Jimmy Armistead

James Cate Armistead (August 29, 1905 – March 1984) was an American college football player.

Jimmy Armistead
Vanderbilt Commodores
PositionRunning back/Quarterback
ClassGraduate
Personal information
Born:(1905-08-29)August 29, 1905
Nashville, Tennessee
Died:March 1984
Nashville, Tennessee
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight174 lb (79 kg)
Career history
CollegeVanderbilt (1926–1928)
High schoolHume-Fogg
Career highlights and awards

Early years

James Cate Armistead was born on August 29, 1905, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Wirt Mayo Armistead and Sarah Adeline Cate.

High school

Armistead attended Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville, Tennessee. The first game played at Dudley Field was between the home-standing Commodores and the powerful Michigan Wolverines. A goal-line stand by the Commodores preserved a 0–0 tie.[1] The following Friday, nearby Hume-Fogg High School played a game at Dudley. Senior Jimmie Armistead returned the opening kick for a touchdown, providing the first touchdown ever recorded in the stadium.

Armistead c. 1928

Vanderbilt

Armistead was a prominent running back for the Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University from 1926 to 1928. He was also bald,[2] called by one writer "the bald eagle of Vanderbilt."[3]

1926

He started slow; "Nature neglected to endow him with pugnacity; Or even aggressiveness. As a sophomore, he was so timid on attack that he was as easy to snuff out as a candle."[4] He was always shy, and took no joy in seeing his opponent fail.[5] In 1926, Vanderbilt lost its only game to national champion Alabama. Armistead once caught a pass in the game and was tackled just a few yards short of the goal without fighting for extra yardage. From there Vanderbilt failed to score; and so some Vanderbilt fans blamed Armistead for the loss.[5]

1927

He took the criticism of 1926 to heart and emerged a new player in 1927.[5] Armistead led the nation in scoring in 1927 with 138 points,[6] a year in which he was a target of quarterback Bill Spears.[7]

1928

When Spears graduated, Armistead was the triple-threat option,[4] i.e. he now had to pass and kick, as well as captain.[8] Armistead starred in the 14 to 7 victory over Kentucky.[9] He made the second-team of the composite All-Southern eleven behind Florida quarterback Clyde Crabtree.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Vanderbilt Stadium". Vanderbilt Athletics. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
  2. "Family Stuff, Says Armistead, As He Explains His Bald Head". The Pittsburgh Press. August 26, 1928.
  3. "Southern Grid Teams to Lose Many Stars At Close of Season". The Evening Independent. December 1, 1928.
  4. Blinkey Horn (November 13, 1928). "Armistead of Vanderbilt Dixie's Brightest Star". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2015 – via Google news archive. open access
  5. "Bald Headed Grid Captain Leads Vandy". The Montana Standard. November 13, 1928. p. 13. Retrieved March 28, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. Ernie Couch (30 July 2001). SEC Football Trivia. ISBN 9781418571788.
  7. Mark Purcell (November 1988). "Spears and Vandy excitement in 1927" (PDF). College Football Historical Society. 2 (1). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-09-11. Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  8. "Southern Star". Daily Illini. September 28, 1928.
  9. "Leads Vanderbilt Attack" (PDF). The Technique. November 9, 1928.
  10. "All Southern Selections". The Kingsport Times. December 7, 1928.
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