. I’ve used it as a way to relieve stress at Vanderbilt, as well. It was a method of getting away, getting off campus, but also taking my opportunities and trying to help others have what I feel like I’ve been blessed with.” In the game of life, no one would ever compare the impact a new Habitat for Humanity home has on a person’s life with the impact of winning a bowling tournament. However, for the two-time third team

Senior Tara Kane has been an ace on the lanes and in the community.

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All-American, the process and buildup through both are similar in many ways. “(Serving the community) is definitely gratifying, and it is definitely rewarding,” Kane said. “It is like realizing after a tournament, how much work you have put in. I finally got an opportunity to see one of the dedications for the homes this last semester, and it was just the coolest experience to see how excited someone was to finally realize that all of their hard work has been put into this one moment when they get their key to the house. “That is how I feel after every tournament when we do well as a team. That is when I realize that all of these sacrifices, and all these things that I put aside are worth it.” Kane’s generosity in the community has spilled over to the bowling team, where teammates look up to her for more reasons than just because she’s a senior on the team. “I think (her teammates) do look up to her,” Head Coach John Williamson said. “They realize that she spends a lot of time doing things that maybe they wouldn’t consider to be fun during her down time. I think people realize that they might be busy, but they still have time to give back to good causes and people that are less fortunate.” Being able to serve the community in so many ways also has made Kane more humble. Whether it is cooking for the homeless or working 10 hours a day to build someone a house, every experience reminds her of just how fortunate she is. “I definitely realized how fortunate I was through (community service),” Kane said. I especially realize it from hearing the experiences of the homeless men we work with and just listening to their stories. It really makes me realize how lucky I’ve been to have parents who are supportive, to have a university that is supportive and to have a university that has so many different opportunities to use and advance once I graduate.” Serving the community also has given Kane a new appreciation for being on the bowling team. “Even to have the opportunity to be on such a well-funded team and such a supportive team makes me realize how fortunate I am because a lot of the people we are meeting don’t have that support, and they’ve been fighting their entire lives to make it. “Having received a scholarship here is an opportunity that I never could have imagined. I feel like I’m lucky to have as much as I do, and I feel like other people are working really hard to achieve these homes and make a better life for themselves, and I feel like I can help with that.” All of the work Kane has put into the community may not allow her to bowl higher scores, but Williamson believes that the overall experience she has had with helping others and maintaining a selfless attitude has made her a better teammate. “She is a phenomenal teammate,” Williamson said. “She is always the type of person that sees the big picture in things and is willing to step back and let somebody else do something if that is needed at the time. She doesn’t really get caught up in the emotions of the moment, and she does a good job of seeing the big picture.” Kane’s commitment to the community is second to none, which is why it should come as no surprise that she hopes to expand her service even further once she graduates in May. At that time, Kane plans on serving an 11-month term with AmeriCorps, which is a governmental service agency. When she is finished with AmeriCorps, she plans to stay involved in the community, and she has her eyes on graduate school and a career in public health. “(Working in the community) definitely motivates me more,” Kane said. “I’m really interested in working in programs that involve nutrition for kids and the obesity epidemic in kids. That is something that has been set in my mind for a while as being something I might really enjoy, doing something to help people achieve lifestyles that are healthier.” There were many gifts exchanged over this past holiday season, but you would be hard pressed to find a gift that has made as much of an impact as the gift Tara Kane has given time and time again — community service for the less fortunate. n

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Quick Hits

Golf

• Vanderbilt opens its spring

MEN’S SPORTS

season Feb. 23-24 at the Rio Pinar Intercollegiate in Orlando, Fla.

Baseball

• Vanderbilt’s baseball recruiting class was ranked in the top three in the country for the second time in four seasons. Baseball America Tim Corbin ranked the class No. 2, while Collegiate Baseball had the class ranked at No. 3. • Pitcher Mike Minor was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List.

Tom Shaw

Tennis

STEVE GREEN

• The Commodores open the spring season Jan. 31 at the National Indoors in Boise, Idaho. • Vanderbilt signee Ryan Ian Lipman earned the 2008 Duvenhage Southern DeWitt Redgrave III Junior Achievement Award for sportsmanship.

Josie Earnest earned the first individual title of her career at the Jeanette Lee Invitational.

