Vanderbilt lacrosse finished the season with a school-record 13 victories and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Photo by Steve Green.

Football: NFL Draftees and 2008 Team Captains

The Chicago Bears took two Commodores in the NFL draft: Offensive lineman Chris Williams, BS'07, was the 14th pick in the first round, and wide receiver Earl Bennett was selected in the third round. They join former Commodore linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, BS'03, on the Bears squad. Two-time Vandy captain and All-SEC linebacker Jonathan Goff, BE'07, was selected by the New York Giants in the fifth round. Other Commodores signed as free agents: linebacker Marcus Buggs, BS'07, with the New York Giants and defensive end Curtis Gatewood, BS'07, with the Washington Redskins. On the home front the Commodores chose their captains for the 2008 season: senior safety Reshard Langford, junior offensive lineman Bradley Vierling, and senior wide receiver George Smith.

Women's Basketball: Another Sweet Season

The Vanderbilt women finished with a 25-9 record and won a school-record 11 regular-season SEC games. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round for the third time in five years. Junior Christina Wirth was named first-team All-SEC, junior Jennifer Risper earned second-team All-SEC honors, and freshmen Jence Rhoads and Hannah Tuomi were named to the All-Freshman Team.

Men's Basketball: Big Record and Best Player

The Commodores finished the season with a 26-8 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. They tied a school record by winning 25 regular-season games and began the year with a 16-0 run, the best start for a Vanderbilt team in school history. During the season they knocked off then-No. 1-ranked Tennessee in Nashville, the second consecutive year the Commodores have beaten the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. Senior Shan Foster was named Vanderbilt's Most Valuable Player and SEC Player of the Year, and was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press. He leaves Vanderbilt as the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,011 points and the all-time leader in three-pointers made and attempted. He also won the 2007-08 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, selected by a nationwide vote of coaches, media and fans, presented annually to college basketball's outstanding NCAA Division I senior student-athlete. Freshman A.J. Ogilvy was named to the All-SEC second team and was a unanimous selection to the league's All-Freshman team.

Women's Tennis: Team Reaches Sweet 16 in NCAA Tourney

The Commodores advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, losing 4-1 to No. 6 Florida, and finished the season with a 20-6 record.

Men's Tennis: Advance to NCAA Tourney

The men reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating Indiana 4-3, but bowed out after losing to Ole Miss 4-1. The team was ranked 29th in the nation and finished with an overall record of 14-10.

Photo by John Russell

On the banks of the Cumberland River, overlooking the practice facility of the Tennessee Titans, sits Chip's Place. And at Chip's Place you'll find Chip Healy, '68, former All-American linebacker for the Commodores and a two-year veteran of the old St. Louis Cardinals professional football team. Chip's Place is the user-friendly nickname for Transitional Living Inc., a sober-living community he founded in 2000 to provide a drug- and alcohol-free place for men to live and grow while recovering from their addictions. "This was an old fish camp," Healy says of the seven-building campus. "They were a bunch of places people built after the war ... little cabins that were a nice place to get away from the city." Healy himself benefited from a recovery program 11 years ago and believes he was led to find the property for a purpose. A father of two and grandfather of four, he says a typical successful stay at Chip's Place lasts eight months. The men pay rent and are required to work and attend 12-step meetings.

Find out more: www.chips-place.org

After posting four Top 10 finishes, Jon Curran was selected to compete in the 2008 NCAA East Region Championship.
Photo by John Russell.

Jon Curran was in a rut. It was Feb. 19, 2008, and he had just completed his final round at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational, where he tied for 62nd--the worst finish of his collegiate career.

To say it was uncommon territory for the junior All-American would be an understatement. Curran, a human and organizational development major from Hopkinton, Mass., was coming off a 2007 season where he finished eighth at the NCAA Championships, tied for second at the NCAA West Regional, and tied for ninth at the SEC Championships.

In desperate need of a spark, Curran decided to change putters at the end of February. The results have been everything he hoped.

"From the equipment aspect I really feel comfortable with what I've got in the bag right now," Curran says. "My putter has definitely helped out the past few weeks."

