Matthew McClung
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. | December 1, 1868
Died | March 3, 1908 Joliet, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 39)
Playing career | |
Football | |
1890–1893 | Lehigh |
Position(s) | Lehigh |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 5–2 (football) 8–12 (baseball) |
Matthew Henry McClung Jr. (December 1, 1868 – March 3, 1908), sometimes referred to as Dibby McClung, was an American college football player, coach and official. Born into a powerful southern family, McClung was raised in Memphis, Tennessee until he was accepted into Lehigh University. Immediately establishing himself as a skilled sportsman, McClung participated on both the school's football and baseball teams. He served as captain of the former in 1892 and is credited with turning it into one of the school's best ever football squads. McClung graduated from Lehigh in 1893 with degrees in metallurgy and mining engineering.
After graduating, McClung took a position as the coach of the Naval Academy football team. He served for one season, leading the team to a 5-2 record against a mediocre schedule. Following the season, he started his career as a college football referee which would span twelve years.[1]
Early life and college
Dibby McClung gave me one of the old practice balls of the Lehigh team. This was the first football I ever had in my hands. For weeks afterwards that football was my nightly companion in bed. These two Lehigh stars have always been my football heroes, and it was a happy day for me when I played quarterback on the Yale team and these two men acted as officials that day.
All-American Yale quarterback John de Saulles, remembering visiting Lehigh in 1889[2]
Matthew McClung was born on December 1, 1868, the fifth of seven children between Matthew McClung Sr. and Julia Frances Anderson. The younger McClung was raised in
McClung's sophomore year remained largely the same as his freshman one. He maintained membership with the Psi Upsilon and the Aetos Club, but he also joined the university's Southern Club, German club, and its Chemical and Natural History Society.[10][11] He shifted from being the baseball team's catcher to center fielder, where he played in twelve out of twenty games. McClung had the third worst batting stats of anyone on the team, getting only nine hits on fifty-seven at-bats. He was also named starting quarterback of the school's football team and led the squad to a 6-4 record, which included two wins over rival Lafayette.[12]
Career
Football coach
Following his graduation, McClung remained at Lehigh, assisting in coaching the school's 1894 season. In 1895, McClung was hired by the
Referee and steelworker
Shortly after he left Lehigh, McClung began a career as a college football
In the following year, McClung refereed a single game, again between Yale and Princeton.
By 1900, McClung and Dashiell's fame had risen considerably. Two western teams,
In 1905, McClung refereed only two games, one of which turned out to be the biggest in his career. The first game of the season was between Harvard and Pennsylvania, which McClung officiated alongside "Big Bill" Edwards. The pairing was troublesome, since both men had previously served almost always as a referee, which left the position of umpire unfilled. Edwards eventually accepted the umpire role, and remained at the position for the rest of his officiating career following the game.
During the time that he was a referee, McClung also pursued a career in
Death and legacy
While working at the Joliet Blast Furnaces, McClung developed a severe
- One friendship was made in these years that has been worth more than words can tell. I refer to that of Matthew McClung. To be known as a co-official with McClung was a privilege that only those who knew him can appreciate. I had known him before at Lehigh in his undergraduate days, and had played on the same teams with him[...] Never was there a squarer sportsman, or a fairer, more conscientious and efficient official; nor a truer, more gallant type of real man than he. His early death took out of the game a man of the kind we can ill afford to lose and no tribute that I could pay him would be high enough.[61]
Head coaching record
College football
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Navy Midshipmen (Independent) (1895) | |||||||||
1895 | Navy | 5–2 | |||||||
Navy: | 5–2 | ||||||||
Total: | 5–2 |
College baseball
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lehigh Engineers (Independent) (1895) | |||||||||
1895 | Lehigh | 8–12 | |||||||
Lehigh: | 8–12 | ||||||||
Total: | 8–12 |
See also
References
Notes
- ^ The Yale team showed up to the 1904 contest over forty-five minutes after it was scheduled to begin due to issues with their train. McClung shortened the game's haves to thirty and twenty-five minutes, respectively, instead of their full thirty-five minute duration. Controversy arose among the players, who, among other things, "protested vigorously" against McClung's decision.[47]
Footnotes
- ^ Lehigh Alumni Association (1910), p. 65