Golf

• Head Coach Greg Allen announced the signings of Gabrielle Balit (Montreal, Quebec), Anna Leigh Keith Greg (Moultrie, Ga.) and Lauren Allen Stratton (Spring Hill, Tenn.) to National Letters of Intent on Nov. 19. • The Commodores open their spring season March 2-3 at the Pinehurst Challenge.

WOMEN’S SPORTS

Brad Tinsley scored in double figures in the first seven games of his career.

Basketball

• Jeffery Taylor earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Dec. 15. • Vanderbilt won the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 30 to Kevin capture its second consecStallings utive Thanksgiving tournament title. • Sophomore A.J. Ogilvy was named MVP of the Cancun Challenge, and junior Jermaine Beal was named to the All-Tournament team.

• Vanderbilt defeated Virginia Tech to win the VU Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 29. Christina Wirth was Melanie named Tournament MVP, Balcomb and Merideth Marsh and Hannah Tuomi were named to the All-Tournament Team. • Senior guard Jennifer Risper had her No. 11 jersey retired at Canyon Springs High School on Dec. 5.

Football

• Vanderbilt was selected to play in the 2008 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl against Boston College. • SEC Head Coaches selected Bobby Bobby Johnson to share SEC Johnson Coach of the Year honors with Ole Miss’ Houston Nutt and Alabama’s Nick Saban. • The last Vanderbilt coach to earn SEC Coach of the Year honors was George MacIntyre in 1982. • Cornerback D.J. Moore earned first team All-America honors from Rivals.com and second team honors from the AP. • Moore also earned first team All-SEC accolades by the AP and coaches. • Linebacker Patrick Benoist earned second team All-SEC accolades by the AP and coaches. • T.J. Greenstone, Kyle Fischer, Branden Barden and Chris Marve were selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

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Lacrosse

• Cathy Swezey announced the signing of seven individuals to National Letters of Intent for the 2010 season. • Signing were Casey Bakker Cathy (Ridgewood, N.J.), Paige CaSwezey hill (Nashville), Sarah Dolan (Nashville), Olivia Goodman (Villanova, Pa.), Carly Linthicum (Salisbury, Md.), Katie Parsels (Warren, N.J.) and Chelsea Passfield (Alexandria, Va.). • Vanderbilt opens its season Feb. 15 against North Carolina. JOHN RUSSELL

JOHN RUSSELL

Basketball

Jennifer Risper had her jersey retired at her high school in California on Dec. 5.

Bowling

• Vanderbilt won all three of its tournaments during the fall. • The Commodores concluded the fall by winning the Jeanette Lee Invitational on John Dec. 7. Junior Josie Earnest Williamson also earned the first individual title of her career at the tournament. • Vanderbilt won the Hawk Classic in Millsboro, Del., on Nov. 23 for the third straight year. Vanderbilt won by 257 pins over Kutztown. • Vanderbilt’s win at the Jeanette Lee Invitational marked the first time Vanderbilt opened a season by winning three consecutive tournaments.

Swimming

• Head Coach Jeremy Organ announced the signing of Catherine Cornelson (Deerfield, Mass.) and Chelsea Morey (Hutchinson, Kan.) to Jeremy National Letters of Intent. Organ • Freshman Laura Dillon broke Susan Hahm’s 19-year school record in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:22.00 at the Hilltoper Inv. on Nov. 24. • Sophomore Leigh-Ann Axt won the 500yard freestyle at the same meet. Fellow freshman Allie Voss placed third in 200yard breaststroke and Nicole Woodworth also placed third in the one-meter dive.

Tennis

• Vanderbilt opens the spring season Jan. 17-19 at the Michigan Invitational. Geoff Macdonald

The Month Ahead

Seventh-Inning Stretch

Men’s Sports

By Ryan Schulz

Basketball 1/3 1/10 1/14 1/17 1/20 1/25 1/28 1/31

at Massachusetts at Kentucky Georgia at Mississippi State Tennessee Florida at South Carolina at Auburn

Tennis 1/31

vs. Auburn at National Indoors (Boise, Idaho)

4pm 1pm 7pm 7pm 8pm 12:30pm 6pm 7pm 1 pm

Women’s Sports Basketball 1/3 1/8 1/11 1/18 1/22 1/25 1/29

at Iowa State at Alabama Tennessee LSU at Georgia at South Carolina Arkansas

Bowling

1/16-18 1/23-25

Swimming 1/17 1/31

Tennis

1/17-19 1/31

Track

1/16-17 1/24

at Mid-Winter Classic (Jonesboro, Ark.) at Greater Ozark Inv. (Springfield, Mo.) at South Carolina Marshall

2pm 7pm 2pm 2pm 6pm 1pm 8pm

All Day All Day 2pm TBA

at Michigan Invitational (Ann Arbor, Mich.) National Indoors Qualifying

All Day TBA

at Kentucky Invite (Lexington, Ky.) at Indiana Invite (Bloomington, Ind.)

