Harris G. Cope
American athlete and football coach (1880–1924)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harris Goodwin Cope (March 16, 1880 – September 24, 1924) was an American football and baseball player and football coach. He served as the head football coach at Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee from 1909 to 1916 and Howard College—now known as Samford University—in Marion, Alabama from 1922 to 1923, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 48–28–12. Cope was a member of the National Football Rules Committee in 1914–15.
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Third baseman (baseball)
Cope, c. 1913 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 16, 1880 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | September 24, 1924 (aged 44) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1899–1901 | Sewanee |
| Positions | Quarterback (football) Third baseman (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1904 | Sewanee (assistant) |
| 1909–1916 | Sewanee |
| 1922–1923 | Howard (AL) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1909–1913 | Sewanee |
| 1922–1924 | Howard (AL) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 48–28–12 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 SIAA (1909) | |
Early life and playing career
Cope first played at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut.[1]
Sewanee
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.[2]
Cope played third baseman on the Sewanee baseball team.
Coaching career
Cope worked for a short time as a business man in Cartersville before returning to Sewanee to coach in 1909. For many years, he returned to Cartersville during the off-seasons to manage the Cartersville Colts semi-professional men’s baseball team.[3]
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.[4]
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. Cope was also a very astute golfer, playing in club tournaments during his off-seasons.
Death
Cope died of pneumonia in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 24, 1924, just before the start of Howard's football season.[5]
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)
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sewanee Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1909–1916) | |||||||||
| 1909 | Sewanee | 6–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1910 | Sewanee | 8–2 | 3–1 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1911 | Sewanee | 6–3–1 | 2–3 | 9th | |||||
| 1912 | Sewanee | 5–1–2 | 2–1–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1913 | Sewanee | 4–3 | 2–2 | 7th | |||||
| 1914 | Sewanee | 5–3 | 4–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1915 | Sewanee | 4–3–2 | 2–2–2 | 10th | |||||
| 1916 | Sewanee | 5–2–2 | 2–2–2 | 14th | |||||
| Sewanee: | 43–18–7 | 22–14–6 | |||||||
| Howard Bulldogs (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1922–1923) | |||||||||
| 1922 | Howard | 2–6–2 | 0–2 | ||||||
| 1923 | Howard | 3–4–3 | 1–3–1 | ||||||
| Howard: | 5–10–5 | 1–5–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 48–28–12 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