- ^ Edwards (1916), p. 348
- ^ a b McClung (1904), pp. 28-29
- ^ The Lehigh Epitome (1898), pp. 222-223
- ^ The Lehigh Epitome (1890), p. 58
- ^ The Lehigh Epitome (1890), pp. 104, 165
- ^ The Lehigh Epitome (1890), pp. 145, 164-168
- ^ The Lehigh Epitome (1891), pp. 167-171
- ^ The Lehigh Epitome (1895), p. 22
- ^ The Lehigh Epitome (1891), pp. 64, 109, 128
- ^ The Lehigh Epitome (1892), pp. 137, 146
- ^ The Lehigh Epitome (1892), pp. 194-199
- ^ Bealle (1951), p. 44
- ^ a b c Bealle (1951), p. 45
- ^ Navy Game Results 1895-1899
- ^ The Cavalier Daily (1982), p. 7
- ^ Edwards (1916), p. 205
- ^ Jackson (1959), p. 3
- ^ The Salt Lake Herald (1895), p. 2
- ^ a b Edwards (1916), p. 387
- ^ The New York Tribune (1895), p. 3
- ^ The Norfolk Virginian (1896), p. 1
- ^ The Evening Times (1896), p. 3
- ^ Pruter (2011), pp. 2-3
- ^ Samuels (2011), The Back Page
- ^ The Sun (1897), p. 2
- ^ The Saint Paul Globe (1897), p. 1
- ^ Omaha Daily Bee (1898), p. 10
- ^ Evening Star (1898), p. 7
- ^ Presbrey and Moffat (1901), p. 386
- ^ The Times (1898), p. 8
- ^ The Scranton Tribune (1898), p. 1
- ^ The Kansas City Journal (1899), p. 5
- ^ The Saint Paul Globe (1899), p. 10
- ^ The San Francisco Call (1900), p. 32
- ^ New-York Daily Tribune (1900), p. 5
- ^ The Times (1900), p. 3
- ^ Athletic Association of Harvard Graduates (1901), p. 4
- ^ The San Francisco Call (1901), p. 34
- ^ The Indianapolis Journal (1902), p. 6
- ^ The Saint Paul Globe (1902), p. 8
- ^ The Minneapolis Journal (1903), p. 21
- ^ The Saint Paul Globe (1904), p. 5
- ^ Williams & Norris (1904), p. 127
- ^ The Times-Dispatch (1904), p. 1
- ^ The New-York Tribune (1904), p. 10
- ^ Edwards (1916), p. 391
- ^ a b Reid (1994), pp. 307-318
- ^ Smith (2011), pp. 46-50
- ^ Whitney (1906), p. 27
- ^ The Minneapolis Journal (1906), p. 3
- ^ Packer (1899), P. 175
- ^ a b The Allentown Leader (1908), p. 6
- ^ a b The Iron Trade Review (March 12, 1908), p. 498
- ^ The Iron Trade Review (March 19, 1908), p. 534
- ^ Edwards (1916), pp. 459-460
- ^ Edwards (1916), pp. 389-390
Bibliography
- Books, journals, and yearbooks
- Athletic Association of Harvard Graduates (October 28, 1901). "Football During The Week–Athletic Notes". The Harvard Bulletin. IV (3). OCLC 2509751.
- Bealle, Morris Allson (1951). "1895". Gangway for Navy: The Story of Football At United States Naval Academy, 1879-1950. OCLC 1667386.
- Cromartie, Bill (1996). Army Navy Football, 1890-1995: The Greatest Rivalry in All of Sports. OCLC 36118980.
- OCLC 2047234.
- Lehigh Alumni Association (1910). Proceedings of the Alumni Association of Lehigh University, June, 1908, to June, 1909, with the Constitution and By-Laws (1909-1910 ed.). OCLC 62137265.
- Lehigh University Junior Class (1890). The Lehigh Epitome '90. Vol. XIV. OCLC 9204973. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
- Lehigh University Junior Class (1891). The Lehigh Epitome '91. Vol. XV. Bethlehem, PA: Times Publishing Company. OCLC 9204973. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- Lehigh University Junior Class (1892). The Lehigh Epitome '92. Vol. XVI. Bethlehem, PA: Times Publishing Company. OCLC 9204973. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- Lehigh University Junior Class (1893). The Lehigh Epitome '93. Vol. XVII. Bethlehem, PA: Times Publishing Company. OCLC 9204973. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- Lehigh University Junior Class (1894). The Lehigh Epitome '94. Vol. XVIII. Bethlehem, PA: Times Publishing Company. OCLC 9204973. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- Lehigh University Junior Class (1895). The Lehigh Epitome '95. Vol. XIX. OCLC 9204973. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
- Lehigh University Junior Class (1898). The Lehigh Epitome '98. Vol. XXII. OCLC 9204973. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
- McClung, William (1904). "1-1, James McClung". The McClung Genealogy: A Genealogical and Biographical of the McClung Family from the Time of their Emigration to the Year 1904. OCLC 5148800.
- Packer, Asa, ed. (1899). Register of The Lehigh University, South Bethlehem, PA (1898-1899 ed.). Bethlehem, PA: Times Publishing Company. OCLC 883846297.
- Presbrey, Frank; James Hugh Moffat, eds. (1901). "Football at Princeton, 1869-1900". Athletics at Princeton: A History. OCLC 7641841.
- Pruter, Robert (February 2011). "Indoor Football in Chicago's Coliseum" (PDF). College Football Historical Society. XXIV (II): 1–5. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- )
- Smith, Ronald A. (2011). "Football, Progression Reform, and the Creation of the NCAA". Pay for Play: A History of Big-time College Athletic Reform. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. pp. 42–50. OCLC 700709008.
- Whitney, Caspar (August 1906). "Other All-America Selections". Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide. XXIII (275): 23–29. OCLC 3912065. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- Williams, Jesse Lynch; Norris, Edwin M. (November 19, 1904). "Yale 12, Princeton 0". OCLC 2436114.
