Sport(s) Football, basketball Bowls 5–6 c. 1915 South Dakota State Name Cleveland Abbott | 1923–1954 Tuskegee Role American football player 1933–1936 Tuskegee | |
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Born December 9, 1892
Yankton, South Dakota ( 1892-12-09 ) Overall 203–96–28 (football)
27–18 (basketball) Died April 14, 1955, Tuskegee, Alabama, United States Education South Dakota State University | ||
2019-02-08 Cleveland Abbott at Journey Museum
Cleveland Leigh "Cleve" Abbott (some sources say "Cleveland S. Abbott") (December 9, 1892 – April 14, 1955) was an African-American football player, coach and educator.
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Life
Abbott was born in Yankton, South Dakota in 1892, one of seven children. He graduated from high school in Watertown, South Dakota in 1912, and received his bachelor's degree from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota in 1916. He was an outstanding, multi-sport athlete at Watertown High School (16 varsity sports letters) and SDSU (14 varsity letters at SDSU). After serving in Europe in World War I as an officer in the 366th Infantry Regiment, Abbott accepted a position as professor and coach at Tuskegee.
Abbott was the eighth head football coach for the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers located in Tuskegee, Alabama and he held that position for 32 seasons, from 1923 until 1954.
Abbott earned the respect of his peers through his team's performance and by participating in national committees for the selection of "all-American" players at the collegiate level.
Abbott died in 1955 in Tuskegee, Alabama.