1976 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

The 1976 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. The Commodores were led by head coach Fred Pancoast in his second season and finished the season with a record of two wins and nine losses (2–9 overall, 0–6 in the SEC).

1976 Vanderbilt Commodores football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	2–9 (0–6 SEC)
Head coach	Fred Pancoast (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Richard Trail (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Frank Emanuel (2nd season)
Home stadium	Dudley Field
Seasons ← 1975 1977 →

1976 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Georgia $	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Alabama	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 20 Mississippi State	4	–	2	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Florida	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 18 Kentucky	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
LSU	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Auburn	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Ole Miss	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Tennessee	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Mississippi State later forfeited all 1976 wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	No. 5 Oklahoma*	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	L 3–24	34,694	[1]
September 18	Wake Forest*	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	W 27–24	21,900	[2]
September 25	at No. 13 Alabama	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	L 14–42	58,414	[3]
October 2	Tulane*	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	L 13–24	21,000	[4]
October 9	at No. 20 LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 20–33	66,835	[5]
October 16	at No. 11 Georgia	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	L 0–45	59,100	[6]
October 23	Ole Miss	Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)	L 3–20	23,000	[7]
November 6	at Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	L 0–14	57,269	[8]
November 13	Air Force*	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	W 34–10	21,900	[9]
November 20	at Cincinnati*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	L 7–33	11,265	[10]
November 27	Tennessee	Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)	L 10–13	34,694	[11]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Steve Curnutte	Defensive end	16	471	New York Giants

^[13]

References

1. "Sooners crush Vanderbilt, 24–3". The Sunday Express-News. September 12, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Gritty Mike Wright spurs Vandy, 27–24". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. September 19, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "'Bama swamps Vandy". Bristol Herald Courier. September 26, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Tulane returns set up VU loss". The Tennessean. October 3, 1976. Retrieved October 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Third quarter scoring propels Tiger comeback". The Daily Advertiser. October 10, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "'Dogs junk Vandy". The Pensacola News-Journal. October 17, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Rebs roll past Vandy by 20–3". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 24, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "'Cats celebrate homecoming by knocking off Vanderbilt". The Paducah Sun-Democrat. November 7, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Vanderbilt trips Air Force, 34–10". Fort Collins Coloradoan. November 14, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "UC impresses Vandy (33–7), but not bowls". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 21, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Battle bows out with a win as Vols plan to stalk Majors". The Commercial Appeal. November 28, 1976. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "1976 Vanderbilt Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
13. "1976 NFL Draft Listing | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2009.