Herbert M. Kopf (June 25, 1901 – March 22, 1996) was anAmerican football player andcoach. He was the head football coach atManhattan College from 1938 to 1942 and the head coach for theBoston Yanks of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1944 to 1946.

A star baseball player atNew Britain High School inNew Britain, Connecticut, Kopf switched to football whenWashington & Jefferson College dropped its baseball program before his freshman season.^[1] A star offensive and defensive end, Kopf was a member of the 10-0 Presidents team that played in the1922 Rose Bowl, the first freshman to play in a Rose Bowl. As a sophomore, Kopf was selected by coachJohn W. Heisman to call the offensive plays and was a Walter Camp All-America selection.

While attendingGeorgetown Law School, Kopf was hired as an offensive assistant byLou Little in 1925. Kopf followed Little toColumbia University in 1930 where he coached the ends and backfield for eight seasons. In 1934, Columbia won theIvy League championship, finishing the season with a 7–1 record and a 7–0 win in the1934 Rose Bowl.

Kopf was the head football coach at the Manhattan College from 1938 until the program ended in 1942. His career coaching record at Manhattan was 18–24–1 which ranks him second at Manhattan in total wins and fifth in winning percentage.^[2]

At the end of the 1942 season, Manhattan College, like many schools of the day, suspended intercollegiate football games because ofWorld War II. At the end of the war, the college decided not to reactivate the program. Kopf was the school'sathletic director from 1938 to 1944.

In 1944, Kopf was named head coach of theBoston Yanks. This job was supposed to be temporary untilJim Crowley returned from the Navy.^[3] However, instead of coaching the Yanks, Crowley became commissioner of the newAll-America Football Conference and Kopf remained as the Yanks' head coach until 1946. In his three seasons with them, Kopf had a record of 7–22–2. In 1948, he was hired as an assistant underDenny Myers atBoston College. He was not retained by new head coach,Mike Holovak, in 1951. His final coaching job was as an assistant toBenny Friedman atBrandeis University.

After coaching, Kopf worked as a paint salesman.^[4] He later retired toSt. Petersburg, Florida, where he died on March 22, 1996.^[5] He had a TV show on Saturday mornings explaining the football game that was going to be shown on TV that day.

Kopf was the brother ofLarry Kopf, an infielder in the Major Leagues from 1913 to 1923, and was theCincinnati Reds on-field messenger during his brother's time there. He was with the Reds during the1919 World Series, made famous by theBlack Sox Scandal.^[1]

• Hogrogian, John (1982)."The Hartford Blues Part I"(PDF).Coffin Corner.4 (8). Professional Football Researchers Association:1–5. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on November 27, 2010.

• 1901 births
• 1996 deaths
• American football ends
• Boston College Eagles football coaches
• Boston Yanks coaches
• Brandeis Judges football coaches
• Columbia Lions football coaches
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• Washington & Jefferson Presidents football players
• People from Winsted, Connecticut
• Sportspeople from Litchfield County, Connecticut
• Sportspeople from New Britain, Connecticut
• Players of American football from Hartford County, Connecticut
• Players of American football from St. Petersburg, Florida

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