Vanderbilt University football fans have gone viral for stealing their school’s goalpost following a huge win and walking it nearly three miles to toss it in the Cumberland River.
On Saturday (October 5), Vanderbilt took down the top-ranked Alabama 40-35 in a shocking upset. When the final whistle blew, the team went wild and encouraged fans to storm the field. The fans took things a little too far and completely out of the stadium!
Saturday marked Vanderbilt football‘s first win over Alabama in 40 years.
Going into the game against Alabama, the unranked Vanderbilt was 2-2, having beat Virginia Tech and and Alcorn State. They were coming off two straight losses from Georgia State and Missouri.
Despite being a well-known school, Vanderbilt has not been historically dominant in the SEC Conference, where they are up against the likes of LSU, Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia, and of course, Alabama.
In fact, former Alabama football coach Nick Saban gave an interview on September 24th, where he said:
“The only place you’re going to play in the SEC that’s not hard to play, Vanderbilt. When you play at Vanderbilt, you have more fans there than they have, and that’s no disrespect to them, it’s the truth.”
Apparently Vanderbilt had been playing that all week long in preparation for their battle against the Crimson Tide, who they haven’t beaten in 40 years. After the final whistle blew, Vanderbilt played Saban’s interview on the jumbotron for all to see.
Vanderbilt play a clip of Nick Saban disrespecting them right after they beat Alabama
byu/Chelseatilidie insports
Some are calling this game the worst loss in Alabama football history. An SEC analyst even blamed the Alabama loss on Saban, even though he retired last year, for giving Vanderbilt the fuel they needed.
Vanderbilt fans celebrated by taking the goal post.
After celebrating on the field, Vanderbilt students and fans tore down one of the goalposts at FirstBank Stadium.
The fans managed to not only take the goalpost out of the stadium, they walked it over three miles, according to The Tennessean, to throw it in the Cumberland River.
The route from FirstBank Stadium to the river is straight down Broadway. Blake Shelton’s bar, Ole Red, is on Broadway close to the river and they took video of the fans carrying the goalpost coming down the street.
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Even though this was all fun and games for the fans, Vanderbilt was hit with a fine.
While some may call stealing a goalpost, carrying it three miles, and dumping it in the river “celebrating,” the SEC doesn’t agree.
The SEC fined Vanderbilt $100,000, “stating the team violated a rule requiring institutions to limit access to competition areas to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly credentialed or authorized individuals at all times.”
Vanderbilt is now auctioning off pieces of the game, like personalized game balls, pylons, and even pieces of the goalpost to commemorate the win over Alabama.
Despite how you may feel about the stealing of the goalpost, Vanderbilt did the unthinkable by beating Alabama, and they should be proud of that.
Watch more videos of the goalposts being tossed in the river below.
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The goalposts are in the cumberland! @VandyFootball pic.twitter.com/XSRiSC5vDo
— 102.5 & 106.3 The Game (@1025TheGame) October 6, 2024
IT IS IN. THE GOALPOST MADE IT TO THE CUMBERLAND RIVER! pic.twitter.com/gYe4H8q7N8
— Grey Cotham (@gcotham21) October 6, 2024
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