Frank Cavanaugh (football coach)

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Frank Cavanaugh
Sport	Football
Born	April 28, 1876(1876-04-28)
Place of birth	Worcester, MA
Died	August 29, 1933 (aged 57)
Career highlights
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1898 1903-1905 1909-1910 1911-1916 1919-1926 1927-1932	Cincinnati Holy Cross Worcester Academy Dartmouth Boston College Fordham
College Football Hall of Fame, 1954 (Bio)

Frank "The Iron Major" Cavanaugh (April 28, 1876 – August 29, 1933) was an American football head coach. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Frank Cavanaugh was a leader in football and war. His record for 24 years as a college coach was 145-48-17, a .731 percentage. He joined the United States Army in World War I and advanced to the rank of major. Cavanaugh would make motivational speeches to his troops in war or to his players before a game.

Cavanaugh attended Dartmouth College and played end on the football team 1896-1897. His first coaching job was at the University of Cincinnati, 1898. The team had a 5-1-3 record, including a 17-12 victory over his alma mater, Dartmouth College. He moved to Colorado and coached the Denver Athletic Club 1899-1902. Then it was back east and college coaching at College of the Holy Cross 1903-1905. Next he practiced law, returning to coaching at Worcester Academy 1909-1910. Dartmouth College brought him back to the college level 1911-1916.

In 1917, at age 41, he volunteered for the United States Army. On October 23, 1918, he was wounded in combat in France. He came back to coach Boston College 1919-1926 and Fordham University 1927-1932. At Fordham in 1929 he ran some plays from the T formation with a man in motion – 11 years before that formation was used at Stanford University.

Major Cavanaugh died August 29, 1933 at age 57. In 1943 he was portrayed in a movie, The Iron Major, with Pat O'Brien in the lead role. The movie extolled Cavanaugh's "love of God, love of his country, love of his family."^[1] At the time of his death, Cavanaugh was broke and blind. He warned fellow coach and former player Joe McKenney "Get out of coaching while you can. The end of every coaching career is disaster." [1]

Contents 1 Head coaching record 2 References 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl	Coaches#	AP°
Cincinnati Bearcats (Independent) (1898 – 1898)
1898	Cincinnati	5-1-3
Cincinnati:		5-1-3
Holy Cross Crusaders (Independent) (1903 – 1905)
1903	Holy Cross	8-2
1904	Holy Cross	2-5-2
1905	Holy Cross	6-3
Holy Cross:		16-10-2
Dartmouth Big Green (Independent) (1911 – 1916)
1911	Dartmouth	8-2
1912	Dartmouth	7-2
1913	Dartmouth	7-1
1914	Dartmouth	8-1
1915	Dartmouth	7-1-1
1916	Dartmouth	5-2-2
Dartmouth:		42-9-3
Boston College Eagles (Independent) (1919 – 1926)
1919	Boston College	5-3
1920	Boston College	8-0
1921	Boston College	4-3-1
1922	Boston College	6-2-1
1923	Boston College	7-1-1
1924	Boston College	6-3
1925	Boston College	6-2
1926	Boston College	6-0-2
Boston College:		48-14-5
Fordham Rams (Independent) (1927 – 1932)
1927	Fordham	3-5
1928	Fordham	4-5
1929	Fordham	7-0-2
1930	Fordham	8-1
1931	Fordham	6-1-2
1932	Fordham	6-2
Fordham:		34-14-4
Total:		145-48-17 (.731)
National Championship         Conference Title         Conference Division Title
†Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season. °Rankings from final AP Poll of the season.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• College Football Hall of Fame

[edit] External links

• Boston College Teams of Destiny
• College Football Hall of Fame
• Movie - The Iron Major (1943) starring Pat O'Brien

v • d • e Cincinnati Bearcats Head Football Coaches Berry • Reynolds • Fennell • Cavanaugh • Reed • Pratt • Chez • Foster • Foley • Inott • Burch • Dana • Little • Cortright • Marty • Chambers • McLaren • Babcock • King • Cohen • Woodworth • Meyer • Nolting • Gillman • Blackburn • Studley • Rice • Callahan • Mason • Staub • Gottfried • Brown • Currey • Murphy • Minter • Dantonio • Kelly

v • d • e Holy Cross Crusaders Head Football Coaches Peterson • Connor • Corbett • Cavanaugh • King • Larkin • Von Kersberg • Kelly • Sullivan • O'Donnell • McEwen • Corcoran • Anderson • Sheeketski • Scanton • DaGrosa • Osmanski • Anderson • Massucco • Boisture • Whitton • Doherty • Whelwright • Carter • Duffner • Vaas • Allen • Gilmore

v • d • e Dartmouth Big Green Head Football Coaches Moyle • Wurtenburg • Jennings • McCornack • Folsom • O'Connor • Lillard • Randall • Cavanaugh • Spears • Cannell • Hawley • Blaik • McLaughry • Brown • Blackman • Crouthamel • Yukica • Teevens • Lyons • Teevens

v • d • e Boston College Eagles Head Football Coaches Drum • Nagle • Lawless • Carney • Dunlop • White • Reilly & Kenney • McCarthy • Hart • Courtney • Joy • Mahoney • Brickley • Morrissey • Cavanaugh • Daley • McKenney • McNamara • Downes • Dobie • Leahy • Myers • Sarno • Myers • Holovak • Hefferle • Miller • Yukica • Chlebek • Bicknell • Coughlin • Henning • O’Brien • Jagodzinski

v • d • e Fordham Rams Head Football Coaches Condon • Wallace • Livingston • T. Carmody • McNally • Lee • Ely • Grainger • Shaeffer • B. Carmody • Massterson • Couch • Mullen • McCarthy • Smith • Murphy • McGee • Smith • H. Gargan • Thorp • Wymard • Vaughan • F. Gargan • McCaffrey • Siskind • DuMoe • Brickley • Gargan • Cavanaugh • Crowley • Walsh • Danowski • Lansing • Loucks • Rice • Stephans • Tutein • Glueck • Quartaro • O'Keefe • Clawson • Foley • Masella