Ralph Glaze
Encyclopedia
Daniel Ralph Glaze was an American
athlete and coach who played as a right-handed pitcher
in Major League Baseball
, and later became a football
and baseball coach and administrator at several colleges.
, and was recruited by Dartmouth College
after displaying his skill in two sports. He played football at the University of Colorado
in the 1901 season under coach Fred Folsom
, a Dartmouth alumnus who became that school's coach in 1903. Glaze enrolled at Dartmouth in 1902, being followed there by his younger brother, John. Under Folsom, he played a notable role in the school's first-ever football victory over Harvard
in 1903, a game in which Harvard dedicated its new stadium
. In 1905, Glaze was named an All-American
as an end by Walter Camp
, even though at 5'8" and 153 pounds he was the smallest player on Dartmouth's team that year. Glaze also played baseball at Dartmouth, and pitched a no-hitter
against Columbia.
During summers, Glaze played semi-pro ball in Colorado, using an assumed name to protect his college eligibility. In 1905 he met an opposing catcher
named John Tortes
, a Native American
, and encouraged him to apply to Dartmouth due to the school's charter making specific provisions for the education of Native Americans. As Tortes had dropped out of school, several Dartmouth alumni conspired to create a false background for him, and he enrolled until the ruse was discovered some time after his first semester. Nonetheless, the catcher attracted notice from various baseball figures, and he went on to a 9-year major league career from 1909 to 1917 under the name Chief Meyers; he maintained a strong affinity to Dartmouth, and credited Glaze with his start in the sport.
After graduating in 1906
, Glaze signed with the Boston Red Sox
, and over three years he posted a record of 15 wins
against 21 losses, with 137 strikeout
s and a 2.89 earned run average
in 61 games and 340 innings pitched
. A career highlight took place on August 31 of his rookie year, when he outdueled Philadelphia Athletics
star pitcher Rube Waddell
. Glaze began coaching in the offseasons, starting as a 1906 football assistant at Dartmouth; he also helped coach their baseball team in 1908. He left the Red Sox following the 1908
season, and spent the next several years with a number of minor league teams.
. His teams had a record of 12–10–3 from 1910 through 1912, including a 6–1-1 mark in his first year. Glaze became the head coach of the University of Southern California
's football team for the 1914 and 1915 seasons, compiling a 7–7 record. He was the first coach after USC's teams began to be known as the Trojans. Before his arrival, USC had not played football for the previous three seasons; like many universities at the time, the school had switched to rugby
and did not field football teams during the 1911 through 1913 seasons. After competing primarily against southern California teams throughout its history, USC was now beginning to include major colleges from other areas on its schedule. The 1914 season finale at Oregon State
was the first against a major college opponent since a 1905 loss at Stanford
, and was also USC's first game ever outside of California. The highlight of Glaze's brief tenure occurred the following year with the inauguration of the long-standing series with California
. At the time, Cal was considered the traditionally dominant team of West Coast football, and Glaze managed to lead USC to a 28–10 road victory before falling to Cal, 23–21, at home later the same season; however, it was Cal's first year resuming football after having switched to rugby for the previous nine seasons.
Glaze was succeeded in 1916 by Dean Cromwell
, who was USC's football coach before the switch to rugby. Glaze also coached the Trojans baseball team, represented by the university's law school
, in the 1915 season to a 5–10 record, and guided the USC track
team the same spring. He also coached the USC basketball
team in 1915–16, with a record of 8–21 against exclusively southern California competition.
Glaze became football coach at Drake University
in 1916, with a record of 3–10–2, and then became football coach at Colorado State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Colorado
) in 1917–18 as the school resumed football after 11 years, with a record of 2–6. He coached football at the Colorado School of Mines
in 1919–20, with a record of 0–10–2. From 1921 to 1924 he coached at Lake Forest College
, leading the football team to a 10–12–3 record from 1921 to 1923, and the basketball team to an 11–32 mark from 1921 to 1924.
During his career, Glaze also coached at the University of Rochester
, Texas Christian University
and St. Viator College
.
's terminal in Charlestown, Massachusetts
, and he married Winifred Bonar Demuth the same year. In 1946 the couple retired to California, moving to Cambria, California
in 1951. In his later years, Glaze struck up a friendship with former American League
outfielder Sam Crawford
, who had a cottage several miles away; coincidentally, Crawford had been one of Glaze's successors as USC's baseball coach. Glaze stayed fit, walking three to five miles daily with his dogs when he was in his 80s. He died at age 86 in Atascadero, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete and coach who played as a right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, and later became a football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and baseball coach and administrator at several colleges.
Early life and playing career
Glaze was born in Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, and was recruited by Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
after displaying his skill in two sports. He played football at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
in the 1901 season under coach Fred Folsom
Fred Folsom
Fred Gorham Folsom was an American football player, coach of football and baseball, lawyer, and law professor...
, a Dartmouth alumnus who became that school's coach in 1903. Glaze enrolled at Dartmouth in 1902, being followed there by his younger brother, John. Under Folsom, he played a notable role in the school's first-ever football victory over Harvard
Harvard Crimson football
The Harvard Crimson football program represents Harvard University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision . Harvard's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun competing in the sport in 1873...
in 1903, a game in which Harvard dedicated its new stadium
Harvard Stadium
Harvard Stadium is a horseshoe-shaped football stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Built in 1903, the stadium seats 30,323. The stadium seated up to 57,166 in the past, as permanent steel stands were installed in the north end of the stadium in 1929...
. In 1905, Glaze was named an All-American
1905 College Football All-America Team
The 1905 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1905 college football season...
as an end by Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
, even though at 5'8" and 153 pounds he was the smallest player on Dartmouth's team that year. Glaze also played baseball at Dartmouth, and pitched a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
against Columbia.
