Davies in 1921 | |
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | October 14, 1896
Died | February 29, 1972 75) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged
Playing career | |
1918–1921 | Pittsburgh |
Position(s) | Halfback |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1922 | Penn (assistant) |
1923 | Geneva |
1924–1925 | Allegheny |
1926–1934 | Rochester (NY) |
1935 | Carnegie Tech (freshmen) |
1936 | Kiski Prep (PA) |
1937–1939 | St. Thomas/Scranton |
1941–1947 | Western Reserve |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 96–52–11 (college) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Awards | |
| |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1970 (profile) |
Thomas J. Davies (October 14, 1896 – February 29, 1972) was an American football player and coach. He played as a halfback at the University of Pittsburgh and was a consensus All-American in 1918 and 1920. After retiring as a player, Davies worked as a football coach for the next 26 years, including stints at the University of Pennsylvania, Geneva College, Allegheny College, the University of Rochester, the Carnegie Institute of Technology, the University of Scranton, and Western Reserve University. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970.
Davies was a native of Gas City, Indiana. He moved to Washington, Pennsylvania when he was 11 years old. [1] Davies played high school football at Aliquippa High School in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and at The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania. Davies was working in a Washington factory when he got the chance to play football at Kiski. A friend refused to accept a football scholarship there unless Davies went along. [1]
Davies enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh where he played four seasons (1918–1921) of football under coach Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner. Davies played in 31 games for the Pittsburgh Panthers and averaged 150 yards per game over his four-year career. [2] He was selected as a first-team All-American in his freshman season of 1918 and again as a junior in 1920. As a freshman in 1918, Davies weighed only 142 pounds. In his first carry for Pitt, he ran for 13 yards against Washington & Jefferson—then a national power. Three plays later, he ran for 38 yards, "setting the pace for a stellar playing career." [1]
Davies helped Pitt to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1918, [3] as he led the team in rushing, passing and receiving. [4] He led Pitt in all-purpose yards all four years that he played. [4] In a 1918 game against Georgia Tech, the freshman Davies accounted for five touchdowns—running 50 yards for a touchdown, returning two punts for touchdowns (a 60-yard and a 50-yard return), and passing for two more touchdowns. [2] After watching Davies run back a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in 1918, one writer noted:
"When Brother Tom Davies caught the kickoff on the ten-yard line at Franklin Field in Philadelphia one Saturday in November, we saw the prettiest piece of open field work not off at an angle, Tommie ran the length since the days of Jim Thorpe. On a bee line of the gridiron, and in so doing he personally took care of seven men! Then just for fun he added two more. The papers said, 'Tom Davies Beats Penn.' It has been the same against Syracuse, Lafayette and Georgia Tech. And now Pitt is counting on another All-American." [5]
As a junior in 1920, Davies led Pitt to another big win over the University of Pennsylvania. In what some called Davies' finest game, he threw a touchdown pass, ran 80 yards for a touchdown, returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown. [2] [4] Also in 1920, he led Pitt to a 35–0 win over Syracuse, as he rushed for 255 yards and scored 16 points in only three quarters of play. [2] In December 1920, Davies was elected by his teammates to be captain of Pitt's 1921 football team. [6] Davies was selected as team captain at a team banquet at which the entire team gave Davies "a thunderous cheer." The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Davies was so affected by the demonstration that he stammered only a few words of appreciation and left the hall saying, "I'm going to phone my mother and tell her all about it." [7]
Davies continues to rank among Pitt's all-time leaders in scoring with 181 points and all-purpose yards with 3,931 yards. [4] He was survived by his wife and two daughters. [1]
After graduating from Pitt, Davies began a long career as a college football coach. His first coaching position was as an assistant to the legendary John Heisman at the University of Pennsylvania in 1922. [8] At the time of his hiring at Penn, The New York Times noted: "Tom Davies, former Pitt captain and all-American halfback, makes his debut as a Penn coach. The versatile Davies, who raised havoc with a number of Penn elevens in recent years, will instruct in forward passing, punting and straight arming, and will also help Tom McNamara with the scrubs." [9]
Davies received his first head coaching job in 1923 when he was hired as the head football coach for the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. [8] He spent only one season at Geneva, compiling a record of 6–2–1. [10] In 1924, he was hired by Allegheny College where he remained for two seasons. In 1926, Davies was hired as the head football coach at the University of Rochester, where he spent nine years, coaching until 1934. After leaving Rochester, he spent one season as a coach at Carnegie Tech and another at Kiski Prep School. [8]
In 1937, Davies took over as head football coach at St. Thomas College. [11] In his first season, he led the Tomcats to a 6–1–1 record. Prior to the start of the 1938 season, St. Thomas College changed its name to the University of Scranton. Davies's 1938 team finished with a record of 7–2. The team improved in 1939 and completed an undefeated 7–0–2 season. Davies resigned as Scranton's coach in March 1940 with a three-year record of 20–3–3.
