Sport(s) Football 1913–1916 Army Positions Quarterback 1907 Harvard (assistant) Role American football player | 1901–1902 Army Name Charles Daly 1898–1900 Harvard 1919–1922 Army Books American Football | |
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Born October 31, 1880
Roxbury, Massachusetts ( 1880-10-31 ) Died February 12, 1959, Pacific Grove, California, United States Education United States Military Academy, Harvard University | ||
Charles Dudley "Charlie" Daly (October 31, 1880 – February 12, 1959) was an American football player and coach, an author, and served in the United States Army during World War I. He played college football as a quarterback at Harvard University and the United States Military Academy and served as the head football coach at the latter from 1913 to 1916 and 1919 to 1922, compiling a career record of 58–13–3. Daly was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1951. He also served as Fire Commissioner in Boston during the 1910s.
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Education
Daly attended Boston Latin School and Harvard University, where he was a member of ΑΔΦ, the Fly Club, and the Hasty Pudding Club and graduated in 1901 with an Artium Baccalaureus. He also graduated from West Point in 1905. His military record as of 1921 was: Captain Field Artillery, Regular Army, when United States entered the war; attached to 338th Field Artillery, 88th Division, Camp Dodge, Iowa; promoted temporary major August 5, 1917; attached to 29th Field Artillery; detailed to School of Fire, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as instructor; promoted temporary lieutenant colonel June 25, 1918; promoted temporary colonel October 24; demoted Regular Army grade captain Field Artillery August 20, 1919; detailed to U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., as instructor; promoted major 1920; in service 1921. He was also stationed at Ft. Sam Houston, Schofield Barracks, the U.S. Army War College, and Ft. Leavenworth.
Daly played football for both Harvard and West Point teams. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
Career
Daly coached American football teams at both Harvard and West Point. Notably at West Point where he is known as the "Godfather of West Point Football" he was coach to Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Joseph Stilwell, Matthew Ridgway, James Van Fleet, George S. Patton and other American military luminaries of the 20th century. In 1921 he founded the American Football Coaches Association.
At West Point he was an Assistant Professor of Military Science and Tactics from 1928 to 1934. An athletic field there is named in honor of him.
Works
A remarkable similarity exists between war and football. This is particularly manifest in their organization. In both war and football we have the staff and the troops. In both we have the supply department, medical branch, and the instruction branch. In both, the importance of leadership is paramount. The principles of war laid down by Clausevitz are the principles of the application of force. Just so in football, we have exactly analogous principles of the application of force and a similar organization.
FOOTBALL AXIOMS
1. Football is a battle. Go out to fight and keep it up all afternoon.
2. A man's value to his team varies inversely as his distance from the ball.
3. If the line goes forward, the team wins, if the line goes backward, the team loses.
GAME AXIOMS
1. Make and play for the breaks. When one comes your way, score.
2. If the game or a break goes against you, don't lie down; put on more steam.
3. Don't save yourself. go to the limit. There are good men on the sideline, when you are exhausted.
(Above axioms are widely attributed to Robert R. Neyland who was an assistant to Daly when this book was published in 1921. Neyland moved on to the University of Tennessee in 1925.)