Henry Schoellkopf

Henry Schoellkopf (December 14, 1879[1] – December 5, 1912) was an American football player and coach. He was selected as an All-American fullback while attending Harvard Law School in 1903. He was the head coach of the Cornell Big Red football team from 1907 to 1908, compiling a record of 15–3–1.

Henry Schoellkopf
Henry Schoellkopf c. 1907
Biographical details
Born(1879-12-14)December 14, 1879
Buffalo, New York
DiedDecember 5, 1912(1912-12-05) (aged 32)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Alma materCascadilla School
Cornell University
Harvard Law School
Playing career
1900–1901Cornell
1903Harvard
Position(s)Fullback, halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1907–1908Cornell
Head coaching record
Overall15–3–1

Early life

Henry Schoellkopf was born December 14, 1879 in Buffalo, New York to Henry Schoellkopf Sr. (1848–1880) and Emily Vogel.[2] Henry Sr. was the oldest son of Buffalo, New York businessman Jacob F. Schoellkopf and his wife, Christiana T. (Duerr) Schoellkopf.[3] Henry's father learned the tannery business and leather trade from Henry's grandfather, Jacob F. Schoellkopf, and later worked with Jacob's cousin and business partner, Frederick Vogel and his business partner, Guido Pfister, in Wisconsin. Henry Sr. married Vogel's daughter, Emily Vogel (Henry's mother) in 1875.[4] Prior to his father's early death in 1880, he partnered with Vogel and Pfister and opened a tannery in northeast Wisconsin that eventually "became the largest in the world prior to World War I."[4] Henry would grow up to become the first of many Schoellkopfs to attend Cornell University when he enrolled in 1898.[2] His sister, Paula Schoellkopf (b. 1876) married Gustav A. Reuss who had Henry Schoellkopf Reuss (1912–2002).

He attended Cornell University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1902. While at Cornell, he was president of both the Quill and Dagger society and the Zeta Psi Fraternity.[5] Henry received a law degree from Harvard University, where he continued to play football. Returning to Cornell, he served as a graduate coach before leaving to enter a law firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Career

Schoellkopf began his career as a football player at the Cascadilla School, where he played fullback.[6] He then enrolled at Cornell and played college football for the Cornell Big Red football team from 1900 to 1901, contributing to the development of the original Slope Day iteration. After graduating from Cornell in 1902, Schoellkopf enrolled at Harvard Law School where he played for the Harvard Crimson football team while he was a second-year law student at Harvard in 1903.[6][7] He played principally at the fullback position and some at the halfback position. While playing at Harvard, Schoellkopf was 23 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighed 183 pounds.[6] After the 1903 college football season, Schoellkopf was selected as a first-team All-American fullback by Fielding H. Yost,[8] Charles Chadwick,[9] and the San Antonio Daily Light.[10]

In 1907 and 1908, after graduating from Law School, he served as the head coach of Cornell's football team. In two years as Cornell's coach, Schoellkopf compiled a record of 15 wins, three losses and one tie.[11] His winning percentage of .816 ranks second all-time among Cornell coaches, trailing only Raymond Starbuck but ranking ahead of Pop Warner.[12]

After coaching, Schoellkopf moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he became a member in the law firm of Marksam & Schoellkopf and one of the most well known attorneys in Milwaukee.

Personal life

In Milwaukee, he married Catherine and together they had a daughter.[2]

Schoellkopf Memorial Hall at Cornell University

In December 1912, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver while alone in his office in Milwaukee. He was aged 32 at the time of his death.[13][14] Following Schoellkopf's death his close friend, Willard Straight, donated $100,000 (equivalent to $2,649,000 in 2019) to construct the Schoellkopf Memorial Hall in his honor. In response to Straight's generous gift, members of the Schoellkopf family and the Zeta Psi Fraternity donated $70,000 (equivalent to $1,855,000 in 2019) for the construction of Schoellkopf Field in honor of the Schoellkopf family patriarch, Jacob F. Schoellkopf.[15][16][17][18][19]

Head coaching record
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Cornell Big Red (Independent) (1907–1908)
1907 Cornell 8–2
1908 Cornell 7–1–1
Cornell: 15–3–1
Total:15–3–1

See also

References
  1. U.S. Passport Application dated 1904 for Henry Schoellkopf of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington D.C.; Passport Applications, 1795-1905; ARC Identifier 566612 / MLR Number A1 508; NARA Series: M1372; Roll #655.
  2. Stokes, Courtney. "An Entrepreneur and His Grandson: The Schoellkopfs". cornellfootballassociation.com. Big Red Sports Network. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  3. Dunn, Edward T. "The Family Mansion of Jacob F. Schoellkopf". wnyheritagepress.org. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  4. Schwantes, Benjamin; Hornung, Juliane. "Jacob Frederick Schoellkopf (1819-1899)". immigrantentrepreneurship.org. German Historical Institute. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  5. Semicentennial Biographical Catalogue of the Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America. New York, NY, USA: Zeta Psi. December 1899.
  6. "Harvard Team Statistics". Harvard Crimson. 1903-11-21.
  7. "Additions to Harvard Football Squad" (PDF). The New York Times. 1903-09-23.
  8. "Picked Football Teams". Grand Traverse Herald. 1903-12-03.
  9. "Crack Football Eleven". Los Angeles Times. 1903-11-30.
  10. "The Ideal All-American Team". San Antonio Daily Light. 1903-12-14.
  11. "Harry Schoellkopf Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  12. "Cornell Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  13. "Milwaukee Lawyer, Ex-Harvard Player, Commits Suicide". Racine Journal. 1912-12-10.
  14. "Ends Life With Bullet: Henry Schoellkopf, Milwaukee Merchant and Former Football Star, Shoots Himself". Logansport Pharos. 1912-12-05.
  15. The Schoellkopfs, A Family History, 1994 Copy Held by Cornell University Archives.
  16. Guide to the Campus: Cornell University 1920 P 80-82.
  17. NCAA Stadiums: Schoellkopf Field
  18. CORNELL'S NEW STADIUM.; Schoellkopf Field Will Be Ready for Use in the Spring of 1915., The New York Times, August 23, 1914.
  19. Schoellkopf Field, Cornell University, retrieved June 18, 2010.
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