Frank Cavanaugh (football coach)
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| Frank Cavanaugh | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Football | |
| Born | April 28, 1876 | |
| Place of birth | Worcester, MA | |
| Died | August 29, 1933 | |
| Career Highlights | ||
| Coaching positions | ||
| 1898 1903-05 1911-16 1919-26 1927-32 |
Cincinnati Holy Cross Dartmouth Boston College Fordham |
|
| College Football Hall of Fame, 1954 | ||
Frank "The Iron Major" Cavanaugh (April 28, 1876–August 29, 1933) was an American football head coach. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Frank Cavanaugh was a leader in football and war. His record for 24 years as a college coach was 145-48-17, a .731 percentage. He joined the United States Army in World War I and advanced to the rank of major. Cavanaugh would make motivational speeches to his troops in war or to his players before a game.
Cavanaugh attended Dartmouth College and played end on the football team 1896-97. His first coaching job was at the University of Cincinnati, 1898. The team had a 5-1-3 record, including a 17-12 victory over his alma mater, Dartmouth College. He moved to Colorado and coached the Denver Athletic Club 1899-1902. Then it was back east and college coaching at College of the Holy Cross 1903-05. Next he practiced law, returning to coaching at Worcester Academy 1909-10. Dartmouth College brought him back to the college level 1911-16.
In 1917, at age 41, he volunteered for the United States Army. On October 23, 1918, he was wounded in combat in France. He came back to coach Boston College 1919-26 and Fordham University 1927-32. At Fordham in 1929 he ran some plays from the T formation with a man in motion – 11 years before that formation was used at Stanford University.
Major Cavanaugh died August 29, 1933 at age 57. In 1943 he was portrayed in a movie, "The Iron Major", with Pat O'Brien in the lead role. The movie extolled Cavanaugh's "love of God, love of his country, love of his family." [1]
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Boston College Teams of Destiny
- College Football Hall of Fame
- Movie - "The Iron Major" (1943) starring Pat O'Brien
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