| | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 22, 1864 Dimock, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 23, 1934 (aged 70) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Yale University University of Pennsylvania School of Law |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1885–1888 | Yale |
| 1892–1895 | Penn |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1892–1901 | Penn |
| 1903 | Illinois |
| 1905 | Carlisle |
| Rowing | |
| 1892–1895 | Penn |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 142–25–2 (football) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3 national (1894–1895, 1897) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1963 (profile) | |
| Attorney General of Pennsylvania | |
| In office January 20, 1923 –January 18, 1927 | |
| Governor | Gifford Pinchot |
| Preceded by | George E. Alter |
| Succeeded by | Thomas J. Baldrige |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Territory of Hawaii | |
| In office 1909–1910 | |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 60 Stat. 322 |
| Succeeded by | Alexander George Morison Robertson |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
George Washington Woodruff (February 22,1864 –March 23,1934) was an American college football player,rower,coach,teacher,lawyer and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Pennsylvania (1892–1901),the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (1903),and Carlisle Indian Industrial School (1905),compiling a career college football record of 142–25–2. Woodruff's Penn teams of 1894,1895,and 1897 have been recognized as national champions. Woodruff was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1963.
Woodruff graduated from Yale University in 1889,where he was a member of Skull and Bones, [1] [2] : 65 and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law,where he earned his LL.B. law degree in 1895. His football teammates at Yale included Amos Alonzo Stagg,Pudge Heffelfinger,and Pa Corbin.
At Penn,Woodruff coached Truxtun Hare,Carl Sheldon Williams,John H. Outland,his brother Wylie G. Woodruff,and Charles Gelbert. In his ten years of coaching at Penn,Woodruff compiled a 124–15–2 record while his teams scored 1777 points and only gave up 88. He also coached one year each at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
After coaching,Woodruff practiced law and was active in politics as a Republican. His political posts included Finance Clerk in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania Attorney General,federal judge for the territory of Hawaii,chief law officer of the United States Forest Service under friend and fellow Yale alumni Gifford Pinchot,and acting Secretary of the Interior under President Theodore Roosevelt. [3]
Woodruff was married in 1898,to Maude Donald McBride,of Philadelphia,who died in 1918. [4] He was married a second time,in 1921,to Elfreda Foster,of Harrisburg,Pennsylvania. Woodruff died on March 23,1934,in Harrisburg,after suffering from pleurisy. [5]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Quakers (Independent)(1892–1901) | |||||||||
| 1892 | Penn | 15–1 | |||||||
| 1893 | Penn | 12–3 | |||||||
| 1894 | Penn | 12–0 | |||||||
| 1895 | Penn | 14–0 | |||||||
| 1896 | Penn | 14–1 | |||||||
| 1897 | Penn | 15–0 | |||||||
| 1898 | Penn | 12–1 | |||||||
| 1899 | Penn | 8–3–2 | |||||||
| 1900 | Penn | 12–1 | |||||||
| 1901 | Penn | 10–5 | |||||||
| Penn: | 124–15–2 | ||||||||
| Illinois Fighting Illini (Western Conference)(1903) | |||||||||
| 1903 | Illinois | 8–6 | 1–5 | 7th | |||||
| Illinois: | 8–6 | 1–5 | |||||||
| Carlisle Indians (Independent)(1905) | |||||||||
| 1905 | Carlisle | 10–4 | |||||||
| Carlisle: | 10–4 | ||||||||
| Total: | 142–25–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
Note:Before 1936,national champions were determined by historical research and retroactive ratings and polls.
1894 Poll Results = Penn:Parke H. Davis,Princeton:Houlgate,Yale:Billingsley,Helms,National Championship Foundation,Parke H. Davis
1895 Poll Results = Penn:Billingsley,Helms,Houlgate,National Championship Foundation,Parke H. Davis,Yale:Parke H. Davis
1897 Poll Results = Penn:Billingsley,Helms,Houlgate,National Championship Foundation,Parke H. Davis,Yale:Parke H. Davis
George Woodruff's last game as a coach was the 1905 Carlisle-Army game after which he went to Washington for a government job. Ralph Kinney completed Carlisle's season,going 3–2 over the five games played after Woodruff's departure.
Carl Sheldon "Cap" Williams was an American football player,coach,and ophthalmologist. He played college football at Oberlin College and the University of Pennsylvania during the 1890s. He returned to Penn and served as the head football coach there from 1902 to 1907,compiling a record of 60–10–4. His Penn Quakers teams of 1904 and 1907 have been recognized as national champions. Williams later practiced ophthalmology for many years in Philadelphia.

