Frank Cavanaugh (football coach)

College coach infobox
Name = Frank Cavanaugh


Caption =
DateOfBirth = birth date|1876|4|28|mf=y
Birthplace = Worcester, MA
DateOfDeath = death date and age|1933|08|29|1876|4|28
Sport = Football
Coach = Y
CoachYears = 1898 1903-1905 1909-1910 1911-1916 1919-1926 1927-1932
CoachTeams = Cincinnati Holy Cross Worcester Academy Dartmouth Boston College Fordham
FootballHOF = 1954
CollegeHOFID = 20068

Frank "The Iron Major" Cavanaugh (April 28, 1876 – August 29, 1933) was an American football head coach. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Frank Cavanaugh was a leader in football and war. His record for 24 years as a college coach was 145-48-17, a .731 percentage. He joined the United States Army in World War I and advanced to the rank of major. Cavanaugh would make motivational speeches to his troops in war or to his players before a game.

Cavanaugh attended Dartmouth College and played end on the football team 1896-1897. His first coaching job was at the University of Cincinnati, 1898. The team had a 5-1-3 record, including a 17-12 victory over his alma mater, Dartmouth College. He moved to Colorado and coached the Denver Athletic Club 1899-1902. Then it was back east and college coaching at College of the Holy Cross 1903-1905. Next he practiced law, returning to coaching at Worcester Academy 1909-1910. Dartmouth College brought him back to the college level 1911-1916.

In 1917, at age 41, he volunteered for the United States Army. On October 23, 1918, he was wounded in combat in France. He came back to coach Boston College 1919-1926 and Fordham University 1927-1932. At Fordham in 1929 he ran some plays from the T formation with a man in motion – 11 years before that formation was used at Stanford University.

Major Cavanaugh died August 29, 1933 at age 57. In 1943 he was portrayed in a movie, "The Iron Major", with Pat O'Brien in the lead role. The movie extolled Cavanaugh's "love of God, love of his country, love of his family." [ [http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=20068 College Football Hall of Fame Bio] ] 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." [cite book
title=Tales from the Boston College Sideline
author=Reid Oslin, Reid Olson, Doug Flutie
year=2004
publisher=Sports Publishing LLC
isbn=1582615462
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=jfwyQ4CG1fcC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&dq=Leo+Daley+Boston+English+&source=web&ots=aM0L_228n-&sig=zgN_Dig8JiHWjBcab_ZHa1P_x7w&hl=en#PPA35,M1]

Head coaching record

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Cincinnati Bearcats
startyear = 1898
conf = Independent
endyear = 1898CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1898
name = Cincinnati
overall = 5-1-3
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Cincinnati
overall = 5-1-3
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Holy Cross Crusaders
startyear = 1903
conf = Independent
endyear = 1905CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1903
name = Holy Cross
overall = 8-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1904
name = Holy Cross
overall = 2-5-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1905
name = Holy Cross
overall = 6-3
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Holy Cross
overall = 16-10-2
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Dartmouth Big Green
startyear = 1911
conf = Independent
endyear = 1916CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1911
name = Dartmouth
overall = 8-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1912
name = Dartmouth
overall = 7-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1913
name = Dartmouth
overall = 7-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1914
name = Dartmouth
overall = 8-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1915
name = Dartmouth
overall = 7-1-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1916
name = Dartmouth
overall = 5-2-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Dartmouth
overall = 42-9-3
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Boston College Eagles
startyear = 1919
conf = Independent
endyear = 1926CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1919
name = Boston College
overall = 5-3
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1920
name = Boston College
overall = 8-0
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1921
name = Boston College
overall = 4-3-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1922
name = Boston College
overall = 6-2-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1923
name = Boston College
overall = 7-1-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1924
name = Boston College
overall = 6-3
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1925
name = Boston College
overall = 6-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1926
name = Boston College
overall = 6-0-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Boston College
overall = 48-14-5
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Fordham Rams
startyear = 1927
conf = Independent
endyear = 1932CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1927
name = Fordham
overall = 3-5
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1928
name = Fordham
overall = 4-5
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1929
name = Fordham
overall = 7-0-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1930
name = Fordham
overall = 8-1
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1931
name = Fordham
overall = 6-1-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1932
name = Fordham
overall = 6-2
conference =
confstanding =
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Fordham
overall = 34-14-4
confrecord = CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 145-48-17 (.731)
bcs =
poll = two
polltype =

References

ee also

*College Football Hall of Fame

External links

* [http://www.bc.edu/libraries/centers/burns/exhibits/virtual/teams/s-1920/ Boston College Teams of Destiny]
* [http://www.collegefootball.org/ College Football Hall of Fame]
*imdb title|0036044|The Iron Major (1943) (1943) starring Pat O'Brien