Fatty Lawrence

Robert Landy "Fatty" Lawrence (May 6, 1903 – August, 1976)[1] was a college football player who went on to become the superintendent of Nashville’s Water and Sewerage Services Department from 1932 to 1971;[2][3][4] namesake of the Robert L. Lawrence Jr., Filtration Plant. He was the father of United States Navy vice admiral William P. Lawrence and the grandfather of NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence.

Not to be confused with Fats Lawrence.
Fatty Lawrence
Born(1903-05-06)May 6, 1903
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedAugust, 1976 (aged 73)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation(s)head of Nashville’s Water and Sewerage Services Department
College football career
Vanderbilt Commodores – No. 19; 15
PositionGuard
ClassGraduate
Personal information
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career history
CollegeVanderbilt (1921–1924)
High schoolHume-Fogg
Career highlights and awards
  • SIAA championship (1921)
  • SoCon championship (1922, 1923)

Vanderbilt University

Lawrence was a prominent guard for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores football team of Vanderbilt University from 1921 to 1924.[5] He was a part of three conference titles.

1922

In the second week of play of 1922 against Henderson-Brown, Vanderbilt won 33 to 0. Lawrence recovered a fumble in the end zone for Vanderbilt's fourth touchdown.[6] Lawrence also intercepted a pass in the scoreless tie with Michigan.[7] He was mentioned as one of the players of the game in the 14 to 6 victory over Tennessee. The Nashville Banner said Lawrence had been "in there doing a man's job blocking a kick and tackling with the deadliness of a tiger unleashed in a cave of lions."[8]

1924

He was selected All-Southern by his teammates.[9]

References
  1. "Family Search".
  2. "Nashville > Water Services > About Us > History > Superintendents and Directors".
  3. Rob Simbeck (August 1, 1996). "One Soldier's Story".
  4. Robert L. Lawrence Jr. (1939). "Cross-Connection Elimination in Nashville". Journal of the American Water Works Association. 31 (6): 977. doi:10.1002/j.1551-8833.1939.tb12834.x.
  5. "Vanderbilt Will Lose Six Gridiron Stars". Spartanburg Herald. December 8, 1924.
  6. closed access "Vandy Defeats Arkansas Team." The Macon Daily Telegraph 8 Oct. 1922: 8.
  7. closed access Sam S. Greene (October 15, 1922). "Michigan and Vanderbilt play to Scoreless Tie In Commodores' Stadium: Southerns Spring Surprise on Rivals". Detroit Free Press.
  8. Russell, Fred, and Maxwell Edward Benson. Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football. Nashville, TN, 1938, p. 40–41
  9. Lawrence Perry (December 4, 1924). "Game's For The Sake". Harrisburg Telegraph. p. 20. Retrieved March 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
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