Josh Cody
Encyclopedia
Joshua C. Cody was an American college athlete, head coach
and athletics director. Cody was a native of Tennessee
and an alumnus
of Vanderbilt University
, where he was a three-time All-American college football
player. After graduation from Vanderbilt, Cody coached college football, basketball
and baseball
and served as the athletics director at various universities, including Clemson University
, Vanderbilt, the University of Florida
and Temple University
.
, where he attended Battle Ground Academy
.
In 1914, at the age of 22, he enrolled at Vanderbilt University and played football for legendary coach Dan McGugin
. At 6 foot, 4 inches, and 225 pounds, Cody played offensive and defensive tackle, but was versatile enough to play quarterback
, running back
and place-kicker at times. He was known as a sure tackler and fierce blocker who helped the Commodores score 1,099 points in thirty-five games (31.4 points per game). Vanderbilt was 23–9–1 in his four seasons, including 21–3–3 in his final three years. He was also a member of the basketball
, baseball
and track and field
teams at Vanderbilt, earning thirteen varsity letter
s in all.
In Cody's freshman year, Vanderbilt finished with a 2–6 record, McGugin's first losing season and only the second losing season in the school's twenty-five years of playing football. In his second game, a 23–3 loss to Michigan
in Ann Arbor, Cody converted a 45-yard drop kick field goal. In his fifth game, a 20–7 loss to Virginia
, Cody threw a touchdown pass to Irby "Rabbit" Curry
, the team's regular quarterback.
Cody received his first All-America honor in 1914 from Outing
magazine. In 1915, Vanderbilt finished with a 9–1 record, and Cody earned his second All-America honor from Walter Camp
. The Commodores outscored their opponents by an incredible 514–38. Their only loss was a 35–10 setback to Virginia
. In 1916, Cody helped Vanderbilt to a 7–1–1 record, but was not recognize as an All-American.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War I
as a lieutenant
in 1917 and 1918, then returned to Vanderbilt for his senior year in 1919. The Commodores finished 5–1–2, and Cody was named an All-American for the third time, again by Walter Camp, to become the only Vanderbilt athlete to be named a three-time All-American.
. In 1923, he returned to Vanderbilt, where he became the head coach of the school's baseball and basketball teams. During that time, he also served as an assistant football coach to McGugin. Cody's 1926–1927 basketball team finished 20–4—the best record in school history—and won the Southern Conference
tournament championship.
From 1927 to 1930, he was the head coach of the Clemson
basketball and football teams. During his tenure, he compiled a 29–11–1 record as football coach, including a prefect 3–0 record against archrival South Carolina
and a near-perfect 13–0–1 at home. He was 48–55 as basketball coach. Cody was popular among the Clemson student body, who called him "Big Man" because of his large stature. In May 1929, when rumors were swirling that he might leave to coach a bigger-name program, the students, faculty and staff took up a collection to buy him a brand new black Buick
automobile.
In 1931, he returned to Vanderbilt as head coach of the basketball team and assistant football coach. In 1934, when McGugin retired, Cody was passed over for the head coaching job in favor of former Vanderbilt quarterback and SMU
coach Ray Morrison
. Morrison brought his own staff from SMU, but Cody remained basketball coach through the 1935–1936 season. His Commodores basketball teams tallied 51–50 in five seasons.
Disappointed at being passed over for the Commodores' football head coaching job, Cody left Vanderbilt in 1936 and, with McGugin's help, became athletic director and head football coach at Florida
, where he compiled a 17–24–2 record in four seasons from 1936 to 1939.
In 1940, he left Florida and became the line coach under Ray Morrison at Temple
. In 1942, he was appointed the head coach of the Temple basketball
team. In 1944, he guided the Owls to their first NCAA Tournament
berth, reaching the Elite Eight. He remained Temple's basketball coach until 1952—compiling a record of 124–103—and then became athletic director.
In 1955, after the sudden resignation of Albert Kawal
, he served one year as Temple's head football coach, compiling an 0–8 record.
In 1959, at the age of 67, he retired to his 190 acre (0.7689034 km²) farm across the Delaware River in Moorestown, New Jersey. He died in Mount Laurel, New Jersey on June 17, 1961.
in 1970 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
and athletics director. Cody was a native of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and an alumnus
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
of Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, where he was a three-time All-American college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
player. After graduation from Vanderbilt, Cody coached college football, basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
and baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
and served as the athletics director at various universities, including Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, Vanderbilt, the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
and Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
.
Early life and education
Josh Cody was born and raised in Franklin, TennesseeFranklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...
, where he attended Battle Ground Academy
Battle Ground Academy
Battle Ground Academy is an independent college-preparatory school for grades K-12 located in Franklin, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1889, the school was originally located on part of the site of the Battle of Franklin in the U.S. Civil War. BGA has two campuses. The Harpeth Campus is located on...
.
In 1914, at the age of 22, he enrolled at Vanderbilt University and played football for legendary coach Dan McGugin
Dan McGugin
Daniel Earle McGugin was an American football player, coach, and lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1904 to 1917 and again from 1919 to 1934, compiling a record of 197–55–19. He played college football at the University...
. At 6 foot, 4 inches, and 225 pounds, Cody played offensive and defensive tackle, but was versatile enough to play quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
and place-kicker at times. He was known as a sure tackler and fierce blocker who helped the Commodores score 1,099 points in thirty-five games (31.4 points per game). Vanderbilt was 23–9–1 in his four seasons, including 21–3–3 in his final three years. He was also a member of the basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
, baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
teams at Vanderbilt, earning thirteen varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s in all.