All Day All Day

COM MODOR E

T I DB I T S • Headed by lacrosse Coach Cathy Swezey, Vanderbilt athletic department staff members contributed $650 toward a gas card for a family in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., whose daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The family drives 50 miles a day for her to receive treatment at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. • Vanderbilt athletics teamed with the Community Foundation to collect more than 500 coats for the annual Coats For The Counties drive during the Tennessee game on Nov. 22. • Vanderbilt’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted its annual Holiday Party for students at East Nashville’s Ross Elementary School on Dec. 10. • SEC Head Coaches selected Bobby Johnson to share SEC Coach of the Year honors with Alabama’s Nick Saban and Ole Miss’ Houston Nutt. • Cornerback D.J. Moore and linebacker Patrick Benoist earned All-SEC recognition by the Associated Press and SEC coaches. Moore earned first team honors, while Bonoist picked up second team honors from both.

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Rent-A-Coach

elcome to Rent-A-Coach, where you will always find the best selection of coaches available for your program. At Rent-A-Coach, contracts don’t mean a thing — simply select your coach and replace him or her with a new rental whenever you would like. Have a disgruntled fan base and are in need of a quick fix? Rent-A-Coach is the place for you. We have coaches who have won conference and national championships. We have coaches who have rebuilt programs in as little as one year. We even have coaches who just specialize in recruiting. With Rent-A-Coach, you don’t need to worry about those messy buyouts that used to dominate the headlines. Our coaches are paid on a week-by-week basis and there are no strings attached. Stop by this week as we ring in the year 2035 with our annual New Year’s blowout sale. Among our featured coaches available are: Early Success Early won the Orange Bowl in his first season as a head coach. However, he was let go five years later after being criticized for only being able to win a BCS game with the previous staff’s players. Outrageous Expectations Outrageous was fired after posting a 58-19 record, while taking his program to six straight bowl games, including two BCS games. Skip Around Skip has coached four programs in the last seven years and has never stayed at one program for more than two seasons. He took all four programs to bowl games and won two conference titles. We don’t know what the coaching landscape will look like come 2035, but at the rate it is going it may not be too farfetched to see coaches available for rent. Today, it seems as if coaches are being fired or switching jobs faster than they can even meet their neighbors. Just look at the Oakland Raiders. Since 2000, the team has had six head coaches. That is almost a coach a year. The college landscape isn’t any better. Take the SEC West, where LSU’s Les Miles is the longest-tenured coach in the division and he just completed his fourth season. All the turnover makes you wonder if we will ever see another Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden. If recent history tells us anything, the answer likely is no. There will be 120 Division I FBS programs in 2009, and you will be able to count on two hands the number of head coaches that will have had 10 or more years of experience at the school where they are currently coaching. While programs are going through coaches like a pair of dirty socks, Vanderbilt has shown patience with its coaches and it has paid off. In recent years, Vanderbilt has enjoyed as much athletic success as it ever has, and a key to that success has been stability within each program. The most recent example of this is Head Coach Bobby Johnson, who has continually improved Vanderbilt’s football program since his arrival in 2002. After having two wins in each of his first three seasons, Johnson took Vanderbilt to within one game of bowl eligibility in 2005 and 2007 before ending the program’s 26-year postseason drought in 2008. It doesn’t take a football expert to notice the vast improvement of the program in recent years under Johnson. In a day and age where it seems everyone has a quick trigger finger, it is comforting to know patience is still being preached somewhere. n

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Where Are They Now?