Arthur Howe was an American football player and coach,teacher,minister and university president. He played college football for Yale University from 1909 to 1911,was the quarterback of Yale's 1909 national championship team,and was a consensus first-team All-American in 1912. He was the head coach of the 1912 Yale football team. Howe was later ordained as a Presbyterian minister and taught at Eastern preparatory schools and at Dartmouth College. From 1930 to 1940,he was the president of Hampton University. He was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
The 1895 college football season was the season of American football played among colleges and universities in the United States during the 1895–96 academic year.
The 1894 college football season was the season of American football played among colleges and universities in the United States during the 1894–95 academic year.
The 1892 college football season was the season of American football played among colleges and universities in the United States during the 1892–93 academic year.
The 1891 college football season was the season of American football played among colleges and universities in the United States during the 1891–92 academic year.

George Brewster Chadwick was an All-American football player and coach. He played college football for Yale University from 1899 to 1902 and was the head coach of the 1903 Yale football team. After working for a time in the hardware and sales fields,Chadwick had a long career as a teacher of English,history and Latin at Eastern private boys' schools.
George Schley Stillman was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Yale University where he was selected as a first-team All-American at the tackle position in both 1899 and 1900. Stillman coached the 1901 Yale football team to a record of 11–1–1. Stillman died at age 27 after contracting typhoid fever.
Charles Donnelly Rafferty was an All-American football player and coach. He played at the end position for the Yale Bulldogs football team from 1900 to 1903,was captain of Yale's 1903 football team,and was selected as a first-team All-American in 1903. He also served as the head coach of the Yale football team in 1904,leading the team to a record of 10–1.
Joseph Rockwell Swan was an American investment banker,football player and coach. He played college football for Yale University from 1899 to 1901 and was the head coach of the 1902 team. Swan later had a long and successful career in the investment banking business,serving as the president or senior partner of three major securities firms:Guaranty Company (1928–1934),Edward Smith &Co. (1934–1937),and Smith Barney &Co. (1937–1944). He was also affiliated with the New York Botanical Garden as its president (1937–1949) and chairman of the board (1949–1858).
James Otis Rodgers was an American football player and coach. Rodgers played college football for Yale University from 1894 to 1897 and was captain of Yale's 1897 football team. He also served as the head coach of the 1899 Yale football team. He later had a lengthy career as an insurance broker.
William Francis Knox was an American football player and coach and lawyer. He played college football for Yale University and was selected as a first-team All-American halfback in 1906. He was the head coach of the 1907 Yale football team which finished the season with a record of 9–0–1. He later became an attorney and was a founder and member of the Pittsburgh law firm of Moorhead &Knox.
John W. Field was an American football player and coach. Field played college football for Yale University from 1908 to 1910 and was captain of Yale's football team. He also served as the head coach of the 1911 Yale football team. He later worked for more than 60 years as manufacturer of corsets and lingerie.
The 1908 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football that represented Harvard University as an independent during the 1908 college football season. In their first season under head coach Percy Haughton,the Crimson finished with a 9–0–1 record,shut out eight of ten opponents,and outscored all opponents by a total of 132 to 8.
The 1895 Penn Quakers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pennsylvania as an independent during the 1895 college football season. In their fourth season under head coach George Washington Woodruff,the Quakers compiled a 14–0 record,shut out 10 of 14 opponents,and outscored all opponents by a total of 480 to 24.
The 1897 Penn Quakers football team represented the University of Pennsylvania in the 1897 college football season. The team finished with a 15–0 record and was retroactively named as the national champion by the Billingsley Report,Helms Athletic Foundation,Houlgate System,and National Championship Foundation,and as a co-national champion by Parke H. Davis. They outscored their opponents 463 to 20.
The 1896 Princeton Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Princeton University as an independent during the 1896 college football season. The team finished with a 10–0–1 record,shut out 10 of 12 opponents,and outscored all opponents by a total of 266 to 5. Franklin Morse was the head coach,and Garrett Cochran was the team captain.
The 1903 Princeton Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Princeton University as an independent during the 1903 college football season. In their first season under head coach Art Hillebrand,the Tigers compiled a perfect 11–0 record,shut out 10 of 11 opponents,and outscored all opponents by a total of 259 to 6. John DeWitt was the team captain.
The 1900 Yale Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented Yale University as an independent during the 1900 college football season. The team finished with a 12–0 record,shut out ten of twelve opponents,and outscored all opponents by a total of 336 to 10. Malcolm McBride was the head coach,and Gordon Brown was the team captain.
The 1901 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University as an independent during the 1901 college football season. In its first season under head coach Bill Reid,the team compiled a 12–0 record,shut out nine of 12 opponents,and outscored all opponents by a total of 254 to 24.