Ross Fiscus
 Fiscus on 1900 Duquesne C&AC football team | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 2, 1870 Armstrong Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 6, 1950 (aged 80) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1891–1894 | Allegheny A. A. |
| 1892–1895 | Washington & Jefferson |
| 1896 | Greensburg A. A. |
| 1900 | Duquesne C. & A. C. |
| Position(s) | Guard, tackle, halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1897–1899 | Geneva |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 3–13–2 |
William Ross Fiscus (April 2, 1870 – November 6, 1950) was an early professional American football player and coach. He was one of the first pro players on record.
Playing career[edit]
Fiscus played for the Allegheny Athletic Association professional football team as a lineman in 1891 and 1892, but by 1893 he had successfully earned the role as halfback.[1] Fiscus continued to play several more years for Allegheny, even dropping out of college to do so.[2] This would have put him alongside the first recorded professional football player Pudge Heffelfinger, who also played for Allegheny. In 1896, he played alongside his brother, Lawson, for the Greensburg Athletic Association.
Coaching career[edit]
Fiscus was the second head football coach at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and he held that position for three seasons, from 1897 until 1899. His coaching record at Geneva was 6–9–2.[3]
Later life[edit]
Fiscus died November 6, 1950, at his home in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[4]
Head coaching record[edit]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva Covenanters (Independent) (1897–1899) | |||||||||
| 1897 | Geneva | 3–4–1 | |||||||
| 1898 | Geneva | 0–6–1 | |||||||
| 1899 | Geneva | 0–3 | |||||||
| Geneva: | 3–13–2 | ||||||||
| Total: | 3–13–2 | ||||||||
References[edit]
- ^ Pro Football Researchers Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine "The Weekly Wage Professionalism Expands in Pittsburgh: 1893"
- ^ Pro Football Researchers Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine "The A's Have It: The 3A's Triumph: 1894"
- ^ Geneva College coaching records
- ^ "William Ross Fiscus". Indiana Gazette. Indiana, Pennsylvania. November 7, 1950. p. 2. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
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- 1870 births
- 1950 deaths
- 19th-century players of American football
- American football guards
- American football halfbacks
- American football tackles
- Allegheny Athletic Association players
- Duquesne Country and Athletic Club players
- Geneva Golden Tornadoes football coaches
- Greensburg Athletic Association players
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania alumni
- Washington & Jefferson Presidents football players
- People from Indiana County, Pennsylvania
- Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania
- Players of American football from Pennsylvania
- College football coaches first appointed in the 1890s stubs