Front Porch FootballVanderbilt or Die
by John Lamm
When choosing a favorite coach, most people look at wins, legacy, and championships. But for me, I focus on heart, passion, and a fearless mentality. No one in college football can be described by those three characteristics more than Derek Mason can.
Derek Mason’s record at Vanderbilt is 18-31; he’s never won a bowl game and has only 6 SEC wins. However, that doesn’t keep him from being fired up and hyped for every game he coaches. Derek Mason is known for his passionate pregame speeches to his team that, frankly if you don’t get chills listening to them, I question if you care about college football. Coach Mason constantly reminds his team that “people don’t give you respect, you gotta go take it;” telling them to “be unforgettable” and “be fearless;” telling them its “Vanderbilt or die;” and most importantly “you gotta take them into that dark room that they don’t want to go into and turn the lights on, and say ‘hello,’ it’s Vanderbilt, we’re here, and we ain’t going no damn where.” I don’t know about most people, but I would take on the entire Alabama defense by myself for this man.
Coach Mason has never been one to shy away from a rivalry or win quietly. After beating Tennessee in 2016 for the first time in his head coaching career, Derek Mason made the bold claim to the loyal Commodore fans that “THIS IS OUR STATE”, as he ran around the sideline repeating it so that everyone knew the breaking news. Even though Tennessee has 6 National Championships and countless years of beating Vanderbilt’s butt like there is no tomorrow, Derek Mason made sure the world knew that there is a new sheriff in town, and it’s called Vandy football, and they won’t take a back seat to anybody.
After Vanderbilt upsets Tennessee, Commodores coach Derek Mason yells, "THIS IS OUR STATE." pic.twitter.com/q1hMvidvxS
— Jesse Simonton (@JesseReSimonton) November 27, 2016
However, with all the great moments that Derek Mason has brought to my life, there is one moment that truly defines him as not only a great coach and a great teacher but also a national hero. After a win against Kansas State at home in September of 2017, Derek Mason’s protégé, defensive lineman Nifae Lealao, was ready to trash talk Alabama and make sure Alabama knew what was coming.
Lealao, under the direction of Coach Mason I assume, reminds us all that “When you come to our house, we’re gonna show you how to play some SEC ball. It doesn’t matter where you’re from; you’re gonna know what ball we play. Alabama you’re next.”
It was this moment right here that I realized how great a coach Derek Mason is, and how fearless he and his players truly are. It’s no secret that Alabama has dominated college football for many years now, and that Vanderbilt isn’t exactly a powerhouse team. Most coaches in this situation would probably want their players to keep calm, keep quiet to the media, and try to sneak up on Alabama. But not a Derek Mason coached team. This man has instilled a hyped and ready-to-attack attitude in his team and doesn’t want to sneak up on anyone. He’s fearless, the team is fearless, and Alabama better well dang know that on September 23, 2017, they had to go Nashville, Tennessee for a showdown.
Now, I don’t know for sure what was said between Nick Saban and Derek Mason at mid-field before the game, but I assume Derek Mason said something along the lines of, “Hey Nick, I’m not sure you know what 60 minutes of Hell looks like, but you better believe you are about to find out.” Sixty minutes of Hell did happen that day; unfortunately for Derek and his Commodores, it was at their expense, as they lost the game 59-0. But that’s not what’s important; what’s important is that Derek Mason has Vanderbilt football finally feeling like they are a top team in the SEC. Who cares if the product on the field doesn’t show that. Vanderbilt football is here to stay, and Derek Mason isn’t going anywhere. I don’t care if reports going into 2018 are that he’s on the hot seat. This is Derek Mason; he always finds a way. It’s “Vanderbilt or die”, and I can’t wait to see what Mason has in store for the upcoming season.
Image from SEC Country
