Josh Cody

Josh Cody (June 11, 1892 – June 17, 1961) was an American college athlete, head coach and athletics director. He played college football at Vanderbilt and was a three-time All-American. After graduation from Vanderbilt, he coached college football, basketball and baseball and served as athletics director at various colleges.

College All-American

Josh Cody was born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee, where he attended Battle Ground Academy.

In 1914, at the age of 22, he enrolled at Vanderbilt and played football for legendary coach Dan McGugin. At 6-foot-4, 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 35 games (31.4 ppg). Vanderbilt was 23-9-1 in his four seasons, including 21-3-3 in his final 3 years. He was also a member of the basketball, baseball and track and field teams at Vanderbilt, earning 13 varsity letters 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 25 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 normal quarterback.

In 1915, Vanderbilt finished with a 9-1 record, and Cody earned his first All-America honor. 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 and was once again named an All-American.

He served in the army during World War I as a lieutenant in 1917 and 1918, then returned to Vanderbilt for his senior year. The Commodores finished 5-1-2 and Cody was named an All-American for the third time, the only Vanderbilt player to do so.

Coaching Career

After he graduated in 1920, he became the head football coach and athletic director at Mercer. In 1923, he returned to Vanderbilt, where he became the school's baseball and basketball head coaches. During that time, he also served as an assistant football coach to McGugin. The 1926-27 basketball team finished 20-4 -- the best record in school history -- and won the Southern Conference.

From 1927 to 1930, he was the head football and basketball coach at Clemson. During his tenure, he compiled a 29-11-1 record as football coach, including a 3-0 record against archrival South Carolina and a 13-0-1 home mark. 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.

In 1931, he returned to Vanderbilt as head basketball coach 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 1935-36 season. He went 51-50 in five seasons as basketball coach.

Disappointed at missing out on the Commodores' 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.

In 1940, he left Florida and became line coach under Morrison at Temple. In 1942, he was appointed the head basketball coach at Temple. 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 farm across the Delaware River in Moorestown, New Jersey, where he died 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 Fame in 1970 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

External links

• Josh Cody, a College Football Hall of Famer
• Josh Cody, Clemson Football Coach
• College Football Hall of Fame Biography