Tom Davies
Encyclopedia
Thomas J. Davies was an American football
player and coach. He played as a halfback
at the University of Pittsburgh
and was a consensus All-American
in 1918 and 1920. After retiring as a player, Davies worked as a football coach for the next 26 years, including stints at the University of Pennsylvania
, Geneva College
, Allegheny College
, the University of Rochester
, the Carnegie Institute of Technology
, the University of Scranton
, and Western Reserve University
. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
as a player in 1970.
. He moved to Washington, Pennsylvania
when he was 11 years old. Davies played high school football at Aliquippa High School in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
, and at Kiski Preparatory School
in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania
. Davies was working in a Washington factory when he got the chance
to play football at Kiski. A friend refused to accept a football scholarship there unless Davies went along.
Davies enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh
where he played four seasons (1918–1921) of football under coach Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner
. Davies played in 31 games for the Pittsburgh Panthers
and averaged 150 yards per game over his four-year career. He was selected as a first-team All-American in his freshman season of 1918 and again as a junior in 1920. As a freshman in 1918, Davies weighed only 142 pounds. In his first carry for Pitt, he ran for 13 yards against Washington & Jefferson
—then a national power. Three plays later, he ran for 38 yards, "setting the pace for a stellar playing career."
Davies helped Pitt to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1918, as he led the team in rushing, passing and receiving. He led Pitt in all-purpose yards all four years that he played. In a 1918 game against Georgia Tech
, the freshman Davies accounted for five touchdowns—running 50 yards for a touchdown, returning two punts for touchdowns (a 60-yard and a 50-yard return), and passing for two more touchdowns. After watching Davies run back a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in 1918, one writer noted:
As a junior in 1920, Davies led Pitt to another big win over the University of Pennsylvania
. In what some called Davies’ finest game, he threw a touchdown pass, ran 80 yards for a touchdown, returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown.
Also in 1920, he led Pitt to a 35–0 win over Syracuse
, as he rushed for 255 yards and scored 16 points in only three quarters of play.
In December 1920, Davies was elected by his teammates to be captain of Pitt's 1921 football team. Davies was selected as team captain at a team banquet at which the entire team gave Davies “a thunderous cheer.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Davies was so affected by the demonstration that he stammered only a few words of appreciation and left the hall saying, “I’m going to phone my mother and tell her all about it.”
Davies continues to rank among Pitt's all-time leaders in scoring with 181 points and all-purpose yards with 3,931 yards. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
at the University of Pennsylvania
in 1922. At the time of his hiring at Penn, The New York Times
noted: "Tom Davies, former Pitt captain and all-American halfback, makes his debut as a Penn coach. The versatile Davies, who raised havoc with a number of Penn elevens in recent years, will instruct in forward passing, punting and straight arming, and will also help Tom McNamara with the scrubs."
Davies received his first head coaching job in 1923 when he was hired as the head football coach for the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes
located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
. He spent only one season at Geneva compiling a record of 6–2–1. As of completion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 18th at Geneva in total wins and fourth at Geneva in winning percentage (.722). In 1924, he was hired by Allegheny College
where he remained for two seasons. In 1926, Davies was hired as the head football coach at the University of Rochester
, where he spent nine years, coaching until 1934. After leaving Rochester, he spent one season as a coach at Carnegie Tech and another at Kiski Prep School.
In 1937, Davies took over as head football coach at the St. Thomas College. In his first season, he led the Tomcats to a 6–1–1 record. Prior to the start of the 1938 season, St. Thomas College changed its name to the University of Scranton
. Davies's 1938 team finished with a record of 7–2. The team improved in 1939 and completed an undefeated 7–0–2 season. Davies resigned as Scranton's coach in March 1940 with a three-year record of 20–3–3.
After leaving Scranton, Davies went into the insurance business in the Cleveland
area.
Although Davies insisted at the time of his resignation at Scranton that he was done with coaching, he was hired in March 1941 to take over as the head football coach for the Western Reserve University
Red Cats. Davies served seven years as head coach at Western Reserve but was discharged in October 1947 by the University Board of Athletics. The dismissal came 24 hours after members of the team demanded that they finish the year under another coach.
Davies was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1966 and the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1970. He died of a heart attack in February 1972 at age 75. He died at his home in Pittsburgh's Highland Park district.
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 and coach. He played as a halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
and was a consensus All-American
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
in 1918 and 1920. After retiring as a player, Davies worked as a football coach for the next 26 years, including stints at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Geneva College
Geneva College
Geneva College is a Christian liberal arts college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional undergraduates in...
, Allegheny College
Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
, 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...
, the Carnegie Institute of Technology
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
, the University of Scranton
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
, and Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
. He was inducted into 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...
as a player in 1970.
Playing career
Davies was a native of Gas City, IndianaGas City, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,940 people, 2,393 households, and 1,643 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,599.2 people per square mile . There were 2,497 housing units at an average density of 672.3 per square mile...
. He moved to Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
when he was 11 years old. Davies played high school football at Aliquippa High School in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Aliquippa is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 9,438 at the 2010 census. Formerly a borough, it was formally named a city in 1987 by the Aliquippa Council.-History:...