Helped out it did. In Vanderbilt's three tournaments in March, he posted two runner-up finishes and a win. During that time he shot par or better in eight of his nine rounds, while posting a stroke average of 70.4.

"[Curran] was struggling most of the year with his putting not being up to the level that it was at the end of last year," says Head Men's Golf Coach Tom Shaw. "Switching the putter really gave him a different feeling and a lot more confidence."

Armed with a new dose of self-assurance, Curran began his own version of "March Madness" at the Seminole Intercollegiate in Tallahassee, Fla., March 2-4, where he earned medalist honors for the first time in his career. He won the tournament with a 10-under 206, becoming the first Commodore to win a tournament since Luke List won the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate in 2005.

"He started rolling better in Tallahassee, and that has been the main kick-start for him because when he is making putts, he is going to get on a roll," Shaw says.
Curran concluded the month with a pair of runner-up finishes at the Kauai Collegiate Cup in Kauai, Hawaii, and the Furman Intercollegiate in Greenville, S.C.

"Winning breeds winning," Curran says. "I hadn't won in a long time, and I felt like I was getting in a rut. Now, all of a sudden, I have a lot of confidence, and every time I go out, I feel like I can win instead of just having a top finish."

Curran's play has turned heads not only at Vanderbilt, but also across the SEC. Following his runner-up finish at the Furman Intercollegiate, the league office selected him as SEC Men's Golfer of the Week on March 31. The honor was the first of his career.

"It's a pretty cool honor," Curran says. "The SEC is a really strong conference with a lot of strong players. It feels great to win such an award."

So what kind of putter made the difference? Sorry--but only Curran, his coach and fellow players know the answer to that.

But Curran has not been the only one who has reaped the benefits of his play. The team has profited as well. Since the start of March, the Commodores have reeled off three straight top-five finishes, including a victory at the Kauai Collegiate Cup. Prior to March, the team had only two top-five finishes in its previous six tournaments.

"Our backs are kind of against the wall in terms of regionals and our ranking, so in order for us to get where we want to be in regionals, we have to step it up," Curran says. "Thankfully, we've been doing it. Sometimes it takes something like that to get you in gear, and we are really stepping up."

Although every team's score is determined by totaling four of its five lowest rounds, Shaw believes that Curran's play can account for more than just one of the team's four scores.

"We saw that in Tallahassee," Shaw says. "The guys saw that he was lighting it up, and they needed to honor his good play by stepping up themselves. They don't want to be dragging the team down. When Jon starts playing well, it lifts everybody up. He knows how to rise to the occasion when we need him most."

Ryan Schulz is editor of Commodore Nation, the monthly magazine of Vanderbilt Athletics.

It's official. Vanderbilt is putting its money where its athletic needs are. In a continuing effort to raise the level of sports competition, the university has announced a five-phase, multimillion-dollar renovation and building program.

The project has received enthusiastic support from across the university. John Ingram, MBA'86, is a member of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust and chairs the board's athletics committee. "We want our coaches to understand that we want them to win championships," he said at a May 20 press conference. "Success is not a linear thing; it's a circle. In the past five to 10 years, we have changed the image of Vanderbilt from one of lovable losers to serious contenders."

The planned renovations and construction will put Vanderbilt's facilities on par with the best in the SEC. "We're in a little bit of an arms race in this thing we call facilities," notes Head Men's Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings. Good facilities are good draws for prospective athletes, and the athletes spend a lot of their time in the locker room. "What you remember as a player is the time you spend with your teammates."

"We've been good at times, and we want to go to the next level and be great," says Head Women's Basketball Coach Melanie Balcomb. "We needed the next level in facilities."

"This is a vote of confidence in our programs," says Head Football Coach Bobby Johnson. "When you invest, you give the teams at Vanderbilt a chance to compete."

Total estimated cost for the upgrades is upwards of $50 million. David Williams, vice chancellor for university affairs and student athletics, says each phase will be completed as money is available. If all goes as planned, the entire project could be completed by 2013. "This is a self-funded operation," says Williams. "We have to raise money for it. If we tried to do it all at once, that would actually impede our programs."

