Siddhesh Joshi (Editor)

Harris G Cope

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Sport(s)
  
Football

1922–1923
  
Howard

1909–1916
  
Sewanee


1904
  
Sewanee (assistant)

1899–1901
  
Sewanee

Name
  
Harris Cope

Harris G. Cope Harris G Cope Wikipedia


Born
  
March 16, 1880 Savannah, Georgia (
1880-03-16
)

Position(s)
  
Third baseman/Quarterback

Died
  
September 24, 1924, Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Alma mater
  
Sewanee: The University of the South

Harris Goodwin Cope (March 16, 1880 – September 24, 1924) was an American football and baseball player and football coach. Cope was a member of the National Football Rules Committee in 1914–15.

Contents

Playing years

Cope first played at Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut.

Football

In his first year of varsity football, Cope was a substitute quarterback on the undefeated "Iron Men" of the 1899 Sewanee Tigers football team. He was the captain and the starting quarter for Sewanee's 1901 team.

Baseball

He played third baseman on the Sewanee baseball team.

Coaching years

Cope coached at Sewanee: University of the South and Howard College. He worked for a short time as a business man in Cartersville before returning to Sewanee to coach in 1909.

Sewanee

Cope has the third-most wins of any Sewanee coach (43), behind Shirley Majors' 93 and John Windham's 45; and has the highest winning percentage of any Sewanee coach who coached for more than 3 seasons. His continuity came after a period in which Sewanee had much talent but six coaches in seven years.

1909

In Cope's first year at head coach he led the Sewanee Tigers to a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) championship in 1909, beating previous season's champion LSU and handing Vanderbilt its first loss to a Southern team in six years.

Howard

Former Sewanee player Bob Taylor Dobbins assisted Cope at Howard.

Legacy

Cope's disciples include:

  • Bob Taylor Dobbins, played for Sewanee (1913–1915), assistant for Howard (1922–1923)
  • Frank Faulkinberry, played for Sewanee (1907–1910), head coach for Middle Tennessee State (1926–1932)
  • Jenks Gillem, played for Sewanee (1910–1912), head coach for Howard (1925–1926), Birmingham Southern (1928–1939), head coach for Sewanee (1940–1941)
  • Frank Juhan, played for Sewanee (1908–1910), assistant for Sewanee (1913–1915)
  • Henry D. Phillips, assistant for Sewanee (1909–1915)
  • Silas Williams, played for Sewanee (1908–1909), assistant for Sewanee (1914–1915), head coach for Chattanooga (1919–1921)
  • References

    Harris G. Cope Wikipedia