Don Orr

Last updated
Don Orr
Vanderbilt CommodoresNo. 10
Position Quarterback
ClassGraduate
Career history
College Vanderbilt (1955)
Bowl games
Career highlights and awards
  • Vanderbilt's first bowl victory

Donald C. Orr was an American football player and official. [1] He was born in Miami, Florida. [2]

Contents

Vanderbilt University

Orr was a prominent quarterback for the Vanderbilt Commodores football teams of Vanderbilt University. [1]

1955

Orr led Vanderbilt to its first bowl victory by defeating Auburn 25 to 13 in the 1955 Gator Bowl. He was selected Vanderbilt's MVP of the game, and received a standing ovation upon getting the award. [3] [4] Vandy's first two scores were a pass Orr to Joe Stephenson and a run by Orr respectively. [5]

NFL draft

He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 26th round of the 1956 NFL Draft; but he never talked to the team. [1]

Official

Orr was a prominent National Football League (NFL) official for 25 seasons, from 1971 through 1995, [4] serving as a field judge in three Super Bowls. [1] He wore uniform number 77 for the majority of his NFL career. As a side judge in the 1979 AFC Championship Game between the Houston Oilers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Orr made a controversial incomplete pass call denying Oilers receiver Mike Renfro an apparent game-tying touchdown late in the third quarter. [6] The Oilers subsequently settled for a field goal and went on to lose 27–13. [6] The controversy prompted calls for the NFL to institute replay review. [7]

Contracting

Though officially retired in 2006, Orr serves as chairman of the board of Nashville Machine Co., a prominent regional mechanical contracting company. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dynamite (fight song)</span> Vanderbilt University fight song

"Dynamite" is the official fight song of Vanderbilt University, written by Vanderbilt alumni Francis Craig in 1938 a week prior to a football game between the college and the University of Tennessee. It is played at football games, basketball games, and at other Commodore sports events.

Stephen Charles Sloan is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of Alabama from 1962 to 1965 and then played for two seasons in the National Football League with the Atlanta Falcons (1966–1967). Sloan served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University (1973–1974), Texas Tech University (1975–1977), the University of Mississippi (1978–1982), and Duke University (1983–1986), compiling a career record of 68–86–3. He also served as the athletic director at the University of Alabama, the University of North Texas, University of Central Florida, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before his retirement in 2006. In 2000, Sloan was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan McGugin</span> American football player, coach, and lawyer (1879–1936)

Daniel Earle McGugin was an American college football player and coach, as well as a lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1904 to 1917 and again from 1919 to 1934, compiling a record of 197–55–19. He is the winningest head coach in the history of the university. McGugin was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1951 as part of its inaugural class. He was the brother-in-law of University of Michigan coach Fielding H. Yost.

Arthur Leo Guepe was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Virginia from 1946 to 1952 and Vanderbilt University from 1953 to 1962, compiling a career college football record of 86–71–9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jess Neely</span>

Jesse Claiborne Neely was an American football player, a baseball and football coach. He was head football coach at Southwestern University from 1924 to 1927, at Clemson University from 1931 to 1939 and at Rice University from 1940 to 1966, compiling a career college football record of 207–176–19. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Morrison</span> American athlete and coach (1885–1982)

J. Ray Morrison was an American football and baseball player and a coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University, Vanderbilt University, Temple University (1940–1948), and Austin College (1949–1952), compiling a career college football record of 155–130–33. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Cody</span> American athlete and coach

Joshua Crittenden Cody was an American college athlete, head coach, and athletics director. Cody was a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of Vanderbilt University, where he played several sports. As a versatile tackle on the football team, he was a three-time All-American. In 1969, Cody was named by the Football Writers Association of America to the 1869–1918 Early Era All-American Team. He was inducted as a player into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970. Coach Charley Moran called Cody the greatest tackle ever to play in the South.