Phase I began in April. A summary of all five planned phases follows:

Phase I: $11 million-$12 million

• Memorial Gym basketball locker rooms
• Vanderbilt Stadium facility renovation
• Hawkins Field Baseball Stadium expansion to 3,700 seats
• Football synthetic surfaces at the John Rich Practice Facility and Wedgewood Recreation Field

Phase II: $11 million-$12 million

• McGugin Center renovation: construction of the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame, renovation of position and team meeting rooms for football, and renovation of the athletic training room
• Vanderbilt Stadium Renovation, including rebuilding of Gates 2 and 3, construction of an exterior facade along Natchez Trace, and development of a plaza in front of Gate 2

Phase III: $7 million-$8 million

• Vanderbilt Stadium renovation of Gates
1 and 4 in north end zone of the stadium and construction of a plaza area
• McGugin Center renovation to support staff of the Stratton Foster Academic Center area, and renovation to football coaches' offices, support staff offices and coaches' locker rooms

Phase IV: $16 million-$18 million

• Vanderbilt Stadium construction of north end zone building and seating, and addition of synthetic turf in the stadium
• McGugin Center renovation of the football locker rooms, equipment rooms and athletic training room; Olympic sport locker rooms and meeting rooms constructed on second floor

Phase V: $1 million-$2 million

• McGugin Center renovation and expansion of Hendrix Room dining facility; addition of offices and suites

Graduate student Karthik Subramanian keeps his eye on the birdie as president and player with the Badminton Club.

Soccer: Three Named to All-SEC Team

Junior Katie Schulz and freshmen Molly Kinsella and Mary Rachel Reynolds were named All-SEC players in the fall. Schulz, a midfielder, was a second-team pick as selected by the conference coaches. That's her third All-SEC honor, after being named to the All-Freshman team in 2005 and being named first-team All-SEC last year. Both Kinsella, a forward, and Reynolds, a defender, were named to the All-Freshman team. The Commodores finished the season with a 6-10-3 overall record and 3-6-2 in league play.

Cross Country: Jorgensen, Williamson Earn Top Honors

Vanderbilt's cross country teams named their most valuable players in December. Rita Jorgensen, a freshman from Memphis, Tenn., earned MVP honors for the women's team as a top finisher in five out of six races. Austin Williamson, a senior from Des Moines, Iowa, earned the MVP honor after leading the men's team in three of five races in 2007.

Golf: Rudolph Cup Established

The Vanderbilt golf programs have established an annual award in honor of Mason Rudolph, the former men's coach and PGA veteran. The Rudolph Cup will be awarded annually to the individual who makes the greatest contribution to Commodore golf. The first recipient of the Rudolph Cup was Mason Rudolph himself, who coached the men's team for five years before serving as director of golf.

Courtney Ulery

Women's Tennis: Finish Fall in Fine Form

At the end of the fall tennis season, the women's team logged solid performances highlighted by singles victories in the Fall SEC Coaches Classic. Junior Courtney Ulery finished with a perfect 13-0 record, defeating senior teammate Taka Bertrand in the finals of the singles B flight. Sophomore Catherine Newman won the singles A flight. "It was a solid tournament for all involved," said Coach Geoff Macdonald. "Everyone had good wins throughout the weekend." Going into the spring season, four players have been ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Southeast Region singles poll: Newman at No. 6; senior Amanda Taylor at No. 7; Ulery at No. 10; and Bertrand at No. 19. The double tandem of Newman and Bertrand were ranked at No. 8, and Taylor and Ulery were ranked at No. 12.

Kenny Diehl, BS'75, took to the hardwood courts of Memorial Gymnasium as Mr. Commodore in the days before mute mascots with huge foam heads and comical antics--and was one among a long line of cheerleaders who donned the chivalrous costume as the vocal leader of the Commodore faithful. Kenny was a yell leader, leading cheers over the microphone, and in the '71-'72 season he inherited the uniform. "Brent Blue [BA'72] passed the job to me," he says. "I fit the uniform. We had an old admiral's uniform that was white with yellow ribbons and double breasted. One of the duties of Mr. Commodore during basketball season was to take one of the new cheerleaders and shake hands with the opposing players." Still an avid supporter of Vanderbilt athletics, Kenny is a senior vice president with the Nashville engineering firm of Smith, Seckman and Reid in charge of the civil and environmental engineering groups. Kenny and his wife, Patty Pangle Diehl, MS'76, live in Nashville and have two sons.

