Charles Rinehart
Encyclopedia
Charles Ramsay Rinehart (December 31, 1875 - October 30, 1933) was an American football
player, engineer and businessman. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1964.
He played high school football at Phillipsburg High School in Phillipsburg, New Jersey
.
Rinehart was a right guard on the 1896 team at Lafayette
under coach Parke H. Davis
. At 6'3" and 210 pounds, "Babe" or "Riny" was the biggest man on the team.
Lafayette and Princeton
fought to a scoreless tie in 1896. The two teams were named co-national champions for the season 37 years later by Coach Davis, who had become the sport's pre-eminent historian. From 1898 until 1900, Rinehart played professional football for the Greensburg Athletic Association
. He later played, against Greensburg's wishes, in the very first pro football all-star game
for the 1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team
, against the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
on December 3, 1898.
In 1934, Davis wrote that Rinehart was "the peer of any player whoever wore a cleated shoe" and "often has been named, with Walter Heffelfinger of Yale, as one of the two greatest foot ball players of all time."
Rinehart was captain and also played quarterback for the '97 team.
He graduated from Lafayette in 1899 and became an engineer. Rinehart was serving as the president of a tire company at the time of his death.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, engineer and businessman. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1964.
He played high school football at Phillipsburg High School in Phillipsburg, New Jersey
Phillipsburg, New Jersey
Phillipsburg, known locally as P'burg, is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 14,950....
.
Rinehart was a right guard on the 1896 team at Lafayette
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
under coach Parke H. Davis
Parke H. Davis
Parke Hill Davis was an American football player, coach and historian who retroactively named the national championship teams in American college football from the 1869 through the 1932 seasons. He also named co-national champions at the conclusion of the 1933 season...
. At 6'3" and 210 pounds, "Babe" or "Riny" was the biggest man on the team.
Lafayette and Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
fought to a scoreless tie in 1896. The two teams were named co-national champions for the season 37 years later by Coach Davis, who had become the sport's pre-eminent historian. From 1898 until 1900, Rinehart played professional football for the Greensburg Athletic Association
Greensburg Athletic Association
The Greensburg Athletic Association was an early organized football team, based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, that played from 1890 until 1900. The team began as an amateur football club in 1890 and was composed primarily of locals before several professional players were added for the 1895 season...
. He later played, against Greensburg's wishes, in the very first pro football all-star game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
for the 1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team
1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team
The 1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team was a collection of early football players, from several teams in the area, to form an all-star team. The team was formed by Dave Berry, the manager of the Latrobe Athletic Association, for the purpose of playing the Duquesne Country and Athletic...
, against the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club was a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1895 until 1900. The team was considered one of the best, if not the best, professional football teams in the country from 1898 until 1900...
on December 3, 1898.
In 1934, Davis wrote that Rinehart was "the peer of any player whoever wore a cleated shoe" and "often has been named, with Walter Heffelfinger of Yale, as one of the two greatest foot ball players of all time."
Rinehart was captain and also played quarterback for the '97 team.
He graduated from Lafayette in 1899 and became an engineer. Rinehart was serving as the president of a tire company at the time of his death.