The celebration following the Vanderbilt Commodores‘ historic upset set the school back $100,000 — but the Commodores are making back some of that money in a convenient way.
Vanderbilt pulled off one of the biggest shocks in recent college football history Saturday, downing the then-No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in Nashville to end a remarkable streak of 60 consecutive losses against top-5 opponents.
Unsurprisingly, the postgame scene at Vanderbilt’s still-under-construction FirstBank Stadium quickly turned to pandemonium once the final whistle blew.
A field storm was an inevitability, but the fans weren’t done once they vacated the stands. The Commodore faithful successfully toppled the goalposts in the north end zone, proceeding to carry their felled trophy out of the stadium and down Broadway to the Cumberland River, some 2½ miles away.
Celebrating history, however, comes at a cost.
The SEC’s policy on field storms — updated during the conference’s 2023 spring meetings — requires payment by any school that storms a field to the team they stormed against. For Vanderbilt, the price came out to a cool $100,000 as a first-time offender of the rule.
Thankfully, the Commodores’ weekend success also offers them an immediate source of revenue to offset the fine. Vanderbilt pounced on the chance to market off memorabilia from the historic victory.
Secure a piece of history below ⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/ZUUxD9f8FA pic.twitter.com/NFb8vB6cRj
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) October 7, 2024
Four inches of the goalposts that were torn down (they were removed from the river by the Nashville fire department later that night) would cost a prospective buyer $1,005. Eight inches of the goalposts were available for $4,035 — though both varieties of goalpost souvenirs have since sold out on the auction website.
Other upset-related mementos available for purchase include personalized pylons from the field at FirstBank Stadium as well as personalized game balls.