Wide receiver Earl Bennett

The 2007 version of Commodore football finished with a 5-7 record, but that was good enough to earn All-SEC honors for four players and attract a suitor for the head coach.

Four Commodores were named to the All-Southeastern Conference team by the league's 12 coaches. Junior wide receiver Earl Bennett and senior offensive tackle Chris Williams were named first-team All-SEC while senior linebacker Jonathan Goff and sophomore defensive back D.J. Moore were named second-team All-SEC.

"I'm extremely pleased for these four young men," commented Coach Bobby Johnson, "and I'm glad that the coaches around our league took notice of their production this season. Chris and Jonathan really blossomed here at Vanderbilt and truly finished off their careers in outstanding fashion. What can I say about Earl--his production during the last three years is unmatched and simply remarkable. And I think the league is just beginning to see how good a player D.J. can be."

This season Bennett became the league's all-time leading receiver finishing with 236 career receptions, 28 more than the previous record holder. He also became the first receiver in Southeastern Conference history to catch at least 75 passes for the third consecutive season. No other player in SEC history has managed even two consecutive seasons of 75 catches.

Williams is the first Commodore offensive lineman elected first-team All-SEC since Will Wolford in 1984. Goff finished his collegiate career with 304 total tackles, third among active SEC players. Moore finished the season tied for second in the SEC with six interceptions and led all SEC cornerbacks with 63 solo tackles and 83 tackles overall.

Head Coach Bobby Johnson and linebacker Jonathan Goff

Bobby Johnson returns as head football coach for his seventh season after putting down an attempted coaching coup by Duke University. Johnson withdrew his name from consideration for the Duke head coaching vacancy in early December. "I have a deep sense of loyalty to Vanderbilt," Johnson said of his decision. "We've enjoyed some successes in recent years, but all of us want to see more success in the future. That's the goal as I go further in this position."

Since the 2005 season began, Johnson's Commodores have notched 14 victories, tying for the most wins in a three-year span since 1982-84.

"We truly believe Bobby and his staff are an ideal fit for our university," says David Williams, vice chancellor for university affairs. "Duke correctly identified our coach as an excellent candidate to turn their program around. They saw what we see every day: a man going about his business in a very professional manner."

Vanderbilt awarded its own team honors at the annual postseason football banquet. Senior Hamilton Holliday, a two-year starter at offensive lineman, received the Dedication Award from Coach Johnson, the only award selected by the coaching staff. Marcus Buggs, a senior outside linebacker, received the Captain's Award from the team's three permanent captains. Broderick Stewart, a sophomore defensive end, won the Commodore Hustle Award by a vote of his teammates.

The three faces of Mr. C are Sam Newman (in gold), Mike Fagan (in black), and a third student who prefers to hide behind the anonymity of the Commodore mask. Photo by John Russell

It was quite the conundrum. Mr. Commodore, the "face" of Vanderbilt athletics, had gone missing. Somewhere between the end of football season and the beginning of SEC basketball play, he vanished. AWOL? Unthinkable. Why, the Commodore had been a fixture in Vanderbilt athletics since 1898 when newspaperman and alumnus William E. Beard first labeled the athletes "the Commodores."

A series of short videos leaked by the Vanderbilt sports marketing group hinted at his whereabouts. He was undergoing a mascot makeover. There was footage of him--always shot from behind--working out under the tutelage of a strength and conditioning coach, and consulting with a Vanderbilt plastic surgeon. And there was the repeated cryptic message: "See the New C 12.1.07."

Sure enough, on Dec. 1, 2007, in a men's basketball game against Georgia Tech, Mr. C (as he is fondly known) made his return. The crowd erupted with a roar as Mr. C burst onto the court, tall, buff and impeccably groomed. He wore a traditional naval uniform and waved a polished sword that glistened in the lights of Memorial Gymnasium.

