Bob Folwell
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Mullica Hill, New Jersey, U.S. | February 17, 1885
Died | January 8, 1928 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 42)
Playing career | |
1904–1907 | Penn |
Position(s) | Halfback |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1909–1911 | Lafayette |
1912–1915 | Washington & Jefferson |
1916–1919 | Penn |
1920–1924 | Navy |
1925 | New York Giants |
1926 | Philadelphia Quakers |
1927 | Atlantic City Roses |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 106–29–9 (college) 8–4 (NFL) |
Bowls | 0–1–1 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Robert Cook Folwell Jr. (February 17, 1885 – January 8, 1928) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Lafayette College (1909–1911), Washington & Jefferson College (1912–1915), the University of Pennsylvania (1916–1919), and the United States Naval Academy (1920–1924), compiling a career college football record of 106–29–9. Folwell then moved to the professional ranks, coaching the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) in 1925, the Philadelphia Quakers of the American Football League in 1926, and the Atlantic City Roses of the Eastern League of Professional Football in 1927.
Early life and playing career
Folwell was born in the
College coaching career
Lafayette
Folwell coached Lafayette College from 1908 through 1911, amassing a 19–2–1 record.[1]
Washington & Jefferson
After hearing rumors that Folwell was unhappy at Lafayette, Robert "Mother" Murphy personally recruited him to coach for Washington & Jefferson College, where he coached from 1912 to 1915 and post a 36–5–3 record and was named coach of the year in 1913.[1][4]
In Folwell's first season,
Penn
Folwell then coached at University of Pennsylvania from 1916 to 1919, where he posted a 27–10–2 record.[1][6][7] During the 1918 Spanish flu, Folwell was hospitalized for the virus.[8]
Folwell was the 17th head football coach at the United States Naval Academy and he held that position for five seasons, from 1920 until 1924. His coaching record with Navy was 24–12–3.
Professional coaching career and death
Folwell was the first head coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL), in 1925. The following season he took the same position for the Philadelphia Quakers of the first American Football League and led the team to the championship of the short-lived league. He coached the Atlantic City Roses of the Eastern League of Professional Football in 1927, but was forced to retire to his farm in New Jersey after one season.[1] A hip infection, which began while he was coaching the Philadelphia Quakers, worsened, forcing him to walk with a cane.[1] In January 1928, he had a hip operation at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia.[1] The surgery was initially successful, but he took a turn for the worse and died January 8, 1928.[1]
Head coaching record
College
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lafayette (Independent) (1909–1911) | |||||||||
1909 | Lafayette | 7–0–1 | |||||||
1910 | Lafayette | 7–2 | |||||||
1911 | Lafayette | 5–0 | |||||||
Lafayette: | 19–2–1 | ||||||||
Washington & Jefferson Red and Black (Independent) (1912–1915) | |||||||||
1912 | Washington & Jefferson | 8–3–1 | |||||||
1913 | Washington & Jefferson | 10–0–1 | |||||||
1914 | Washington & Jefferson | 10–1 | |||||||
1915 | Washington & Jefferson | 8–1–1 | |||||||
Washington & Jefferson: | 36–5–3 | ||||||||
Penn Quakers (Independent) (1916–1919) | |||||||||
1916 | Penn | 7–3–1 | L Rose | ||||||
1917 | Penn | 9–2 | |||||||
1918 | Penn | 5–3 | |||||||
1919 | Penn | 6–2–1 | |||||||
Penn: | 27–10–2 | ||||||||
Navy Midshipmen (Independent) (1920–1924) | |||||||||
1920 | Navy | 6–2 | |||||||
1921 | Navy | 6–1 | |||||||
1922 | Navy | 5–2 | |||||||
1923 | Navy | 5–1–3 | T Rose | ||||||
1924 | Navy | 2–6 | |||||||
Navy: | 24–12–3 | ||||||||
Total: | 106–29–9 |
NFL
Team | Year | Regular season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | ||
NYG | 1925 | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 4th in NFL |
Total | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 |
*Interim head coach
References
- ^ OCLC 24174022.
- ^ "Ivy League Sports". Archived from the original on November 30, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
- ISBN 9780559344183.
- ^ "Washington & Jefferson Presidents Football Media Guide" (PDF). Washington & Jefferson College. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
- ^ OCLC 24174022.
- ^ "Penn Team Starts Work.;Bob Folwell, the New Coach, Puts Men Through Hard Practice" (PDF). The New York Times. September 12, 1916.
- ^ "Folwell Cast Off As Coach at Penn; "Did Little Character Building," Is Faculty Committee Head's Explanation" (PDF). The New York Times. January 30, 1917.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Frank (March 11, 2020). "In 1918, it was Spanish influenza that afflicted Philadelphia sports". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Retrieved March 11, 2020.