In Cody's freshman year, Vanderbilt finished with a 2–6 record, McGugin's first losing season and only the second losing season in the school's twenty-five years of playing football. In his second game, a 23–3 loss to Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
in Ann Arbor, Cody converted a 45-yard drop kick field goal. In his fifth game, a 20–7 loss to Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, Cody threw a touchdown pass to Irby "Rabbit" Curry
Irby Curry
Irby Rice "Rabbit" Curry was an American football quarterback for Vanderbilt University from 1914 to 1916. He was selected as a first-team All-Southern player in 1915 and 1916 and a third-team All-American in 1916...
, the team's regular quarterback.
Cody received his first All-America honor in 1914 from Outing
Outing (magazine)
Outing was a late-nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American magazine covering a variety of sporting activities. It began publication in 1882 as the Wheelman and had four title changes before ceasing publication in 1923....
magazine. In 1915, Vanderbilt finished with a 9–1 record, and Cody earned his second All-America honor from Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
. The Commodores outscored their opponents by an incredible 514–38. Their only loss was a 35–10 setback to Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
. In 1916, Cody helped Vanderbilt to a 7–1–1 record, but was not recognize as an All-American.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1917 and 1918, then returned to Vanderbilt for his senior year in 1919. The Commodores finished 5–1–2, and Cody was named an All-American for the third time, again by Walter Camp, to become the only Vanderbilt athlete to be named a three-time All-American.
Coaching career
After he graduated in 1920, he became the head football coach and athletic director at MercerMercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
. In 1923, he returned to Vanderbilt, where he became the head coach of the school's baseball and basketball teams. During that time, he also served as an assistant football coach to McGugin. Cody's 1926–1927 basketball team finished 20–4—the best record in school history—and won the Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
tournament championship.
From 1927 to 1930, he was the head coach of the Clemson
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference....
basketball and football teams. During his tenure, he compiled a 29–11–1 record as football coach, including a prefect 3–0 record against archrival South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
and a near-perfect 13–0–1 at home. He was 48–55 as basketball coach. Cody was popular among the Clemson student body, who called him "Big Man" because of his large stature. In May 1929, when rumors were swirling that he might leave to coach a bigger-name program, the students, faculty and staff took up a collection to buy him a brand new black Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
automobile.
In 1931, he returned to Vanderbilt as head coach of the basketball team and assistant football coach. In 1934, when McGugin retired, Cody was passed over for the head coaching job in favor of former Vanderbilt quarterback and SMU
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
coach Ray Morrison
Ray Morrison
J. Ray Morrison was an American football and baseball player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball in the United States...
. Morrison brought his own staff from SMU, but Cody remained basketball coach through the 1935–1936 season. His Commodores basketball teams tallied 51–50 in five seasons.
Disappointed at being passed over for the Commodores' football head coaching job, Cody left Vanderbilt in 1936 and, with McGugin's help, became athletic director and head football coach at Florida
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
, where he compiled a 17–24–2 record in four seasons from 1936 to 1939.
In 1940, he left Florida and became the line coach under Ray Morrison at Temple
Temple Owls football
The Temple Owls football team participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference...
. In 1942, he was appointed the head coach of the Temple basketball
Temple Owls men's basketball
The Temple Owls men's basketball team represents Temple University in the Atlantic 10 Conference at the Division I level. The program is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The head men's basketball coach is Fran Dunphy.-History:...
team. In 1944, he guided the Owls to their first NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
berth, reaching the Elite Eight. He remained Temple's basketball coach until 1952—compiling a record of 124–103—and then became athletic director.
In 1955, after the sudden resignation of Albert Kawal
Albert Kawal
Albert P. "Al" Kawal was an American football and basketball player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Drake University , Temple University , and Southern Illinois University Carbondale , compiling a career college football record of...
, he served one year as Temple's head football coach, compiling an 0–8 record.
In 1959, at the age of 67, he retired to his 190 acre (0.7689034 km²) farm across the Delaware River in Moorestown, New Jersey. He died in Mount Laurel, New Jersey on June 17, 1961.
Honors
In 1969, Cody was named by the Football Writers Association to the 1869–1918 Early Era All-American Team. He was elected to the College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1970 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
Football
Basketball
See also
- 1914 College Football All-America Team1914 College Football All-America TeamThe 1914 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1914. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp...
- 1915 College Football All-America Team1915 College Football All-America TeamThe 1915 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1915. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp.-Key:*WC = Collier's Weekly as...
- 1919 College Football All-America Team1919 College Football All-America TeamThe 1919 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations for the 1919 college football season.-Key:* WC = Walter Camp...
- Clemson TigersClemson TigersThe Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference....
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1930–1939
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (players, A–K)
- List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (players, L–Z)
- List of Florida Gators head football coaches
- List of Vanderbilt University people
- Temple OwlsTemple OwlsTemple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a very long-running athletic program. The school's sports teams are called the Owls, originating from the university's early days as a night school. The current athletic director is Bill Bradshaw....
- University Athletic AssociationUniversity of Florida Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...
- Vanderbilt CommodoresVanderbilt CommodoresThe Vanderbilt Commodores are the NCAA athletic teams of Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. The university fields 16 varsity teams , 14 of which compete in the Southeastern Conference...