Yes, that Mr. Commodore is quite a guy. Actually, he's three guys. Mr. C is inhabited on a rotating basis by freshmen Mike Fagan and Sam Newman and a third student who prefers to keep his identity a secret. They were named to the Mr. C squad after going through tryouts.

Photo by John Russell

"I did not come to Vanderbilt knowing that I wanted to be the Commodore," Newman says. "In fact, I had no idea what the mascot was when I picked Vanderbilt. I had zero past experience as a mascot or anything like it. ... Apparently, the shenanigans I pulled during tryouts were slightly less unfunny than the rest of the competition's. A day or two later, I was the mascot at the Alabama game, with no instruction about what to do other than the fact that I couldn't do anything obscene or touch the opposing players."

"When I came to Vanderbilt and saw Mr. C and how he got the crowd going, I knew I wanted to do that," says Fagan. "I love the tradition that comes with wearing that suit."

The Mr. C tradition includes two national titles for mascots: the National Cheerleaders Association championship in 2003 and the Cheerleaders of America championship in 2005.

Today's Mr. Cs attended and worked all home football games, and each got to attend an away game. "My game was South Carolina, which was an incredible experience," Newman says of Vanderbilt's 17-6 road win. "The enjoyment I got from running around all over the USC end zone after each of our touchdowns was absolutely amazing. Flying on a charter plane, eating insane amounts of free and delicious food, and staying in a gorgeous hotel weren't too bad, either."

Two of the Cs usually work the basketball games, alternating between Mr. C and his inflatable sidekick, Big C. They all agree that the new costume looks good, but it's also hot in there. "I wear a fleece muscle suit under the traditional outfit," Newman says. "It is meant to be the kind of suit that a Disney character would wear, to take pictures with little kids."

After honing their skills through regular workouts and practices, the three Cs went into action. "Being Mr. C doesn't entail that many duties other than being at the games and getting the fans pumped," Fagan says. "The latter can be hard, especially if we are losing, but that's what being Mr. C is all about. You have to be pumped all the time, no matter what.

"Interacting with fans is my favorite part. I love the older fans with their usual greeting of 'Mr. Commodore!' They remember and respect Mr. C. I also love the little fans with their greetings of 'Who's that?' or just a blank stare--but once you put out your hand for a high five, they are more than willing to oblige." 

Women's Golf: Allen Named Head Coach

Greg Allen has joined the Vanderbilt sports community as the new women's golf coach. He comes to Vanderbilt from the University of Arizona, where he had coached the women's team since 2000. During his tenure his teams won two Pac-10 conference championships and finished as an NCAA runner-up in 2002.

"We conducted an intensive national search, and everyone has good things to say about Greg Allen," says David Williams II, vice chancellor for university affairs, general counsel, and secretary of the university. "His vast experience running a top-10 program, his record as one of the nation's top recruiters, and his down-to-earth personality make him an ideal fit for us at this time."Allen has named former Commodore golfer Nicki Cutler, BS'03, a two-time All-SEC performer, as assistant coach. Allen succeeds former Coach Martha Richards, who accepted the same position at the University of Texas.

Men's Basketball: Nigerian Post Player Joins Commodores

Coach Kevin Stallings has added a sixth player to this year's class, Festus Ezeli, a 6-foot-11, 245- pound Nigerian. Ezeli also was recruited by Florida, Ohio State and Georgetown. "I've always told our staff not to worry about who else is recruiting a kid; he's got to be a player in our eyes," Stallings says. "But it obviously validates the young man's potential that other people viewed him the same way we do." At his request, Ezeli will be redshirted his freshman year. This year's signees include point guard Keegan Bell, forward Andre Walker, post player A.J. Ogilvy, forward Darshawn McClellan and wing Charles Hinkle.

Track and Field: Former Olympian Named Head Coach

D'Andre Hill, a former Olympic sprinter, has been named head coach of the women's track and field program. She comes to Vanderbilt after serving three years as an assistant coach for sprinters and relays at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Before joining TCU she was head coach at Dayton University in Ohio. She represented the United States in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and is the first African American head coach of a Vanderbilt sports program.

