Dick Harlow

Harlow in 1920
Biographical details
Born	(1889-10-19)October 19, 1889 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	February 19, 1962(1962-02-19) (aged 72) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1910–1911	Penn State
Position	Tackle
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1912–1914	Penn State (assistant)
1915–1917	Penn State
1918	Virginia Tech (assistant)
1919–1921	Penn State (assistant)
1922–1925	Colgate
1926–1934	Western Maryland
1935–1942	Harvard
1945–1947	Harvard
Boxing
1919–1921	Penn State
1922–1925	Colgate
Head coaching record
Overall	149–69–17
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1949) AFCA Coach of the Year (1936)
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1954 (profile)

Richard Cresson Harlow (October 19, 1889 – February 19, 1962) was an Americanfootball player and coach, as well as anoologist. Harlow served as the head coach atPennsylvania State University (1915–1917),Colgate University (1922–1925),Western Maryland College (1926–1934), andHarvard University (1935–1942, 1945–1947). He is credited with pioneering modern defensive schemes. Often fielding undersized teams, Harlow coordinatedstunts to avoidblockers, rather than trying to overpower them. His offensive style utilizedshifts,reverses, andlateral passes. Harlow was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.

A native ofPhiladelphia, Harlow attendedPennsylvania State University, where he playedfootball for theNittany Lions, underBill andJack Hollenback. As atackle, Harlow distinguished himself during the 1910 and 1911 seasons. In the latter year, the team went undefeated and won the national title. A two-yearletterman, he also was a member of thebaseball andtrack and field teams, as well as thePhi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Upon graduation from Penn State, Harlow remained with the Nittany Lions as an assistant football coach for three seasons, under his former coach Bill Hollenback. Harlow succeeded him as head coach in 1915, and hiredLawrence Whitney as an assistant. After compiling a combined 20–8 record in three seasons, Harlow entered theUnited States Army in 1918, and was stationed atVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he was an assistant coach forCharles A. Bernier. After anhonorable discharge, Harlow returned to Penn State in the following year, again as an assistant, but this time under coachHugo Bezdek. Harlow also became the boxing coach at that time.^[1]

Harlow left Penn State to become the 20th head coach atColgate University from 1922 to 1925, succeedingEllery Huntington Jr. For the first two seasons, Harlow hiredPunk Berryman as assistant. Harlow coached the team to a55–0 victory overNiagara University, where players refused to tackle any Colgate players, leading to many scores.^[2] Harlow's overall coaching record at Colgate was 24–9–3. He also served as Colgate's boxing coach from 1922 to 1925.^[3]

Harlow moved from Colgate to become the head coach atWestern Maryland College from 1926 to 1934, succeedingKen Shroyer.^[4] There, Harlow coached the Green Terror to a 60–13–7 record with three undefeated seasons.^[5][6] In 1934 Western Maryland was invited to play in the inguinalOrange Bowl. Seeing it as not much of a challenge; Harlow declined to have his players play in then more prestigiousEast–West Shrine Game. In Orange Bowl,Bucknell, who lost to the Green Terror early that season, beat theMiami Hurricanes.^[7]

Harlow had many great players such asEugene "Stoney" Willis, who threw the firstshovel pass againstBoston College in 1932, andBill Shepherd, who was considered to be one of the best running backs in the country in the early 1930s, starring the East West shrine game in 1934 behindMichigan centerGerald Ford. At Western Maryland, Harlow also coachedRip Engle. He had a great influence on Engle's career, and they remained good friends for many years. Harlow said that his "biggest thrill" came from those games where he beat Bosten College and Bucknell by such a lopsided margin.^[7]

In 1935, Harlow became the first non-alumnus ever to coach at Harvard. The job was initially offered toClark Shaughnessy, but was turned down. Harlow's assistant coaches immediately becameHenry Lamar andSkip Stahley. Lamar took over as head coach while Harlow served in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. When Harlow returned, Lamar went back to being an assistant. From 1938 to 1946,Lyal Clark also served as an assistant. At Harvard, Harlow was voted Coach of the Year in 1936, and a year later, was chosen as theIvy League Coach of the Year. He retired in 1947 with a lifetime record of 149–69–17, and was succeeded byArthur Valpey. Harlow was named to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

Harlow was an expert inoology, the study of birds' eggs. In 1939, he was named curator of oology at the Harvard'sMuseum of Comparative Zoology, and he remained in that position until 1954.

• List of college football head coaches with non-consecutive tenure
• List of Phi Sigma Kappa brothers
• List of presidents of the American Football Coaches Association

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDick Harlow.

• College Football Hall of Fame profile

• Dick Harlow atFind a Grave

• 1889 births
• 1962 deaths
• 20th-century American zoologists
• American boxing trainers
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