Joshua Crittenden Cody (June 11, 1892 – June 17, 1961) was an American college athlete,

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

, and athletics director. "Josh" Cody was a native of

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

and an

alumnus Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

, where he earned 13 letters playing several sports. As a versatile tackle and blocker on the Vanderbilt Commodores football team, he was a three-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. During his four years on the team, Cody helped Vanderbilt score 1,099 points, winning 23 of 35 games. In 1969, Cody was named by the

Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...

to the 1869–1918 Early Era All-American Team. He was inducted as a player into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 1970. Coach Charley Moran called Cody the greatest tackle ever to play in the South. After graduation from Vanderbilt, Cody coached

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and served as the athletics director at various universities, including:

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

, the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

and

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

. He also was an assistant for head football coaches Dan McGugin and Ray Morrison at Vanderbilt. Cody coached three different schools in the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conferen ...

's (S.I.A.A.) basketball tournament. His Vanderbilt team won the tournament in 1927. During the late 1950s, Cody was a seminal athletic director in the fight against racial segregation in sports, particularly in the southern US. Cody was one of the early basketball coaches who could claim a personal relationship with Dr. James A. Naismith, the inventor of the game.

Early life and education

Josh Cody was born in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...

, on June 11, 1892, the second of James Wadkins and Sarah Elizabeth (née Crittenden) Cody's three children. Cody's father was a house painter. The family lived in Alabama for a time and moved back to Tennessee. Cody was raised in Franklin and graduated high school from Battle Ground Academy prep school. His high school nickname was "Buff" because his surname reminded people of "Buffalo Bill" Cody.

College career began at Bethel College

Cody first played football for three seasons at the Russellville, Kentucky campus of Bethel College. In 1912 the Bethel football team suffered a 105–0 loss to Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt University

In 1914, at the age of 22, he enrolled at

and was a member of the football,

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

, and

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

teams, earning a total of thirteen

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. A person who ...

s. One source called Cody: "the

interference Interference is the act of interfering, invading, or poaching. Interference may also refer to: Communications * Interference (communication), anything which alters, modifies, or disrupts a message * Adjacent-channel interference, caused by extra ...

-smashingest, goal-cageingest, home-run knockingest, super-athlete in all

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas have shifted over the years), or the extent of the area i ...

." ''

Nashville Banner The ''Nashville Banner'' is a defunct daily newspaper of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, which published from April 10, 1876 until February 20, 1998. The ''Banner'' was published each Monday through Friday afternoon (as well as Saturdays unt ...

'' sportswriter and Vanderbilt alumnus Fred Russell described Cody: "When I think of Josh in his college days, I get a mental picture of this great big fellow playing

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

in the spring between

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

s running out beyond the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

to throw the shot or the discus in his baseball uniform. He was unbelievably skilled and nimble for a big man in basketball, and in football where he's a legend."

Football

Cody played for legendary coach Dan McGugin's football team as an offensive and

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

(teams played one-platoon football in those days), but was versatile enough to play

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

, and kicker at times.

Fuzzy Woodruff Lorenzo Ferguson "Fuzzy" Woodruff (May 27, 1884 – December 7, 1929) was an early 20th-century American sportswriting, sportswriter known throughout most of the American Southeast, southeast for his vivid writing. He was also a music and drama cr ...

described Cody as "a great kicker and a tower of strength on offense." VandyCody

He was a very large player at some , and . McGugin later selected him as one of the six best players he ever coached. Cody was known as a sure tackler and a fierce blocker, who helped the

Commodores Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and Soul music, soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as m ...

score 1,099 points to 226 in thirty-five games (31.4 points per game). During Cody’s four years at Vanderbilt, the Commodores posted a record of 23-9-3. Cody was selected to at least one All-Southern team every year he played, and for an All-time Vanderbilt team published in its 1934 yearbook. Charley Moran called Cody the greatest tackle ever to play in the South. Journalist

Ralph McGill Ralph Emerson McGill (February 5, 1898 – February 3, 1969) was an American journalist and editorialist. An anti-segregationist editor, he published the ''Atlanta Constitution'' newspaper. He was a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Ju ...

