"For Bobby," Clark Lea Dedicates Vanderbilt Win to Bobby Johnson
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COLUMBIA, SC—Clark Lea had just watched his team Swag Surf in the visitors locker room at Williams-Brice Stadium, he still hadn’t come down from the high of knocking off South Carolina for the first time in eight tries as a member of Vanderbilt’s program.
He still had the presence of mind to think of former Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson and how each Sunday—regardless of the result—he would meet his team and give them an earnest evaluation of their Saturday performance with the help of a yellow note pad.
Now that Lea is in the shoes that Johnson once wore, their relationship has changed into a friendship that transcends their shared record in Lea’s three seasons as a Vanderbilt fullback.
Every time Vanderbilt faces off against South Carolina, Lea thinks to invite Johnson and his wife Catherine to watch a product that he hopes they’re proud of.
Johnson—a Columbia, South Carolina, native—couldn’t make it on Saturday and is “fighting through some things,” as Lea says. Lea knows that his former coach was watching, though. The former Vanderbilt coach always viewed his role as more than just a dictator of wins and losses, but as a molder of young people. Saying he wasn’t proud of Lea as Lea’s 2021 Vanderbilt team dropped a last-second game in Columbia would be disingenuous, but he likely wanted to see his former player do something that he did and so many others couldn’t.
Lea did that on Saturday as his Vanderbilt team took down No. 11 South Carolina 31-7 and played with all the intangibles that Johnson likely would’ve preached.
“That performance was for him, we wanted to win that game for Coach,” Lea said. “He just needs to know that this community loves him and respects him and appreciates him. That's why it's important to me.”
The Vanderbilt head coach addressed Johnson’s impact to Vanderbilt’s players on Tuesday and wanted them to know that what they were setting out to do in Columbia. He wanted them to know that finding a way to end this program’s 16-game losing streak against South Carolina would be meaningful to Johnson.
Vanderbilt’s last win over South Carolina prior to Saturday night’s came in a 24-17 outing that saw Johnson’s team find a way to win despite being outgained by over 100 yards. The difference wasn’t that drastic on Saturday night, but Lea’s team also found its way without winning the overall yardage battle on Saturday.
Lea wants Johnson to know that despite his literal absence from Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, he knows that Vanderbilt was likely on his TV throughout the night. The fifth-year Vanderbilt head coach doesn’t take that for granted.
“He is here with us,” Lea said. “[I want him to know] How much I admire him and respect him, and how grateful I am that he gave me the opportunity he gave me, and then chose to coach me the way he coached me. I just want to take this moment to honor him.”
Even had Lea not been cognizant of Johnson’s situation and the idea that Saturday was a testament to what he’s built, his fingerprints were still all over Vanderbilt’s win.
Johnson’s former players like Lea, Vanderbilt Executive General Manager Earl Bennett and informal assistant Jordan Matthews were all present as Vanderbilt found a way to win on Saturday night. Lea’s team clearly embraced the blueprint that Johnson set out for the program years ago as it won the turnover battle by three and appeared to beat South Carolina in all the margins.
That statement is evidence of a vitalized vision for Lea and his program, but he wasn’t basking in that as he took the podium on Saturday night. Instead, he had Johnson on his heart.
“What was important to me talking about the history of this rivalry in this game, was the fact that the last head coach to beat South Carolina was Bobby Johnson,” Lea said. “Obviously Bobby was my coach and Bobby means so much to me. He means so much to our Vanderbilt family and our community.”
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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