Playing career | |
---|---|
1888–1889 | Cornell |
1891 | Shortlidge Media Academy |
1892 | Pittsburgh Athletic Club |
1893 | Georgia |
1895 | Duquesne Country and Athletic Club |
1896 | Pittsburgh College |
Position(s) | Halfback |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1893 | Georgia |
1896 | Pittsburgh College |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 14–3–1 |
Ernest H. "Rags" Brown was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at University of Georgia in 1893 and Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost (now known as Duquesne University) in 1896.
Brown attended Cornell University and for two years regularly played on the Cornell football team. [1] He is listed in The Cornellian '91 yearbook as an electrical engineering student from Belfast, New York. [2]
In October 1891, Brown accepted an unspecified position at Shortlidge Academy of Media, Pennsylvania, [3] where he played on the school's football team. [4] [5] In a game in Pittsburgh, Brown "played with an ear almost off and had his head and face almost entirely enveloped in lint bandages." [5] He thus acquired the nickname "Rags" for "the manner in which he decorated his head". [4]
After starting the 1892 season as a halfback with a team in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, [6] Brown came to Pittsburgh to play the same position for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. [7] [8] He participated in the Pittsburgh A.C.'s game against the Allegheny Athletic Association on November 12; [7] this game, for which Pudge Heffelfinger received $500 to play for Allegheny, is regarded by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as representing the "birth of pro football". [9]
In 1893, as a graduate student in chemistry and assaying at the University of Georgia, [10] Brown served as the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs football team, compiling a record of 2–2–1. He also played halfback in at least two games, against Georgia Tech [11] and Vanderbilt, getting badly injured in the latter game. [12] [13] Brown was the last unpaid head football coach at Georgia.[ citation needed ] He left the University of Georgia in January 1894. [14]
Brown returned to Pittsburgh and in 1895 was playing for the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club football team. [15] [16]
Brown served as football head coach for the Pittsburgh College of the Holy Ghost (later renamed Duquesne University) for one season in 1896. [1] [17] He also played for the team as a player-coach. [18] At the time, players on the team were not limited to students of the college. [17] Duquesne University credits its 1896 team with a 12–1 record. [17]
Grove City College lists its head football coach in 1897 as "Rags" Brown, ascribing to him a record of 5–1–1. [19] The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette, however, stated that year that Grove City's coach was former Princeton player Harry Brown; [20] the New Castle News similarly noted that Grove City's Brown, the team's coach and fullback, [21] formerly played end at Princeton. [22]
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Georgia Bulldogs (Independent)(1893) | |||||||||
1893 | Georgia | 2–2–1 | |||||||
Georgia: | 2–2–1 | ||||||||
Pittsburgh College (Independent)(1896) | |||||||||
1896 | Pittsburgh College | 12–1–0 | |||||||
Pittsburgh College: | 12–1–0 | ||||||||
Total: | 14–3–1 |
George Washington "Doc" Hoskins was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the head football coach at Pennsylvania State University (1892–1895), the University of Pittsburgh (1896), and Bucknell University, compiling a career college football record of 59–48–9. Hoskins was also the head basketball coach at Bucknell from 1908 to 1911, tallying a mark of 21–14.
The Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC) was one of the earliest professional ice hockey teams. It was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from around 1895 until 1905 and again from 1907 to 1909.
M. Roy "Slab" Jackson was an early professional football player who played for the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club. He also served as the team's captain and coach in 1898–1900. Jackson, a fullback, scored 14 touchdowns, often on short plunges after teammates J. A. Gammons or Dave Fultz had put the ball close to the end zone. In 1898, Jackson played for Duquesne against the Western Pennsylvania All-Stars in the first pro football all-star game. During the game, he would score two of the Duquesnes touchdowns.
JohnMoore Van Cleve was an American football player and coach. He became one of the earliest known people paid to play the sport when he, Ollie Rafferty, and Peter Wright signed contracts with the Allegheny Athletic Association for $50 per game for the entire 1893 season. Only Pudge Heffelfinger and Sport Donnelly are known to have been professionals earlier.
The 1896 Pittsburgh Athletic Club football season was their seventh season in existence. The team finished with a record of 2–5–3.
The 1898 Duquesne Country and Athletic Club football season was their fourth season in existence. The team finished with a record of 11–0–1. The team was named the top team in western Pennsylvania. Roy Jackson was the team's captain and coach.
The 1903 Western University of Pennsylvania football team was an American football team that represented Western University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1903 college football season.
The 1900 Western University of Pennsylvania football team was an American football team that represented Western University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1900 college football season.
The 1898 Western University of Pennsylvania football team was an American football team that represented the Western University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1898 college football season.
The 1897 Western University of Pennsylvania football team was an American football team that represented the Western University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1897 college football season.
The 1896 Western University of Pennsylvania football team was an American football team that represented the Western University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1896 college football season.
The 1895 Western University of Pennsylvania football team was an American football team that represented the Western University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1895 college football season.
The 1893 Western University of Pennsylvania football team was an American football team that represented the Western University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1893 college football season.
The 1894 Holy Ghost College football team was an American football team that represented Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost—now known as Duquesne University—during the 1894 college football season. Pittsburgh Athletic Club player George S. Proctor served as the team's head coach. Duquesne University's football record book claims a record of 9–3.
The 1896 Pittsburgh College football team was an American football team that represented Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost—now known as Duquesne University—during the 1896 college football season. Ernest H. "Rags" Brown served in his first and only season as the team's head coach.
The 1897 Pittsburgh College football team was an American football team that represented Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost—now known as Duquesne University—during the 1897 college football season. It was the first Pittsburgh College team to consist entirely of students from the college. J. P. Wolfe served in his first and only season as the team's head coach.
The 1898 Pittsburgh College football team was an American football team that represented Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost—now known as Duquesne University—during the 1898 college football season. John Van Cleve served in his first and only season as the team's head coach.
The 1903 Pittsburgh College football team was an American football team that represented Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost—now known as Duquesne University—during the 1903 college football season. T. A. Giblin served in his first and only season as the team's head coach.
The 1896 West Virginia Mountaineers football team was an American football team that represented West Virginia University during the 1896 college football season. In its first and only season under head coach Thomas Trenchard, the team compiled a 3–7–2 record and was outscored by a combined total of 101 to 14. Three of the team's losses were to the Lafayette team that has been recognized as the co-national champion for 1896. George Krebs was the team captain.
Eugene Lawrence Messler was an American football player and coach and businessman. He played at the tackle position for Yale's 1891, 1892, and 1893 championship teams, coached the 1894 Centre football team, and was the player-coach on the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club professional football teams from 1895 to 1897. He was the general superintendent of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company's Pittsburgh coke ovens and blast furnaces from approximately 1899 to 1911 and the president of the Eureka Fire Brick Company for many years commencing in 1907.
Rugs [sic] Brown was on the card to play half back, but as he was just out of a sick bed Bert Aull played half back in his place until he was injured, when the Johnstown man was called upon to take his place, and soon was taking a prominent part in all the scrimmages.
Ernest Brown, who was so badly hurt in the game of foot ball in Nashville, has about recovered.