With Eric Jones

n the late 1980s, no Vanderbilt player was more ballyhooed than quarterback Eric Jones. After leading the Southeastern Conference in passing efficiency and total offense in his first season as a starter in 1987, Vanderbilt took a step into uncharted territory by beginning a fullfledged Heisman Trophy campaign for Jones in 1988, labeled “It’s Showtime!” The campaign, among other things, included Jones featured on posters, the cover of the media guide and even on gold key chains. Vanderbilt also mailed an Eric Jones highlight video to writers in a popcorn box with real popcorn. Although Jones’ numbers actually were better in 1988, they were not enough to make up for the team’s 3-8 record when it came to the Heisman Trophy, which was won by Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders. Jones earned second team All-SEC honors in 1988 after throwing for 2,548 yards and leading the team in rushing for the second straight year. Jones’ 2,548 passing yards remains the second-highest season total in school history by a senior. Combining his rushing and passing numbers, Jones amassed the third-most yards of total offense in school history — 2,853. Although he wasn’t invited to New York City for the Heisman presentation, Jones

Eric Jones was featured on the cover of the 1988 media guide as part of his Heisman Trophy campaign (top right). His 2,548 yards passing in 1988 ranks third in school history.

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remains very appreciative of the campaign. “It was unbelievable,” Jones said. “I enjoyed it. I think it was good that we had something when people were watching us and saying Vanderbilt is a viable team. It wasn’t just me that they were looking at. It put the team on the radar a little bit.” The campaign brought recognition from media. While some may argue the media attention also brought added motivation from opposing players, Jones is quick to dispel those thoughts. “I never believed in that,” Jones said. “I never believed that a guy is going to play harder just because he’s read something about you or something you said. I just think they were going to come after us either way. When our offense came to town, every defense had to be on alert. We moved the ball very well and were top in the SEC at that time.” The 2008 season marked the 20-year anniversary of Jones’ Heisman campaign. To many Vanderbilt fans and even Jones, it is hard to believe it has been 20 years. “That is pretty wild to think of,” Jones said. “It isn’t something that had even crossed my mind.” Now 42, Jones lives in Macon, Ga., where he works for Boston Scientific in its Cardiac Rhythm Management division. “I sell implantable pacemakers and defibrillators,” Jones said. “We have to be there to do the implants with the electro physiologists and cardiologists and surgeons so we have to be close. We travel hospital to hospital, but we are pretty much in the local area.” Jones has been in Macon since 2004 with his wife, Renee and two sons, Jason (10) and Justin (12), but his career path has taken him to many places since graduating from Vanderbilt in 1989 with a degree in economics. After graduating from Vanderbilt, Jones tried his hand at professional football in the Canadian Football League, playing for the British Columbia Lions in 1989. However, soon after the NFL season began, Jones received a phone call from the Detroit Lions, who brought him in for the remainder of the 1989 season after Rodney Peete was injured. “It was a wonderful experience,” said Jones of his time in the NFL. “June Jones was the person responsible for giving me a shot. He played for the Falcons when I was young, and I lived in the Atlanta area. He had come down as a celebrity to a camp and saw my little league football team. He saw me back then and I had a great game. He reminded me of that when I was at the Combine. He remembered me, so when I was in Canada, he called and they brought me on.”

Following his stint in the NFL, Jones played two seasons with Birmingham in the World League before the league was discontinued prior to the 1992 season. With his football career over, Jones turned to the business world where he landed a job selling payroll and human resources software. Jones eventually was hired by Boston Scientific in 2000 and is now in his second stint with the company. “I was with Boston Scientific from 20002003 with another division,” Jones said. “Then I went to Guidant and Boston Scientific bought us. When they bought us in 2006, I ended up back with Boston Scientific. It has been pretty good.” Because of his work, Jones is unable to make it back to Nashville as often as he’d like, but he continues to follow the program closely, even attending the Vanderbilt game at Georgia this past fall. “The last time I went back was in 2003 when I was living in Louisville,” Jones said. “It’s been tough since I’ve taken this new job because this is a position where I’m on call 24 hours a day, four days a week. Once a month, I’m on 24/7. The more implants you do, the more patients you have to check and reprogram.” It has been 20 seasons since Jones dazzled Vanderbilt fans with his arm and his feet. A Heisman Trophy or a bowl game may not have ever come to Vanderbilt during his tenure, but Jones can’t think of a better 20-year anniversary gift then the one the 2008 Commodores have provided him and Vanderbilt fans everywhere. “It’s ironic I guess that this is the year they picked to finally break through and get to be bowl eligible,” Jones said. “It’s been unbelievable.” n

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The Last Look

Guard Jermaine Beal locks in on the ball in Vanderbiltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 65-57 win against Middle Tennessee State. This photo and dozens more are available for purchase by visiting the photo store on vucommodores.com.

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JOHN RUSSELL

CONCENTRATION