 Dobie in 1937 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1878-01-21)January 21, 1878 Hastings, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | December 23, 1948(1948-12-23) (aged 70) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1900–1902 | Minnesota |
| Position(s) | End,quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1906–1907 | North Dakota Agricultural |
| 1908–1916 | Washington |
| 1917–1919 | Navy |
| 1920–1935 | Cornell |
| 1936–1938 | Boston College |
| Basketball | |
| 1906–1908 | North Dakota Agricultural |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 182–45–15 (football) 17–5 (basketball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3national (1921–1923) 9Northwest Conference (1908–1916) 1PCC (1916) | |
| Awards | |
| Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1948) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1951 (profile) | |
Robert Gilmour Dobie (January 21, 1878 – December 23, 1948) was an Americancollege football player and coach.[1][2] Over a period of 33 years, he served as the head football coach at North Dakota Agricultural College (nowNorth Dakota State University) (1906–1907), theUniversity of Washington (1908–1916), theUnited States Naval Academy (1917–1919),Cornell University (1920–1935), andBoston College (1936–1938), compiling a career college football head coaching record of 182–45–15 (.783).
Dobie'sCornell teams of1921,1922, and1923 have been recognized asnational champions. Dobie was also the head basketball coach at North Dakota Agricultural for two seasons from 1906 to 1908, tallying a mark of 17–5. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1951. Dobie reached 100 career wins in 108 games, which stood as theNCAA record for the fewest games needed to reach 100 wins from 1921 to 2014.
Dobie was born inHastings, Minnesota. He played football as anend andquarterback at theUniversity of Minnesota.[3]
Dobie achieved his greatest success at theUniversity of Washington inSeattle, where he had a58–0–3record as a head coach.[3][4] During his tenure, Washington had a forty-game winning streak, which is the second longest inNCAA Division I-A/FBS history.[4] His coaching career at Washington also comprised virtually all of Washington's 64-game unbeaten streak — still a college football record.[5][4]
Dobie then became the 16th head coach for theUnited States Naval Academy Midshipmen and held that position for three seasons, from 1917 to 1919. His coaching record at the Navy was18–3. This ranks him 14th at the Navy in total wins and first at Navy in winning percentage (.857), as of the end of the 2007 season.[6]
After coaching at Navy, Dobie won threenational championships withCornell, in 1921, 1922, and 1923 withEddie Kaw andGeorge Pfann.[7] After his first season, he signed a five-year contract. During his first championship season at Cornell, he collected his 100th career win, doing so in 108 games—an NCAA record that stood until2014, whenLance Leipold reached the mark in his 106th game atDivision IIIWisconsin–Whitewater.[8] Dobie remains the fastest coach to 100 wins inmajor-college history. His career coaching record was 182 wins, 45 losses, and 15 ties, a .780 percentage. Of the 33 years he coached, he had 14 undefeated seasons.
At Boston College at least, the best play of the Dobie system was a smash-through tackle.[9] Dobie was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1951 as a charter member.
Dobie is buried atLake View Cemetery in Ithaca, New York.
...ranking next to the five-time champions, the University of Washington.
Selecting a championship football team in the northwest this season, in view of the fact that the two undefeated teams, Washington State college and the University of Washington, do not meet on the gridiron, will be some job in itself. Which of the two teams really is deserving of the honor probably always will remain a question.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