During summers, Glaze played semi-pro ball in Colorado, using an assumed name to protect his college eligibility. In 1905 he met an opposing catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
named John Tortes
Chief Meyers
John Tortes "Chief" Meyers was a Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, and Brooklyn Robins from 1909 to 1917. He played on the early Giants teams under manager John McGraw and was the primary catcher for Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson...
, a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, and encouraged him to apply to Dartmouth due to the school's charter making specific provisions for the education of Native Americans. As Tortes had dropped out of school, several Dartmouth alumni conspired to create a false background for him, and he enrolled until the ruse was discovered some time after his first semester. Nonetheless, the catcher attracted notice from various baseball figures, and he went on to a 9-year major league career from 1909 to 1917 under the name Chief Meyers; he maintained a strong affinity to Dartmouth, and credited Glaze with his start in the sport.
After graduating in 1906
1906 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: Chicago White Sox over Chicago Cubs Inter-league playoff: Chicago declined challenge by New York Giants.-Statistical leaders:-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-Events:...
, Glaze signed with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, and over three years he posted a record of 15 wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
against 21 losses, with 137 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 2.89 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 61 games and 340 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
. A career highlight took place on August 31 of his rookie year, when he outdueled Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
star pitcher Rube Waddell
Rube Waddell
George Edward Waddell was an American southpaw pitcher in Major League Baseball. In his thirteen-year career he played for the Louisville Colonels , Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Orphans in the National League, and the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns in the American League...
. Glaze began coaching in the offseasons, starting as a 1906 football assistant at Dartmouth; he also helped coach their baseball team in 1908. He left the Red Sox following the 1908
1908 in baseball
-Statistical leaders:-American League final standings:-National League final standings:-January-March:*February 27 - The sacrifice fly rule is adopted. No time at bat is charged if a run scores after the catch of a fly ball...
season, and spent the next several years with a number of minor league teams.
Coaching career
In 1910, Glaze became the football coach at Baylor UniversityBaylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
. His teams had a record of 12–10–3 from 1910 through 1912, including a 6–1-1 mark in his first year. Glaze became the head coach of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
's football team for the 1914 and 1915 seasons, compiling a 7–7 record. He was the first coach after USC's teams began to be known as the Trojans. Before his arrival, USC had not played football for the previous three seasons; like many universities at the time, the school had switched to rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and did not field football teams during the 1911 through 1913 seasons. After competing primarily against southern California teams throughout its history, USC was now beginning to include major colleges from other areas on its schedule. The 1914 season finale at Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
was the first against a major college opponent since a 1905 loss at Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
, and was also USC's first game ever outside of California. The highlight of Glaze's brief tenure occurred the following year with the inauguration of the long-standing series with California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
. At the time, Cal was considered the traditionally dominant team of West Coast football, and Glaze managed to lead USC to a 28–10 road victory before falling to Cal, 23–21, at home later the same season; however, it was Cal's first year resuming football after having switched to rugby for the previous nine seasons.
Glaze was succeeded in 1916 by Dean Cromwell
Dean Cromwell
Dean Bartlett Cromwell , nicknamed "Maker of Champions", was an American athletic coach in multiple sports, principally at the University of Southern California...
, who was USC's football coach before the switch to rugby. Glaze also coached the Trojans baseball team, represented by the university's law school
University of Southern California Law School
The University of Southern California Law School , located in Los Angeles, California, is a law school within the University of Southern California...
, in the 1915 season to a 5–10 record, and guided the USC track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team the same spring. He also coached the USC basketball
USC Trojans Basketball
The University of Southern California Trojans men's basketball program is the college basketball team that competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and represents the University of Southern California on the court.The program began playing...
team in 1915–16, with a record of 8–21 against exclusively southern California competition.
Glaze became football coach at Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
in 1916, with a record of 3–10–2, and then became football coach at Colorado State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...
) in 1917–18 as the school resumed football after 11 years, with a record of 2–6. He coached football at the Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...
in 1919–20, with a record of 0–10–2. From 1921 to 1924 he coached at Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College, founded in 1857, is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. The college has 1,500 students representing 47 states and 78 countries....
, leading the football team to a 10–12–3 record from 1921 to 1923, and the basketball team to an 11–32 mark from 1921 to 1924.
During his career, Glaze also coached at the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
and St. Viator College
St. Viator College
St. Viator College was a Catholic liberal arts college in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It is no longer in operation.-History:St. Viator's grew out of the original Bourbonnais village school, founded in 1865 by the Viatorians, to an academy for boys with the help of Father P...
.
Marriage, later life, and death
Glaze married Evaline Leavitt in 1907; she died in 1927, the year he retired from coaching to go into business in Denver. In 1930, he became superintendent of the Boston and Maine RailroadBoston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
's terminal in Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
, and he married Winifred Bonar Demuth the same year. In 1946 the couple retired to California, moving to Cambria, California
Cambria, California
Cambria is a seaside village located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the California State Route 1 . The name Cambria was settled upon in 1869 .It is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States...
in 1951. In his later years, Glaze struck up a friendship with former American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
outfielder Sam Crawford
Sam Crawford
Samuel Earl Crawford , nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957....
, who had a cottage several miles away; coincidentally, Crawford had been one of Glaze's successors as USC's baseball coach. Glaze stayed fit, walking three to five miles daily with his dogs when he was in his 80s. He died at age 86 in Atascadero, California
Atascadero, California
Atascadero is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, about equidistant from San Francisco and Los Angeles on U-S Highway 101. Atascadero is farther inland than most other San Luis Obispo County cities, and as a result, usually experiences warmer, drier summers and cooler winters than...
.