After leaving Scranton, Davies went into the insurance business in the Cleveland area. [8]
Although Davies insisted at the time of his resignation at Scranton that he was done with coaching, he was hired in March 1941 to take over as the head football coach for the Western Reserve University Red Cats. [8] Davies served seven years as head coach at Western Reserve, although there was no team from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II, but was discharged in October 1947 by the University Board of Athletics. The dismissal came 24 hours after members of the team demanded that they finish the year under another coach. [12]
After permanently retiring from football in 1947, Davies returned to the insurance business in the Pittsburgh area. [1]
Davies was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1966 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970. [2] [3] He died of a heart attack in February 1972 at age 75. [13] He died at his home in Pittsburgh's Highland Park district. [14]
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Geneva Covenanters (Independent)(1923) | |||||||||
1923 | Geneva | 6–2–1 | |||||||
Geneva: | 6–2–1 | ||||||||
Allegheny Gators (Independent)(1924–1925) | |||||||||
1924 | Allegheny | 5–2 | |||||||
1925 | Allegheny | 5–3 | |||||||
Allegheny: | 10–5 | ||||||||
Rochester Yellowjackets (New York State Conference)(1926–1934) | |||||||||
1926 | Rochester | 3–5–1 | 2–2–1 | T–5th | |||||
1927 | Rochester | 6–2 | |||||||
1928 | Rochester | 5–2–1 | 3–0–1 | 2nd | |||||
1929 | Rochester | 6–2–1 | |||||||
1930 | Rochester | 7–2 | |||||||
1931 | Rochester | 3–5–1 | |||||||
1932 | Rochester | 4–5 | |||||||
1933 | Rochester | 1–6–1 | |||||||
1934 | Rochester | 5–2 | |||||||
Rochester: | 40–31–5 | ||||||||
St. Thomas Tommies / Scranton Tomcats (Independent)(1937–1939) | |||||||||
1937 | St. Thomas | 6–1–1 | |||||||
1938 | Scranton | 7–2 | |||||||
1939 | Scranton | 7–0–2 | |||||||
St. Thomas / Scranton: | 20–3–3 | ||||||||
Western Reserve Red Cats (Big Four Conference)(1941–1942) | |||||||||
1941 | Western Reserve | 7–1 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
1942 | Western Reserve | 8–3 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
Western Reserve Red Cats (Mid-American Conference)(1946–1947) | |||||||||
1946 | Western Reserve | 4–3–2 | 1–1 | 2nd | |||||
1947 | Western Reserve | 1–4 [n 1] | 1–1 | ||||||
Western Reserve: | 20–11–2 | 8–2 | |||||||
Total: | 96–52–11 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth |
Charles Elliott "Andy" Hastings, also known as "Sandy Hastings" in professional football records, was an American football player. He was an All-American halfback for the Pittsburgh Panthers and remains one of Pittsburgh's all-time leading scorers with 255 points.
Paul S. Kromer was an American football player. A native of Lorain, Ohio, Kromer enrolled at the University of Michigan where he played halfback for the Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1938 to 1927. With Kromer at left halfback and Tom Harmon at right halfback, Michigan's backfield pair became known in 1938 as the "Touchdown Twins."
The 1916 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1916 college football season. Led by coach Pop Warner, the Panthers won all eight games and outscored their opponents by a total of 255 to 25. The team was retroactively selected as the national champion by multiple NCAA-designated major selectors, including the Billingsley Report, Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, and National Championship Foundation, and by others as a co-national champion with Army by Parke H. Davis.
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.
The 1918 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1918 college football season. In a season cut short by the Spanish flu pandemic, coach Pop Warner led the Panthers in a schedule played all in one month, including a convincing victory in a highly publicized game over defending national champion and unscored-upon Georgia Tech. A highly controversial loss ended the season and snapped a 32-game Pitt winning streak, but the Panthers outscored opponents 140–16 in that short season and were retroactively selected as the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and Houlgate System and as a co-national champion with Michigan by the National Championship Foundation.
The 1917 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1917 college football season. Led by coach Pop Warner, the Panthers won all ten games and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 260–31.
The 1918 Georgia Tech Golden Tornado football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology during the 1918 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The Tornado was coached by John Heisman in his 15th year as head coach, compiling a record of 6–1 and outscoring opponents 466 to 32. Georgia Tech played its home games at Grant Field.
The 1925 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1925 college football season. In its second season under head coach Jock Sutherland, the team compiled an 8–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 151 to 34. The team was ranked No. 10 in the nation in the Dickinson System ratings released in January 1926. This was the Panthers' first season at Pitt Stadium, and the team played eight of its nine games there.
The 1928 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1928 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Jock Sutherland, the team compiled a 6–2–1 record, shut out seven of its nine opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 177 to 15. The team played its eight home games at Pitt Stadium in Pittsburgh.
The 1920 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1920 college football season. In its sixth season under head coach Pop Warner, the team compiled a 6–0–2 record and outscored all opponents by a total of 146 to 44. The team played its home games at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. "Perhaps due to the resurrection of sports after the war period, Pitt enjoyed an athletic year that was quite indicative of its pre-war strength, which so practically dominated college sport activities in this section for many years. The season of 1920-21 boasted of representative Pitt teams in every branch of sport - football, basketball, baseball, track, swimming and tennis. Aviation, which made its initial bow at the University last year, progressed in fine manner – the team having been entered in the big intercollegiate meet.
The 1919 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1919 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Pop Warner, the team compiled a 6–2–1 record and outscored all opponents by a total of 119 to 66. The team played its home games at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
The 1921 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1921 college football season. In its seventh season under head coach Pop Warner, the team compiled a 5–3–1 record and outscored all opponents by a total of 133 to 50. The team played its home games at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
The 1922 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1922 college football season. In its eighth season under head coach Pop Warner, the team compiled an 8–2 record, shut out five of its ten opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 190 to 43. The team played its home games at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
The 1924 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1924 college football season. In its first season under head coach Jock Sutherland, the team compiled a 5–3–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 98 to 43. The team played its home games at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
The 1912 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1912 college football season. In its fourth and final season under head coach Joseph H. Thompson, the team compiled a 3–6 record and was outscored by a total of 122 to 113.
The 1943 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1943 college football season. The team compiled a 3–5 record under new head coach Clark Shaughnessy.
The 1942 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1942 college football season. The team compiled a 3–6 record under head coach Charley Bowser.
The 1909 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1909 college football season.
The 1908 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1908 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.