, and at Kiski Preparatory School
The Kiski School
The Kiski School is a private, all-male boarding school located in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh. It is the oldest remaining non-military all-male boarding school in the United States....
in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania
Saltsburg, Pennsylvania
Saltsburg is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 955 at the 2000 census. The town was based on the construction of salt wells and the canals and railroad tracks that passed through it.-Geography:...
. Davies was working in a Washington factory when he got the chance
to play football at Kiski. A friend refused to accept a football scholarship there unless Davies went along.
Davies enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
where he played four seasons (1918–1921) of football under coach Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner
Glenn Scobey Warner
Glenn Scobey Warner , most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American football player and coach...
. Davies played in 31 games for the Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
and averaged 150 yards per game over his four-year career. He was selected as a first-team All-American in his freshman season of 1918 and again as a junior in 1920. As a freshman in 1918, Davies weighed only 142 pounds. In his first carry for Pitt, he ran for 13 yards against Washington & Jefferson
Washington & Jefferson Presidents football
The Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team represents Washington & Jefferson College in collegiate level football. The team competes in NCAA Division III and is affiliated with the Presidents' Athletic Conference...
—then a national power. Three plays later, he ran for 38 yards, "setting the pace for a stellar playing career."
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, the freshman Davies accounted for five touchdowns—running 50 yards for a touchdown, returning two punts for touchdowns (a 60-yard and a 50-yard return), and passing for two more touchdowns. After watching Davies run back a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in 1918, one writer noted:
"When Brother Tom Davies caught the kickoff on the ten-yard line at Franklin Field in Philadelphia one Saturday in November, we saw the prettiest piece of open field work not off at an angle, Tommie ran the length since the days of Jim ThorpeJim ThorpeJacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
. On a bee line of the gridiron, and in so doing he personally took care of seven men! Then just for fun he added two more. The papers said, ‘Tom Davies Beats Penn.’ It has been the same against Syracuse, Lafayette and Georgia Tech. And now Pitt is counting on another All-American."
As a junior in 1920, Davies led Pitt to another big win over the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. In what some called Davies’ finest game, he threw a touchdown pass, ran 80 yards for a touchdown, returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown.
Also in 1920, he led Pitt to a 35–0 win over Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
, as he rushed for 255 yards and scored 16 points in only three quarters of play.
In December 1920, Davies was elected by his teammates to be captain of Pitt's 1921 football team. Davies was selected as team captain at a team banquet at which the entire team gave Davies “a thunderous cheer.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Davies was so affected by the demonstration that he stammered only a few words of appreciation and left the hall saying, “I’m going to phone my mother and tell her all about it.”
Davies continues to rank among Pitt's all-time leaders in scoring with 181 points and all-purpose yards with 3,931 yards. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
Coaching career
After graduating from Pitt, Davies began a long career as a college football coach. His first coaching position was as an assistant to the legendary John HeismanJohn Heisman
John William Heisman was an American player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College , Buchtel College, now known as the University of Akron , Auburn University , Clemson University , Georgia Tech , the...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1922. At the time of his hiring at Penn, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
noted: "Tom Davies, former Pitt captain and all-American halfback, makes his debut as a Penn coach. The versatile Davies, who raised havoc with a number of Penn elevens in recent years, will instruct in forward passing, punting and straight arming, and will also help Tom McNamara with the scrubs."
Davies received his first head coaching job in 1923 when he was hired as the head football coach for the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes
Geneva College
Geneva College is a Christian liberal arts college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional undergraduates in...
located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,987 at the 2010 census. It is located 31 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, and on the Beaver River, six miles from its confluence with the Ohio River...
. He spent only one season at Geneva compiling a record of 6–2–1. As of completion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 18th at Geneva in total wins and fourth at Geneva in winning percentage (.722). In 1924, he was hired by Allegheny College
Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
where he remained for two seasons. In 1926, Davies was hired as the head football coach 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...
, where he spent nine years, coaching until 1934. After leaving Rochester, he spent one season as a coach at Carnegie Tech and another at Kiski Prep School.
In 1937, Davies took over as head football coach at the St. Thomas College. In his first season, he led the Tomcats to a 6–1–1 record. Prior to the start of the 1938 season, St. Thomas College changed its name to the University of Scranton
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
. Davies's 1938 team finished with a record of 7–2. The team improved in 1939 and completed an undefeated 7–0–2 season. Davies resigned as Scranton's coach in March 1940 with a three-year record of 20–3–3.
After leaving Scranton, Davies went into the insurance business in the Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
area.
Although Davies insisted at the time of his resignation at Scranton that he was done with coaching, he was hired in March 1941 to take over as the head football coach for the Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
Red Cats. Davies served seven years as head coach at Western Reserve but was discharged in October 1947 by the University Board of Athletics. The dismissal came 24 hours after members of the team demanded that they finish the year under another coach.
Later years
After permanently retiring from football in 1947, Davies returned to the insurance business in the Pittsburgh area.Davies was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1966 and 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 1970. He died of a heart attack in February 1972 at age 75. He died at his home in Pittsburgh's Highland Park district.