, once a teammate of Cody's, said:

He was a great big fellow and one of the most seriously dedicated fellows I've ever met. He was a farm boy and he didn't have any polish but he was very honest and sincere. He didn't have scholarship—we had none in those days— but he had a real job. He literally cleaned the gymnasium every day, cleaned up the locker rooms and the showers, and tended to the coal furnace after practice. He was a big man, squarely built, quiet, almost shy, and enormously decent. He practiced long hours to
place kick The place kick is a type of kicking play commonly used in American football, association football, association football (soccer), Canadian football, rugby league, and rugby union. It was historically used in Australian rules football, but it was ...
and became the team's place kicker. He wasn't fast, but he was fast for a big man. He didn't like to wear pads. He got a hold of an old quilt and sewed it to the shoulders of the jersey and that was all the padding he wore.

1914

In Cody's freshman year of

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...

, Vanderbilt returned only ten men with experience and finished with a 2–6 record, McGugin's first losing season, and only the second losing season in the school's twenty-five years of playing football. In his second game, a 23–3 loss to

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

, Cody converted a 45-yard (41.148 m)

drop kick A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player intentionally dropping the ball onto the ground and then kicking it either (different sports have different definitions) 'as it rises from the first bounce' ( rugby ...

field goal. At one point he also fell on Michigan's Tommy Hughitt while both dove after a

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

. Though the referees did not call roughing, Michigan was bitter about the lack of a call throughout the game, and shortly after even threatened to end the contest between the two schools. In his fifth game, a 20–7 loss to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, Cody dropped back into the

backfield The offensive backfield is the area of an American football field behind the line of scrimmage, and players positioned there on offense who begin plays behind the line, typically including the quarterback and running backs ( halfbacks and full ...

and threw a touchdown pass to Irby "Rabbit" Curry, the team's regular quarterback. Cody received his first national honor at season's end from ''

Outing Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBTQ person's sexual orientation or gender identity without their consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia, biphobia, and/or transphobia Transphobia consists ...

'' magazine's Football Roll of Honor.

1915

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January *January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 * ...

, Vanderbilt finished with a 9–1 record and a

(SIAA) championship. Cody earned his second national honor – a third team, All-America selection from

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American college football player and coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage a ...

. The " point-a-minute" Commodores outscored their opponents by an incredible 514–38. Their only loss was a 35–10 setback to

— a game in which Cody

ed a 20-yard field goal. Cody personally took over the Auburn game after Vanderbilt was up 17–0. In one of the greatest exhibitions of punt covering, Cody smothered the receiver every time, recovering two fumbles, including one across the goal line for a touchdown. Then, in the last ten seconds of play, Cody dropped kicked a three-pointer from the 33-yard line. In the season's final game against rival Sewanee, tackles Cody and Tom Lipscomb blocked a punt leading to the game's second touchdown. Irby Curry later had an 80-yard touchdown with Cody clearing the path. The final score was 28–3. Cody also received an offer to play for Navy.

1916–1918

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

, Cody helped Vanderbilt to a 7–1–1 record, and was selected All-Southern, but was not recognized as an All-American. The season started with a question over his eligibility due to formerly playing at Bethel, but was resolved.

= World War I

= He was elected captain of next year's team at season's end, but instead served in the U.S. Army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1917 and 1918. Cody played football during the war at Camp Jackson.

1919

Cody then returned to Vanderbilt for his senior year in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

. Cody again starred in the Auburn game, giving the SIAA champion its only loss on the year with a 15-yard fumble return and extra point to win 7–6. The Commodores finished 5–1–2, and Cody was named an All-American for the third time, as he again earned a third-team selection by Walter Camp; becoming the only Vanderbilt athlete to be named a three-time All-American. He spurned an offer from the Canton Bulldogs to play professional football.

Basketball

Cody was a forward on the basketball teams coached by Ray Morrison. Tom Zerfoss and Cody were the starting forwards on the SIAA champion 1919–1920 team. As a senior, Cody won the

Porter Cup The Porter Cup is a 72-hole, medal-play elite amateur golf tournament held annually at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, New York. It was first played in 1959 and over the years has hosted some of the biggest names in golf. Past champion ...

as the school's best all-around athlete.

Coaching career

Coaching philosophy

While coaching at Mercer, Cody was quoted as telling the team "Of course I want you to win. My job depends on it. But rather than for you to commit one unsportsmanlike act, I'd prefer to lose every game we play."

Mercer University

After graduating college in 1920,

Mercer University Mercer University is a Private university, private Research university, research university in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the s ...

in Macon, Georgia hired Cody as its "Physical Director" - the head coach and athletic director of all college sport. The Mercer University Bulletin said of Cody:

"No fairer, squarer athlete ever played a game, and when the final history of southern football is written the name of Josh Cody will stand as that of the greatest tackle that ever crossed chalk marks of Dixie."