"We were fortunate to attract our top candidate to Vanderbilt," says Vice Chancellor David Williams II, "and believe D'Andre is the right person to develop the track and field program into a Southeastern Conference and national contender." Hill competed for Louisiana State University during her collegiate years, helping lead the Tigers to three straight national championships while running the 60, 100 and 200 meters as well as relays. She was a twotime NCAA individual outdoor champion in the 100 meters. While she directs the women's track and field program, Steve Keith, BA'81, will serve as head coach of Vanderbilt's women's and men's cross country teams and distance runners.

Women's Basketball:Vandy 3, Spain 0 in Summer Competition

Coach Melanie Balcomb saw her Commodores log a three-win, no-loss campaign in Spain during the summer. The team concluded its Spanish tour with a 101-59 victory over the Madrid All-Stars. Senior Liz Sherwood led Vanderbilt with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Five Commodores scored in double figures, including junior Christina Wirth and sophomores Lauren Lueders, Jessica Mooney and Amber Norton.

Tate Rich, BA'76, JD'79, still chuckles when reminded of the interception he returned 35 yards for a touchdown against UT-Chattanooga on Sept. 13, 1975.That play ranks in the Vanderbilt record books as one of the top-15 interception returns in school history."I tell people I was a prototype for Lawrence Taylor,"he laughs."I played when Bill Parcells was an assistant coach here."These days he works in the family business as president of Delta Coals, a Nashville-based coal sales agent for coal mines located in Virginia and Western Kentucky."I've been fortunate to work for the past 25 years with Doug Humphreys [BS'78], another member of the Vanderbilt football team,"he says."He's the owner of a family-operated coal mine in Wise County,Va."Rich and Humphreys also are involved in oil and gas production with fellow Vandy football player David Harber, BE'76, through Delta Oil and Gas, based in Tulsa, Okla. Rich and his wife, Nora Wellman Rich, BE'78, live in Nashville and have four children.

Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors, Southeastern Conference Tournament and regular-season championships, and a fistful of All-American selections showcased 2007 as the best year for Vanderbilt baseball in the history of the program.

The Commodores spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation. During their run the team logged a 20-8 conference record and claimed Vanderbilt's first-ever SEC regular- season championship with a 4-1 victory over Louisiana State University at Hawkins Field before a crowd of 2,685 fans.The Commodores' next challenge was the SEC Tournament, where they became the first team in conference history to come back from a firstround loss (4-6 to Tennessee) and win five straight to claim the crown. It was the first time an SEC team won both the regular season and tournament titles since Alabama in 1996.

"It takes a special team makeup to do what we did, to be the first team in SEC history to come back like that,"Coach Tim Corbin said of their tournament trek.

The NCAA rewarded Vanderbilt's seasonlong performance by naming the Commodores the No. 1 national seed in the 64-team NCAA baseball tournament and host of a regional first round. Hawkins Field, which seated approximately 2,000 fans in its most recent incarnation, expanded seating capacity by adding 1,500 bleacher seats and offering 200 standing-room-only tickets in the patio area in left field.All seats were sold within 36 hours.

Fans witnessed a remarkable series of games that also featured Austin Peay State University, the University ofMemphis, and the University ofMichigan.The Michigan Wolverines survived the remainder of the field and won the regional in a 4-3, 10-inning nail-biter over the Commodores.

"From a coaching standpoint, I don't think I've ever had as much fun in my whole life," Corbin said of this year's Commodores."They're low maintenance.There's not one selfish kid in the bunch. They're unbelievable, and trust me when I say this: I've never seen a team like this, and I think that's why we've been successful."

