Mark Farnum

Last updated
Mark Farnum
Brown Bears
Position Tackle
Personal information
Born:c. 1896
Died:(1957-08-22)August 22, 1957
Career history
College Brown (1915–1916)
Career highlights and awards

Mark Farnum (ca. 1896 - August 22, 1957) was an All-American football player. He played tackle for Brown University in 1915 and 1916.

Farnum was a native of Georgiaville, Rhode Island, [1] the son of a Rhode Island pioneer family. [2] He began his athletic career at the Dean Academy in Franklin, Massachusetts. [1] He later enrolled at Brown where he played tackle for the Brown football team in 1915 and 1916. While at Brown, Farnum was teammates with Fritz Pollard, the only African American player on an Ivy League team during the 1915 football season. With Farnum blocking for Pollard, Brown won its first six games in 1915, allowing only three points to be scored by opponents. The team advanced to the 1916 Rose Bowl game, losing to Washington state. At the end of the 1915 season, Farnum and Pollard were both selected as All-Americans. Farnum was also voted by his teammates as the captain of the Brown football team in both 1916 and 1917. [3] The Evening Times of Pawtucket described Farnum's contributions in 1915 as follows: "Farnum played in all the games on the Brown schedule last season and his work both on the offensive and the defensive stood out prominently. Physically he is the biggest man among the players, standing 6 feet, 2 inches and weighing 220 pounds. Despite his size he is extremely active and fast." [4]

Despite being elected captain of the 1917 football team, Farnum did not play in any games during the 1917, having enlisted in the U.S. Army following the entry of the United States into World War I. Farnum was commissioned as a lieutenant and served in France. [5] [6]

After being discharged from the Army, Farnum opened a cotton brokerage office in Providence. [6] In 1928, Farnum played professional football for the Providence Steam Roller. [7] He rejoined his Brown teammate Fritz Pollard on a Steam Roller team that won the 1928 NFL championship and bears the distinction of being the last team not still in the NFL to have done so. Farnum was later employed as a research technician in the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Co. experimental laboratory. [2] [7]

In 1956, Farnum was a guest of honor at the Rose Bowl game upon the 40th anniversary of Brown's appearance in the game. [6] Farnum died at age 61 in a hospital in East Hartford, Connecticut after a short illness in 1957. [7] [8] [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fritz Pollard</span> American football player and coach (1894–1986)

Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was an American football player and coach. In 1921, he became the first African-American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first two African-American players in the NFL in 1920. Football pioneer Walter Camp called Pollard "one of the greatest runners these eyes have ever seen."

Richard Marlon Wood is an American former professional football played who was a linebacker for the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, earning All-American honors. Wood was the team captain and leading tackler of the Buccaneers' early teams, coached by John McKay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Schafrath</span> American football player, politician, and author (1937–2021)

Richard Philip Schafrath was an American offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, former Ohio State Senator, and author. During his tenure as an athlete, he won a national football championship with the 1957 Ohio State University Buckeyes and the 1964 NFL Championship with the Cleveland Browns. Because of his strong work ethic and occasional stubborn determination friends and teammates nicknamed him "The Mule".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Ballin</span> American football player and coach (1893–1979)

Harold Roy Ballin was an American football player and coach. He played at the tackle position for Princeton University from 1912 to 1914 and was a consensus first-team All-American in both 1913 and 1914. Ballin served as the head football coach at Duquesne University from 1922 to 1923, compiling a record of 4–12. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Ruby</span> American football player (1922–2002)

Martin Owen Ruby was an offensive tackle and defensive tackle for the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), New York Yanks of the National Football League (NFL), and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU). He lived in Waco, Texas, while he was a professional player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Newell</span> American football player and coach (1871–1897)

Marshall "Ma" Newell was an American football player and coach, "beloved by all those who knew him" and nicknamed "Ma" for the guidance he gave younger athletes. After his sudden and early death, Harvard University's Newell Boathouse was built in his memory. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller Pontius</span> American football player and coach (1891–1960)