In 1922 the Mercer Baptists football team was crippled, having many star players out with

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by dengue virus, prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas. Asymptomatic infections are uncommon, mild cases happen frequently; if symptoms appear, they typically begin 3 to 14 days after i ...

. Former

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

running back Everett Strupper was an assistant coach. The

basketball team Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

was led by George Harmon and won the SIAA as runner-up to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in the 1922 SoCon men's basketball tournament.

Vanderbilt

In 1923, he returned to Vanderbilt, where he became the head coach of the school's baseball and basketball teams. During that time, he also served as an assistant football coach to McGugin. Cody's first year as an assistant on the football team in

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

saw the last conference title for Vanderbilt in the sport to date. In

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

, the football team lost only to Wade's Alabama. His 1926–27 basketball team finished 20–4—the best record in school history—and won the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

tournament championship. Cody had a variety of superstitions while coaching his basketball team, including not laundering jerseys during a winning streak until a game was lost, and starting contests with the same lineup.

Clemson University

From 1927 to 1930, Cody was head coach of both the Clemson basketball and football teams, the last coach at Clemson to coach two revenue-producing sports.Sam Blackman,
Program Feature: Josh Cody, Former Tiger Coach also led Temple teams
," Clemson Tigers (October 20, 2005). Retrieved February 16, 2010. During his tenure, he compiled a 29–11–1 record as football coach, including a perfect 4–0 record against archrival

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and a near-perfect 13–0–1 at home.College Football Data Warehouse, All-Time Coaching Records
Josh C. Cody Records by Year
. Retrieved February 16, 2010. He was 48–55 as basketball coach. Cody was popular with the Clemson student body, who called him "Big Man" because of his large stature. In 1927 he gave future Vanderbilt head football coach

Red Sanders Henry Russell "Red" Sanders (May 7, 1905 – August 14, 1958) was an American college football player and coach. He was head footnall coach at Vanderbilt University (1940–1942, 1946–1948) and the University of California, Los Angeles (1949 ...

his first coaching job as backfield coach. 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 Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

automobile. Raymond Johnson wrote upon Cody's death: "Josh Cody wanted to be Vanderbilt's coach so bad that he gave up the head man's job at Clemson College after four successful seasons." Cody and athletic director Mutt Gee were the impetus in building the Clemson Field House gymnasium. The on-campus recreation facility project cost $60,000 (). Fred Russell had a well-known story of Cody during a chicken-eating contest at Clemson with Herman Stegeman, the coach at Georgia. "Josh weighed about 260 then. He outstripped Stegeman by eleven chickens. He wasn't satisfied just to win. He just went on to a decisive victory." As Cody explained: "I got two chickens ahead of him early and just coasted."

Vanderbilt again

In 1931, he returned to Vanderbilt as head coach of the basketball team and assistant football coach. In his second stint as Vanderbilt's basketball coach, Cody went 51–50. 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 and neglected Cody's coaching abilities, but Cody remained basketball coach through the 1935–1936 season. His Commodores basketball teams tallied 51–50 in five seasons.

Florida

Disappointed at being passed over for the Commodores' football head coaching job, Cody left Vanderbilt in 1936 and, with McGugin's help, was picked by Edgar Jones to become athletic director and head football coach at

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, where he succeeded Dutch Stanley and compiled a poor 17–24–2 record in the four seasons from

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...

. Florida's lone All- SEC selection during this period was Walter "Tiger" Mayberry in

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

. The 1937 team defeated the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

in the two teams' annual

rivalry game Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a university or college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry, whic ...

for the first time in eight years. In

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

, Cody lost at home to

Pop Warner Glenn Scobey Warner (April 5, 1871 – September 7, 1954), most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game. Included among his inn ...

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

20–12 in the last game Warner ever coached. Perhaps Cody's finest moment as the Gators' head coach was the 7–0 upset of coach

Frank Leahy Francis William Leahy (August 27, 1908 – June 21, 1973) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He served as the head football coach at Boston College from 1939 to ...

's then-undefeated, second-ranked

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

in his final season. Sophomore end Fergie Ferguson, namesake of the

Fergie Ferguson Award The Forest K. Ferguson Award, commonly known as the "Fergie Ferguson Award," is presented annually to a senior member of the Florida Gators football team in memory of one of the University of Florida's greatest athletes. Namesake The award ta ...

