Frank Cavanaugh (American football)
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Worcester, Massachusetts | April 28, 1876
Died | August 29, 1933 Marshfield, Massachusetts | (aged 57)
Playing career | |
1896–1897 | Dartmouth |
Position(s) | End |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1898 | Cincinnati |
1898–1902 | Denver Athletic Club |
1903–1905 | Holy Cross |
1909–1910 | Worcester Academy (MA) |
1911–1916 | Dartmouth |
1919–1926 | Boston College |
1927–1932 | Fordham |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 145–48–17 (college) |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1954 (profile) |
Frank W. "The Iron Major" Cavanaugh (April 28, 1876 – August 29, 1933) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Cincinnati (1898), the College of the Holy Cross (1903–1905), Dartmouth College (1911–1916), Boston College (1919–1926) and Fordham University (1927–1932), compiling a career college football record of 148–50–18. Cavanaugh was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and played football as an end at Dartmouth from 1896 to 1897. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.
Cavanaugh was briefly an attorney, but left active practice to return to coaching.
He enlisted in the army in 1917, at 41 years of age. He was later commissioned, by war’s end, a major. He was seriously wounded at the Argonne. Shellfire broke his skull, nose, and a cheek; the injuries contributed to his later blindness.
At the time of his death, Cavanaugh was broke and blind. He warned fellow coach and former player Joe McKenney "Get out of coaching while you can. The end of every coaching career is disaster."[1] He was survived by his widow and their nine children.[2]
He was played by Pat O'Brien in the 1943 RKO film The Iron Major.
Head coaching record[]
College[]
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati (Independent) (1898) | |||||||||
1898 | Cincinnati | 5–1–3 | |||||||
Cincinnati: | 5–1–3 | ||||||||
Holy Cross (Independent) (1903–1905) | |||||||||
1903 | Holy Cross | 8–2 | |||||||
1904 | Holy Cross | 2–5–2 | |||||||
1905 | Holy Cross | 6–3 | |||||||
Holy Cross: | 16–10–2 | ||||||||
Dartmouth (Independent) (1911–1916) | |||||||||
1911 | Dartmouth | 8–2 | |||||||
1912 | Dartmouth | 7–2 | |||||||
1913 | Dartmouth | 7–1 | |||||||
1914 | Dartmouth | 8–1 | |||||||
1915 | Dartmouth | 7–1–1 | |||||||
1916 | Dartmouth | 5–2–2 | |||||||
Dartmouth: | 42–9–3 | ||||||||
Boston College Eagles (Independent) (1919–1926) | |||||||||
1919 | Boston College | 5–3 | |||||||
1920 | Boston College | 8–0 | |||||||
1921 | Boston College | 4–3–1 | |||||||
1922 | Boston College | 6–2–1 | |||||||
1923 | Boston College | 7–1–1 | |||||||
1924 | Boston College | 6–3 | |||||||
1925 | Boston College | 6–2 | |||||||
1926 | Boston College | 6–0–2 | |||||||
Boston College: | 48–14–5 | ||||||||
Fordham Rams (Independent) (1927–1932) | |||||||||
1927 | Fordham | 3–5 | |||||||
1928 | Fordham | 4–5 | |||||||
1929 | Fordham | 7–0–2 | |||||||
1930 | Fordham | 8–1 | |||||||
1931 | Fordham | 6–1–2 | |||||||
1932 | Fordham | 6–2 | |||||||
Fordham: | 34–14–4 | ||||||||
Total: | 145–48–17 |
Published works[]
- Inside Football (1919)
References[]
- ^ Reid Oslin, Doug Flutie (2004). Tales from the Boston College Sideline. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 35. ISBN 1-58261-546-2.
Leo Daley Boston English .
- ^ Murpky, Frank (1933-08-30). "Death Claims Major Frank Cavanaugh After Lingering Illness". the Waterbury Democrat. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
External links[]
- Frank Cavanaugh at the College Football Hall of Fame
- 1876 births
- 1933 deaths
- 19th-century players of American football
- American football ends
- Boston College Eagles football coaches
- Cincinnati Bearcats football coaches
- Dartmouth Big Green football coaches
- Dartmouth Big Green football players
- Fordham Rams football coaches
- Holy Cross Crusaders football coaches
- High school football coaches in Massachusetts
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Players of American football from Worcester, Massachusetts