- Staff writer (March 12, 1908). "Personals–Death of James Meehan". The Iron Trade Review. XLII (11). OCLC 6923459.
- Staff writer (March 19, 1908). "Personals and Obituary". The Iron Trade Review. XLII (12). Cleveland: 534. OCLC 6923459.
- Newspapers
- Jackson, Elmer M. (September 26, 1959). "Out of the Past: St. John's Was Navy's Opener Back in 1885". The Evening Capital. OCLC 9259920.
- Nesbit, Joanne (September 11, 2000). "Roosevelt May be 'Father of Annual Army-Navy Football Game'". The University Record. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan.
- Samuels, Robert S. (November 18, 2011). "A History of Harvard-Yale". OCLC 6324327. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- University Guides (February 23, 1982). "Fire on the Lawn, 1895: Rotunda up in Smoke". OCLC 22283127.
- Staff writer (March 5, 1908). "Matthew M'Clung Dead: Famous Foot Ball Official Succumbs to Blood Poisoning". The Allentown Leader. OCLC 18987721.
- Staff writer (October 7, 1895). "Notice to Subscribers". OCLC 232117810. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- Staff writer (October 12, 1898). "Dashiell to Umpire the Big Matches". OCLC 2260929. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Staff writer (December 19, 1896). "Football Innovation–Game Will Be Played at Night for First Time". The Evening Times. OCLC 10954477. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- Staff writer (October 26, 1902). "Hard Game For Princeton: Yet the Tigers Rolled Up a Score of 21 Against Columbia". OCLC 192107329. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- Staff writer (September 28, 1899). "Wichita's Great Race–Puffs From the Pipe". OCLC 13484189. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- Staff writer (October 30, 1903). "East Versus West: Have The 'Big Nine' Football Teams Advanced Beyond 'Big Six' In Science?". OCLC 1757631. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- Staff writer (December 1, 1906). "Army And Navy In Battle Today: Soldiers and Sailors Meet in Annual Game at Philadelphia Today". The Minneapolis Journal. Minneapolis, MN. p. 3. OCLC 1757631. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 25, 1895). "On Everyone's Tongue: The Football Game And Not The Weather". OCLC 9405688. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 24, 1900). "Harvard-Yale To-Day: Greatest Football Battle Of The Year To Be Fought At New-Haven". New-York Daily Tribune. New York City. p. 5. OCLC 9405688. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- Staff writer (October 23, 1904). "Penn Beats Columbia: New-Yorkers Lose Through Poor Headwork–Metzenthin's Pluck". New-York Daily Tribune. New York City. p. 10. OCLC 9405688. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 22, 1896). "The Blue Goes Down–Before the Irresistible Onslaught of the Mighty Sons of Historic Old Nassau". The Norfolk Virginian. OCLC 11886168. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- Staff writer (October 16, 1898). "Gossip From The Gridiron: Possibility of a Real Championship Contest Again Looms Up in a Collegiate Sky". OCLC 42958170. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 26, 1897). "Year's Finest Game On Franklin Field: Pennsylvania Held to a Single Touchdown by the Cornell Eleven". OCLC 21579130. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 5, 1899). "Harvard Won Easy: Defeated The Pennsylvanians, And Did Not Permit Them To Score". The Saint Paul Globe. St. Paul, MN. p. 10. OCLC 21579130. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 2, 1902). "Penn Blanks Columbia: Red and Blue Team's Play Surprises the Spectators". The Saint Paul Globe. St. Paul, MN. p. 8. OCLC 21579130. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- Staff writer (October 13, 1904). "Football Team Is Making Big Strides–Football Officials Chosen". The Saint Paul Globe. St. Paul, MN. p. 5. OCLC 21579130. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 23, 1895). "Long Hair and Pigskin–Yale and Princeton". The Salt Lake Daily Herald. OCLC 11987624. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 25, 1900). "Referee, But No Umpire, Selected For The Thanksgiving Day Game". OCLC 13146227. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 24, 1901). "Overwhelming Defeat For Yale Is Administered By Harvard". San Francisco Call. San Francisco, CA. p. 34. OCLC 13146227. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 25, 1898). "Victory For Keystone Kickers: Cornell is Defeated by a Score of 12-6". OCLC 10437632. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 14, 1897). "Yale And Harvard Tie: Stirring Football Struggle Between Old Rivals". OCLC 477686775. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 5, 1898). "A Big Crowd Expected: Great Interest in the Harvard-Pennsylvania Game Today". The Times. Washington, D.C. p. 8. OCLC 9285626. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- Staff writer (November 8, 1900). "The Yale-Carlisle Game: Elaborate Preparations Being Made for the Contest". The Times. Washington, D.C. p. 3. OCLC 9285626. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
- Staff writer (October 30, 1904). "The Tide Is Now Turned: Pennsylvania Prevents Harvard From Scoring At Cambridge". OCLC 12872288. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- Other
- Staff (2013). "Navy Yearly Results–1895-1899". College Football Data Warehouse. 1895: 5-2-0. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- Staff (2014). "1906 Navy Midshipmen Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 29, 2014.