 "Flash" Covington c. 1921 | |
| Centre Praying Colonels – No. 15 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback /Running back |
| Class | Graduate |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1902-10-16)October 16, 1902 Mayfield, Kentucky |
| Died: | January 1, 1990(1990-01-01) (aged 87) Aurora, Ohio |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 158 lb (72 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | Centre (1921–1924) |
| Bowl games | |
| High school | Mayfield Castle Heights |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Herbert Hunt "Flash" Covington (October 16, 1902 – January 1, 1990), also called "the Mayfield Flash", was anAmerican football,basketball, andbaseball player for theCentre Praying Colonels ofCentre College in Danville, Kentucky.
Covington spent a year at Mayfield High and two atCastle Heights Military Academy.[1]
Covington was a prominent running back for coachesCharley Moran andRobert L. Myers's Centre Colonels from1921 to1924, chosen as a running back on Centre's all-time football team in 1935.[2]
Covington played athalfback during the6–0 victory over Harvard.[2]Bo McMillin threw a touchdown to Covington in the1922 Dixie Classic which Centre lost toTexas A&M.
Taking over for McMillin atquarterbackthe following season,[3] Covington did not miss a minute of play over the next three years.[4] He was selectedAll-Southern in 1922. That year Covington kicked a then record six straightdrop-kickedfield goals in the victory overLouisville.[5][6] In a rematch with Harvard, a 24 to 10 loss, "Covington, the Centre quarterback, was responsible for most of the scoring in the game; he kicked Centre's goal from the field, and throughRoberts's assistance, made Centre's touchdown; his errors led to the Harvard scores also."[7] He was selectedAll-American in 1922 byBilly Evans and was on Norman E. Brown's second team.[8] In 1924 he was selected as a third-team All-American by Davis J. Walsh of theInternational News Service.[9] Athletic trainer Alfred Doneghy said Covington was the best runner Centre ever had.[10]
An account of his six field goal record follows:[11]
"Herb Covington, who has shattered records galore this season through his ground gaining ability, established a world record today for field goals by drop kicks in a single game. Six times he booted the oval over the crossbar, three of them from the 30 yard mark and one from the 41 yard line. The others were from between the 30 and 40 yard marks. The record previously was held by B. W. Tafford,Harvard, andW. H. Eckersall,University of Chicago, jointly with five in a single game. Robertson ofPurdue made seven goals in a game withRose Poly in 1900, but they were all fromplacement."
Centre defeatedGeorgia 14 to 7 andWallace Wade'sAlabama and claims a Southern championship.
He married Eleanor Blanche McCormick ofSenatobia, Mississippi, and was a realtor inFlorida.[12]
Covington was coach of theHillsborough High School Terriers inTampa in 1925.[13][14]Jimmy Steele was on the team.
