Sam Felton
Encyclopedia
Samuel M. Felton was an American football
and baseball
player. He was an All-American end for Harvard University
in 1912. After graduating from Harvard, Felton declined a record offer to play Major League Baseball
for Connie Mack
's Philadelphia Athletics.
at the end position in 1911 and 1912. He also handled punting and kicking duties for Harvard's football team.
As a junior in 1911, Felton was one of the laaders of a football team that opened the season 5–0 while outscoring opponents 72–6. However, Felton was seriously injured in the first period of the fifth game of the season -- a win over Brown University
. Felton was kicked in the side. The New York Times reported that, because Felton was not wearing any protective pads over his hips, the kick broke several blood vessels and formed a clot. Following the injury to Felton, the previously-undefeated Harvard team went 1–2–1 in its final four games.
Felton returned to the Harvard football team as a senior and helped lead the 1912 team to a perfect 9–0 record. Felton was regarded as the best punter in the country during the 1912 season, with punts averaging from 60 to 70 yards. Four decades later, sports writer Grantland Rice
included Felton on his list of the finest college kickers he had ever seen. Felton and Charley Brickley were "credited with having won the intercollegiate championship for the [Harvard] Crimson" in 1912. At the end of the 1912 season, Felton was selected as a first-team All-American in 1912 by Walter Camp
(for Collier's Weekly
), Robert Edgren, W.J. MacBeth, Alfred S. Harvey of the Milwaukee Free Press, Parke H. Davis
, and the Trenton Evening Times.
Felton was also a star pitcher for the Harvard baseball team for three years from 1911–1913. In May 1913, Felton pitched a one-hit shutout against Amherst College
. The New York Times reported on the game as follows: "Harvard shut out Amherst, 5 to 0, this afternoon because of the masterful pitching of Sam Felton, the former football end rush and punter. Felton held the visitors to one single, this being made in the first inning by Kimball, Amherst's first batter to face Felton. Kimball's hit was a scratch, being nearly smothered by Capt. Wingate ..." Felton's pitching also helped lead Harvard to win the series against Yale in 1913, and the team presented Felton.
Upon his graduation from Harvard in 1913, Connie Mack
offered Felton a three-year contract to pitch for the Philadelphia Athletics for $15,000 per year. The offer was a record for a collegiate player and was turned down by Felton. Felton declined the offer to return to his home in Haverford, Pennsylvania
and pursue a career in business. The Washington Post reported on the offer as follows:
In October 1914, the Harvard baseball team presented Felton with a silver loving cup for his contributions to Harvard's success. On the day before his wedding in October 1913, The New York Times reported that Harvard's undergraduates "jammed the Union" to give Felton "a rousing send-off."
In 1921, he was selected to serve on the Harvard baseball team's advisory staff.
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...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. He was an All-American end for Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1912. After graduating from Harvard, Felton declined a record offer to play 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...
for Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
's Philadelphia Athletics.
Biography
Felton attended Harvard University where he played American footballAmerican 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...
at the end position in 1911 and 1912. He also handled punting and kicking duties for Harvard's football team.
As a junior in 1911, Felton was one of the laaders of a football team that opened the season 5–0 while outscoring opponents 72–6. However, Felton was seriously injured in the first period of the fifth game of the season -- a win over Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. Felton was kicked in the side. The New York Times reported that, because Felton was not wearing any protective pads over his hips, the kick broke several blood vessels and formed a clot. Following the injury to Felton, the previously-undefeated Harvard team went 1–2–1 in its final four games.
Felton returned to the Harvard football team as a senior and helped lead the 1912 team to a perfect 9–0 record. Felton was regarded as the best punter in the country during the 1912 season, with punts averaging from 60 to 70 yards. Four decades later, sports writer Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
included Felton on his list of the finest college kickers he had ever seen. Felton and Charley Brickley were "credited with having won the intercollegiate championship for the [Harvard] Crimson" in 1912. At the end of the 1912 season, Felton was selected as a first-team All-American in 1912 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...
(for Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
), Robert Edgren, W.J. MacBeth, Alfred S. Harvey of the Milwaukee Free Press, 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...
, and the Trenton Evening Times.
Felton was also a star pitcher for the Harvard baseball team for three years from 1911–1913. In May 1913, Felton pitched a one-hit shutout against Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. The New York Times reported on the game as follows: "Harvard shut out Amherst, 5 to 0, this afternoon because of the masterful pitching of Sam Felton, the former football end rush and punter. Felton held the visitors to one single, this being made in the first inning by Kimball, Amherst's first batter to face Felton. Kimball's hit was a scratch, being nearly smothered by Capt. Wingate ..." Felton's pitching also helped lead Harvard to win the series against Yale in 1913, and the team presented Felton.
Upon his graduation from Harvard in 1913, Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
offered Felton a three-year contract to pitch for the Philadelphia Athletics for $15,000 per year. The offer was a record for a collegiate player and was turned down by Felton. Felton declined the offer to return to his home in Haverford, Pennsylvania
Haverford, Pennsylvania
Haverford is an unincorporated community located partially in Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA, but primarily in Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, about west of Philadelphia. It is on the Main Line, which is known historically for its wealth. As of August 2009,...
and pursue a career in business. The Washington Post reported on the offer as follows:
"Manager Mack, of the Athletics, usually regarded as one of the most conservative bidders for ball players, recently made a record offer for a college player, and, after striving as he has never before done, failed to gain the coveted contract. This much sought collegian, whom Mack thinks would have made one of the greatest pitchers In the history of the game, is Samuel Felton, football and baseball star at Harvard for three years. Within the past month Mack offered Felton a flat contract of $15,000 for three years, agreeing to permit him to make his own terms and giving him the option of an unconditional release should he tire of professional ball, but the persuasion of the Athletics' manager failed. Felton, who lives at Haverford, Pa.Haverford, PennsylvaniaHaverford is an unincorporated community located partially in Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA, but primarily in Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, about west of Philadelphia. It is on the Main Line, which is known historically for its wealth. As of August 2009,...
, comes of a wealthy family, and does not have to play ball for a living, besides being actively engaged in business here."
In October 1914, the Harvard baseball team presented Felton with a silver loving cup for his contributions to Harvard's success. On the day before his wedding in October 1913, The New York Times reported that Harvard's undergraduates "jammed the Union" to give Felton "a rousing send-off."
In 1921, he was selected to serve on the Harvard baseball team's advisory staff.