Grenville Lewis

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Grenville Lewis
Lewis as captain/coach of the 1896 M.A.C. football team
Biographical details
Born(1875-11-12)November 12, 1875
Washington D.C., U.S.
DiedSeptember 27, 1964(1964-09-27) (aged 88)]
Maryland, U.S.
Playing career
1894Maryland
1896Maryland
1897George Washington
1898Latrobe AA
1900Homestead Library AC
Position(s)Fullback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1896Maryland
Head coaching record
Overall6–2–2

Grenville Lewis Jr. (November 12, 1875 – September 27, 1964) was an American college football player and coach, an early professional football player, and an engineer and cattle rancher. He served as the head football coach at Maryland Agricultural College—now known as the University of Maryland, College Park—in 1896, compiling a record of 6–2–2.

Biography[edit]

Lewis was born on November 12, 1875, in Washington, D.C., where he received a public education,[1] including at the Business High School.[2] He attended the Maryland Agricultural College, where he played as a fullback on the football team in 1894 and served as team captain in 1896.[3][4][5] In his two seasons as a Maryland player, Lewis played every minute of each game.[6] The school briefly discontinued its football team in 1895, but resurrected it the following year. As team captain in 1896, Lewis instituted the program's first physical training regimen, which included calisthenics and long-distance running.[7] As coach in 1896, Lewis compiled a 6–2–2 record.[8] Lewis also played on the baseball team and served as its captain in 1897.[9] He graduated in 1897 with a Bachelor of Science degree from the school's Scientific Course.[10] In 1897, Lewis intended to commute to College Park from Washington, D.C. to assist Maryland captain and player-coach John Lillibridge with his coaching duties. However, the Columbian University (now George Washington University) Law School offered Lewis a scholarship and a position as football coach, captain, and fullback, which he accepted.[6][11]

Lewis played professional football with Dave Berry's Latrobe team in 1898.[12] At the end of that season, he was selected to the Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team as a last-minute replacement at fullback.[13][14] He led the All-Stars in yardage in the team's 16–0 loss to the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club,[15] a contest that may have been the first pro football all-star game.[13] In 1900, Lewis joined another aggregation of stars, the Homestead Library & Athletic Club football team.[16]

After college, outside of football, Lewis worked in cattle ranching in Honduras until 1900. He then worked for Clark and Krebs Consulting Engineers in Charleston, West Virginia through 1905.[1] In April 1904, he married Lillian Compton née Snowden.[17] Lewis worked as an engineer on the Virginian Railway, a superintendent for the New Etna Coal Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and for the Straight Creek Coal and Coke Company in Kentucky until 1908. He was then president and manager of the Ideal Block Coal Company in Lily, Kentucky.[1] Lewis lived in Pineville, Kentucky and was a member of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers.[18] In 1916, he was working as a superintendent for the Virginia Iron, Coal and Coke Company.[19]

Lewis later lived in Hollywood, Maryland and died in September 1964.[20]

Head coaching record[edit]

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Maryland Aggies (Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association) (1896)
1896 Maryland 6–2–2 1–0–1
Maryland: 6–2–2 1–0–1
Total: 6–2–2

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Alumni Record of the Maryland Agricultural College: 1914, Maryland Agricultural College, p. 54, 1914.
  2. ^ Morris Allison Bealle, Kings of American Football: The University of Maryland, 1890–1952, p. 19, Columbia Publishing Co., 1952.
  3. ^ Bealle, p. 210.
  4. ^ All-Time Lettermen Archived 2018-10-26 at the Wayback Machine, p. 20, 2007 Terrapin Football Record Book, University of Maryland, 2007.
  5. ^ FIRST PRACTICE WORK; Agricultural College Team Shows Up In Good Shape, The Morning Herald, October 3, 1896.
  6. ^ a b Bealle, p. 28.
  7. ^ David Ungrady, Tales from the Maryland Terrapins, 2003, pp. 8–9, Sports Publishing LLC.
  8. ^ Grenville Lewis Records by Year Archived 2011-11-18 at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved August 24, 2011.
  9. ^ Reveille, p. 107, Maryland Agricultural College, 1898.
  10. ^ AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE; Governor Lowndes Attends and Hands The Graduates Their Sheepskins—A Successful Year, The Morning Herald, July 17, 1897.
  11. ^ NOTABLE GAMES AGAINST HAMPTON; How He Took Care of "Bad Man" Hull—Popular Chevy Chase Man Elected for Maryland Legislature, Favorite of University Athletes Throughout the South, The Washington Herald, August 5, 1907.
  12. ^ "Making an Early Start". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. May 16, 1899. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "The First All-Star Game" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 1 (1). Professional Football Researchers Association. 1979. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  14. ^ "Troubles of a Manager". The Pittsburg Post. December 4, 1898. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Football Season of 1898 Is Ended". The Pittsburg Post. December 4, 1898. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Football Heroes of Last Season's College Games Will Play with Homestead's All-Star Team This Year". The Pittsburg Press. September 30, 1900. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ IN SOCIETY'S CIRCLE; Miss Helen Gould and Party Guests at White House, The Washington Times, April 19, 1904.
  18. ^ Transactions of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Volume 41, p. xxxiv, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, 1911.
  19. ^ Annual Report, Virginia Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics, Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, p. 110, 1916.
  20. ^ First G.W. Grid Coach To Present Award Archived 2012-11-07 at the Wayback Machine, The Sun, November 2, 1960.
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