Miller Hall Pontius was an American football player and investment banker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown Bears football</span> Intercollegiate American football team for Brown University

The Brown Bears football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Brown University located in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Ivy League. Brown's first football team was fielded in 1878. The Bears play their home games at the 20,000-seat Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island. The team's head coach is James Perry, who was hired on December 3, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Hilkene</span> American football player (1925–1990)

Bruce L. Hilkene was the captain and starting left tackle of the undefeated 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team. The team defeated the USC Trojans 49-0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl and has been selected as the greatest Michigan football team of all time. Hilkene was named captain of the 1945 team but missed the season due to wartime service in the U.S. Navy. In 1947 he returned as captain. Hilkene later served for many years as an executive at General Motors. He was posthumously inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1992.

William Earl Sprackling was an American football quarterback. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1964. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Sprackling was the quarterback for the Brown University football team in 1909, 1910, and 1911. He was selected as an All-American at the quarterback position in 1910 and has been rated as the best college football player in the United States in 1910.

Benton Maxwell "Biff" Bangs Jr. was an American football player. He played college football for Washington State from 1914 to 1917 and for the 1918 Mare Island Marines football team during World War I. He also played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) with the Los Angeles Buccaneers in 1926.

Joseph Atherton Gilman was an All-American football player at Harvard University. A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Gilman attended Exeter before enrolling at Harvard. As a freshman, Gilman played on Harvard's freshman football team in 1912, and varsity in 1913. In his third year at Harvard, he was declared ineligible due to poor academic performance. He returned to Harvard in 1915 and "came through in a marvelously gritty manner, winning his old position at tackle back and eventually winning the choice on all the leading selections for All-American tackles." Gilman was the first football player from Hawaii to be named as an All-American. In December 1915, as a reward for his "plucky comeback," Gilman was voted by his teammates as captain of Harvard's 1916 football team. In March 1916, after being selected as captain, Gilman was expelled by Harvard's Administrative Board due to poor academic performance. He died in Honolulu in 1983.

Francis T. "Fritz" Shiverick was an American football quarterback and halfback. He played for Cornell University in 1915, 1916 and 1919, and was selected as a first-team All-American in 1916. He was posthumously inducted into Cornell's Hall of Fame in 1987.

John Peter Toohey was an American football player. A native of Kingston, New York, Toohey was "known as one of the best athletes Newburgh H. S. ever turned out." He enrolled at Rutgers University in 1910 and was a star athlete in both basketball and football. He played at the tackle position for the Rutgers football team from 1910 to 1914. In September 1912, The New York Times called Toohey "Rutgers' greatest tackle," and noted that Toohey's brother also planned to play at tackle for Rutgers. Toohey worked during the summer of 1913 building the Croton Aqueduct, and there was uncertainty as to whether he would return for another season of football. When he announced his intent to return to the gridiron, the New Brunswick Times reported: "Toohey Is Back Ready To Jump In The Game." In November 1913, Toohey was elected by his teammates as captain of Rutgers' 1914 football team. In December 1913, the Board of Managers at Rutgers ruled that Toohey was ineligible to play in 1914, having already played four seasons with the football team. The decision of the Board of Managers sparked a controversy, as alumni sought to restore his eligibility, and others criticized any leniency in enforcing the four-year eligibility rule. Toohey's eligibility was ultimately restored, and he was the captain of the 1914 Rutgers team. Following a 33-0 win over NYU in November 1914, The New York Times praised Toohey for his blocking: "Toohey weights 210 pounds and made a whole in the line ten yards wide." He was also selected as a first-team All-American in 1914 by James P. Sinnot of the New York Evening Mail, the New York Globe, sports writer Daniel of the New York Press the Newark Sunday Call, and Newark Evening Star. In announcing the selection of Toohey, Daniel wrote:

"Among the tackles we place Toohey of Rutgers on an even plane with Ballin of Princeton. Despite his 210 pounds Toohey is a speedy and is a stone wall on defense. He played Ballin in the Princeton game, and had distinctly the better of the Tiger captain."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleo A. O'Donnell</span> American football player and coach (1883–1953)

Cleo Albert O'Donnell was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Holy Cross from 1904 to 1907. He was a football coach at Everett High School (1909–1915), Purdue University (1916–1917), Holy Cross (1919–1930) and Saint Anselm College (1935–1940). His 1914 Everett team has been ranked as the greatest high school football team of all time, finishing with a 13–0 record and outscoring opponents 600 to 0. In 11 years as the head coach at Holy Cross, his teams compiled a record of 69–27–6. O'Donnell has been inducted into the Holy Cross and Saint Anselm Halls of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar Lambert</span> American lawyer

Oscar Parmenas "Paddy" Lambert was an American football, basketball, baseball, table tennis, and chess player. He played college football for West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1912 to 1913 and was captain of the school's 1913 football team. He also played at first base for the West Virginia Wesleyan baseball team. While attending law school at the University of Michigan, he played for the 1917 Michigan Wolverines football team and was selected as a second-team All-American and a first-team All-Western player. Lambert later practiced as a lawyer in Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1915 Pittsburgh Panthers football team</span> American college football season

The 1915 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1915 college football season. In his first season with the program, head coach Pop Warner led the Panthers to wins in all eight games and they outscored their opponents by a combined total of 247–19. Home games were held at Forbes Field, the ballpark of baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1915 Brown Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 1915 Brown Bears football team was an American football team that represented Brown University as an independent during the 1915 college football season. In its 14th season under head coach Edward N. Robinson, Brown compiled a 5–3–1 record in the regular season, lost to Washington State in the second Rose Bowl game, and outscored all opponents by a total of 166 to 46. The team played its home games at Andrews Field in Providence, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick F. Burke</span>

Patrick F. Burke, sometimes known by the nicknames "Senator" and "One Round", was an American football player, nightclub and restaurant owner, and operator of a betting service called Vegas One News. He played three seasons as a two-way tackle for the Michigan State Spartans football team from 1955 to 1957 and was the captain of the 1957 team. He was selected by both the Associated Press and United Press as a first-team tackle on the 1957 All-Big Ten Conference football team. During Burke's three seasons at Michigan State, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 24–4 and were ranked No. 2, No. 9, and No. 3 in the final AP polls.

The Temple Owls football program from 1910 to 1919 was led by three head coaches. William J. Schatz was the head coach from 1909 to 1913 and compiled a 13–14–3 record. William Nicolai was the head coach from 1914 to 1916, compiling a 9–5–3 record. Elwood Geiges was hired as the head coach for the 1917 season, but Temple University opted to cancel the season due to a manpower shortage resulting from World War I. The program did not return until 1922.

References

  1. 1 2 "Brown's New Captain: Mark Farnm Elected by Brown Men to Leade Eleven". The New York Times. 1916-01-22.
  2. 1 2 "Smithfield Heritage Hall of Fame". Town of Smithfield, Rhode Island.
  3. ↑ "Brown Football Team Re-Elects Farnum to Captain 1917 Eleven". Grand Forks Herald. 1916-12-14.
  4. ↑ "Brown Football Players' Elect Farnum Captain of 1916 Eleven". The Evening Times. 1916-01-22.
  5. ↑ "Brown Team Elects Bowman Captain: Brunonians Play Last Home Game with Colby". The Evening Times. 1917-11-17.
  6. 1 2 3 "In Memoriam: Mark Farnum". Brown Alumni Monthly. October 1957.
  7. 1 2 3 "Farnum, Ex-Brown Grid Star, Dies". Oakland Tribune. 1957-08-23.
  8. ↑ "Ex-Grid Star Dies". Independent (Long Beach, CA). 1957-08-23.
  9. ↑ "Mark Farnum, 61, Dead: Ex-Tackle at Brown Played in First Rose Bowl Game". The New York Times. 1957-08-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.