The 1974 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. The Commodores scored 313 points while allowing 199 points. Led by head coach Steve Sloan, the Commodores had their best record since 1955 and appeared in the school's second bowl game. Vanderbilt did not return to a bowl game until 1982.

The 1975 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. The team was led by head coach Fred Pancoast, who replaced Steve Sloan. In 1974, Sloan had led Vanderbilt to a bowl game for the first time since 1955, before leaving to become head coach at Texas Tech, the team Vanderbilt had faced in the Peach Bowl to close the season. The Vanderbilt squad finished the season with a record of 7–4, but was not invited to a bowl game. Three of the Commodores's four defeats came by margins of more than 30 points while all seven of their victors were by ten or fewer points.

The 1955 Gator Bowl, part of the 1955 bowl game season, was the eleventh annual contest and took place on December 31, 1955, at the Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The competing teams were the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Auburn Tigers, both representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Vanderbilt upset favored Auburn 25–13 to secure their first ever bowl victory. This remained the lone bowl victory for the Commodores until their 16–14 victory over Boston College in the 2008 Music City Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1922 Vanderbilt Commodores football team</span> American college football season

The 1922 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 1922 Southern Conference football season. During the season, Dan McGugin's 18th as head coach, Vanderbilt compiled a record of 8–0–1 and outscored its opponents 177 to 16. The Commodores' defense was unrivaled in the South, leading the nation in giving up just 1.8 points per game, none of them at home. The season included a tie with Michigan at the dedication of the new Dudley Field; the first stadium in the South to be used exclusively for college football. The season was immediately dubbed one of the best in Vanderbilt and Southern football history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores. They are both founding members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Vanderbilt and Tennessee have played 117 times since 1892. Tennessee leads the all-time series 78–33–5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sewanee–Vanderbilt football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Sewanee–Vanderbilt football rivalry was an American college football rivalry between the Sewanee Tigers and Vanderbilt Commodores. They were both founding members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), the Southern Conference, and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Both teams' histories feature some powerhouses of early Southern football, e.g. 1899 Sewanee Tigers football team and 1906 Vanderbilt Commodores football team. It was the oldest of Vanderbilt's rivalries; dating back to 1891 when Vanderbilt played its second ever football game and Sewanee played its first. Vanderbilt leads the series 40–8–4. It used to be claimed as the oldest rivalry in the south, older than the "South's Oldest Rivalry" between North Carolina and Virginia. Usually played towards the end of the season on Thanksgiving Day, the two teams have not met again since 1944.

The 1910 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football during 1910 college football season. In Dan McGugin's 7th year as head coach, the Commodores as members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) compiled an 8–0–1 record and outscored their opponents 165 to 8, winning a conference championship.

Charles "Charley" Horton is a former American football halfback who played one season with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) with the eleventh overall pick of the 1956 NFL Draft. He played college football at Vanderbilt University and attended St. Petersburg High School in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The 1982 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by head coach George MacIntyre, Vanderbilt made its first bowl appearance in eight years.

The Vanderbilt Commodores football team represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Shurmur</span> American football player (born 1996)

Kyle Shurmur is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive quality control coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played quarterback in college football at Vanderbilt, and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Traughber, Bill (2011-11-09). "Don Orr: Vandy QB to NFL official". Vanderbilt University Athletics. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  2. "Don Orr: Vandy QB to NFL official". Vanderbilt University Commodores. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  3. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Most Valuable Players in Former Major Bowls" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. p. 96. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Bill Traughber (2011). Vanderbilt Football:Tales Of Commodore Gridiron History. p. 128. ISBN   9781609494230.
  5. "December 31st, 1955" (PDF).
  6. 1 2 Grimsley, Will (January 8, 1980). "NFL backing official". The Daily Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia. Associated Press. p. 11.
  7. Wolf, Mark (January 11, 1980). "An NFL Coverup on Renfro Call? Refs' Mistakes Part of Game". The Charlotte Observer. p. 3B.
  8. "Where Are They Now?".