The postseason brought accolades and opportunities to a number of Commodores. David Price, a junior left-handed pitcher, garnered the lion's share of honors.He was drafted No. 1 overall in the Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and signed for a reported $11.25 million, six-year contract. Price was named Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association, Baseball America, CSTV and Collegiate Baseball. He also was named SEC Male Athlete of the Year and SEC Pitcher of the Year, and won the Dick Howser Trophy, Golden Spikes Award, Brooks Wallace Award and Roger Clemens Award. Joining Price on various All-American lists were sophomore Pedro Alvarez, junior Dominic de la Osa, sophomore Ryan Flaherty, senior pitcher Casey Weathers, and freshman pitcher Mike Minor.

Major League Baseball also drafted the following Commodores: Casey Weathers, Colorado; Dominic de la Osa, Detroit; Cody Crowell, BS'07, Toronto; Ty Davis, BS'07,Arizona; Tyler Rhoden, BS'07, Cincinnati; Jonathan White, Milwaukee; Stephen Shao, Colorado; Kellen St.Luce, Florida; Sean Bierman, Cincinnati; and Joey Manning, Philadelphia.

Coach Corbin was named SEC Coach of the Year,College Baseball Insider Co-Coach of the Year, and Vanderbilt Coach of the Year. The Commodores finished the season with a school-record 54 wins and 13 losses.

The Vanderbilt defense takes the field and gathers around player number 47. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound middle linebacker sets the defensive formation, and waits for the offensive play to begin and his opportunity to crush it.And when the ball is whistled dead and the bodies are sorted out, number 47, Jonathan Goff, is in the mix and ready to go again.

Goff, a redshirt senior, has anchored the Vanderbilt defense after winning a starting role three years ago. He entered the 2007 season having started 28 consecutive games, the most of any current Commodore. He returns as Vanderbilt's leading tackler and one of the Southeastern Conference's top active tacklers. He was named second-team All- SEC by the coaches last year and was a preseason All-SEC pick this year.He has been named a team co-captain for the second consecutive year and passed up a chance at the NFL draft to return for his final season of eligibility.

"It's a great honor to be elected again by my teammates,"Goff says. "I'm really appreciative of the support from my teammates and coaches and hope to be an outstanding leader for this football team."

"He's as steady as a rock," Coach Bobby Johnson says of Goff."He doesn't talk much and tries to lead by example. If you walked up to anyone in our locker room and asked who works the hardest or who our leader is, they'll say Jonathan Goff." Goff has been named to watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award, honors given annually to the best defensive players in the nation.

Born in Atlanta,Goff moved to the Boston area with his mother and older brother at the age of 2. He started playing football in the eighth grade and played high school football at St. John's Prep,where his team posted undefeated regular seasons in 2001 and 2002, and he was named All-Conference and a Prep- Star All-East pick."Before that I was a soccer kid," Goff recalls. "In high school I also enjoyed playing basketball and running track."

Goff was recruited by a number of colleges and offered scholarships at Wisconsin, Indiana and Northeastern.He chose Vanderbilt."Coach Johnson and his support staff seemed like they wanted to get the best out of me as a player, an athlete and a person," he says of his decision."I thought Vanderbilt would be the best place for me to grow and mature.

"My freshman year I did a lot of learning. I spent a lot of extra time in the weight room to develop myself physically and learn the defensive scheme. It took me some time to settle down and feel comfortable and understand it completely.My redshirt freshman year, I had the opportunity to start my first game against LSU down in Death Valley. I think it was their homecoming, too," he recalls with a smile.

"The place was packed, and it was more humid down there than any place I ever remember being. It was a real eye-opening experience. There's no other feeling like that. I sort of felt like I was being thrown into the lion's den, if you know what I mean. It was a great experience for me."

Through the next two years, Goff was getting more comfortable and his numbers reflected his progress. "It felt like the game was slowing down a lot. Just understanding offensive schemes a bit better and understanding where I fit and where my teammates fit into the defensive scheme have helped me a great deal and allowed me to make some plays."

"It seems we have a lot more talent than we've ever had," he says of the current crop of Commodores. "We have a lot of players who've come a long way. I think this is the best team and the best opportunity for us to go to a bowl game since I've been here, at least as far as talent."

Goff graduates in December with a degree in mechanical engineering."After graduation I'm going to prepare for the next level," he says, "working out and getting in shape for the scouts and NFL combines."