Clarence Gracey
Clarence "Pete" Gracey (December 18, 1910 – December 5, 2000)[1] was an American football player who was an All-American center for the Vanderbilt Commodores football team of Vanderbilt University.
 Gracey c. 1932 | |
| Vanderbilt Commodores – No. 24 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| Class | Graduate |
| Career history | |
| College | Vanderbilt (1930–1932) |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 18, 1910 Franklin, Tennessee |
| Died: | December 5, 2000 (aged 89) Nashville, Tennessee |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 188 lb (85 kg) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early years
Gracey was born in Franklin, Tennessee.
Vanderbilt University
He enrolled at Vanderbilt University in nearby Nashville, Tennessee in 1929, where, after an undefeated season on the freshman team,[2] he played for coach Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores varsity football team from 1930 to 1932.[3] He was a two-year starter at center for McGugin's Commodores, and the team compiled a three-year win-loss-tie record of 19–7–2 during his college career.[3]
1931
Gracey said "In my first varsity year, the night before we played Georgia Tech, Coach McGugin casually walked up to me in the lobby of our hotel, put his arm around my shoulder and sorta whispered, "I was with some Atlanta newspapermen this afternoon and I told them you were the finest sophomore center I had ever coached. I hope that I haven't made it embarrassing for you" We beat Tech, 49 to 7. Afterward I talked to seven other players and you know, Coach McGugin told them all the same thing he told me."[4]
1932
After leading the Commodores to a 6–1–2 record as a senior in 1932, he was a first-team All-Southern selection and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, when he received first-team honors from the New York World-Telegram and United Press (UP), and second-team accolades from the Associated Press (AP), International News Service (INS), Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), and the New York Sun.[3][5] The Commodores and rival Volunteers fought to a scoreless tie. "Considering that we lost such a valuable player as Pete Gracey so early in the game, I thought that Vanderbilt was very fortunate in getting out with a tie" said McGugin.[6]
References
- Dates of birth and death confirmed with Social Security Death Index for Clarence B. Gracey, SSN xxx-xx-9412, last residence 37215 Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, USA, born 18 Dec 1910, died 5 Dec 2000. Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line].
- Traughber 2011, p. 92
- Vanderbilt Football 2014 Fact Book Archived 2014-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, pp. 134, 142, 151 (2014). Retrieved August 17, 2014.
- Traughber 2011, p. 34
- 2014 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 2, 5, 17 (2014). Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- Traughber 2011, p. 100
Bibliography
- Traughber, Bill (2011). Vanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History. The History Press. ISBN 978-1-60949-423-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)