, was the defensive star of the game for the Gators.

Temple

In 1940, he left Florida and became the line coach under Ray Morrison at Temple. In 1942, he was appointed the head coach of the Temple basketball team. In 1944, he guided the Owls to their first NCAA tournament berth, reaching the Elite Eight. One of his clinics and games at Temple in 1947 drew several hundred players, coaches, and fans. 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. Temple's retirement policy allowed early retirement at age 65 and mandatory retirement at 67. Cody retired at 67 years old in June, 1959.

Early efforts to fight segregation in sports

In 1957 Temple's basketball team was integrated and had earned a place in the NCAA Tournament regional playoff in then segregated Charlotte, North Carolina. Cody was asked about the possibility his team's black players would not be able to enter restaurants or hotels with their fellow white players. Cody threatened to boycott the scheduled NCAA regional tournament game, saying "We will not go down there, if we cannot go as a team... eat together and be housed together. No other arrangement will be acceptable to us... If our team can't go together, we won't go". Cody also insisted the tournament playoff audience not be segregated.Bill Traughber,
Josh Cody, a College Football Hall of Famer
," Vanderbilt Commodores (September 30, 2009). Retrieved February 16, 2010.

Retirement, death and burial

Cody retired to his farm across the Delaware River in

Moorestown, New Jersey Moorestown is a Township (New Jersey), township in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia and geographically part of the South Jersey region of the state. As of ...

which mostly produced grain. Asked why he purchased the property when he moved from Florida, Cody explained "I had decided I was moving for good. I bought that old farm and figured if Temple fired me I'd still manage to put food on the table". "I guess you can take the boy out of Tennessee but not Tennessee out of the boy". He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while feeding dogs at his son's nearby home in

Mount Laurel, New Jersey Mount Laurel is a Township (New Jersey), township in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading, Pennsylvania, Reading-Camd ...

on June 17, 1961. Cody was buried June 26, 1961 in Beverly National Cemetery located in Beverly, New Jersey. Former Vanderbilt quarterback Tommy Henderson said after learning of Cody's death:

Josh was one of my closest friends until he went to Temple. After that I'm afraid we lost contact. He had a lasting influence on the men who played for him. He was kind and considerate but demanding, too. He was a fine defensive basketball coach who believed in aggressive defensive fundamentals. In football, he was respected for what he knew and what he could do with his material."

Accolades

* In 1929, Cody served as an officer and board member of the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the men's basketball head coach for the Univ ...

of the United States (NABC). * In 1969, in honor of the centennial of collegiate football, the

named two "College Football All-Time Teams" of eleven players — an "early" team consisting of players who played prior to 1920, and a "modern" team who played in 1920 and after.National Collegiate Athletic Association, ''The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Guide, 1970.'' Phoenix, AZ: College Athletics Publishing Service, 1970; p. 161. Cody was picked as one of two tackles for the pre-1920 squad. * In 1969, Cody was named to the Southeast Area All-Time football team (1869–1919 era) by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. * In 1970, Cody was inducted into the

. * In 1999, Cody was inducted into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Head coaching record

Football

Basketball

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cody, Josh 1892 births 1961 deaths American football drop kickers American football tackles American men's basketball players Forwards (basketball) Bethel Warriors football players Clemson Tigers football coaches Clemson Tigers men's basketball coaches Florida Gators athletic directors Florida Gators football coaches Florida Gators men's basketball coaches Mercer Bears athletic directors Mercer Bears baseball coaches Mercer Bears football coaches Mercer Bears men's basketball coaches Temple Owls athletic directors Temple Owls football coaches Temple Owls men's basketball coaches Vanderbilt Commodores football coaches Vanderbilt Commodores football players Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball coaches Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players Vanderbilt Commodores men's track and field athletes All-American college football players All-Southern college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees United States Army personnel of World War I Sportspeople from Franklin, Tennessee Sportspeople from Moorestown, New Jersey Coaches of American football from Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee Baseball coaches from Tennessee Basketball coaches from Tennessee Basketball players from Tennessee 20th-century American sportsmen

Early life and education

College career began at Bethel College

Vanderbilt University

Football

1914

1915

1916–1918

= World War I

1919

Basketball

Coaching career

Coaching philosophy

Mercer University

Vanderbilt

Clemson University

Vanderbilt again

Florida

Temple

Early efforts to fight segregation in sports

Retirement, death and burial

Accolades

Head coaching record

Football

Basketball

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links