Art Poe
Encyclopedia
Arthur "Art" Poe was an American football
player and businessman, and one of six celebrated Poe brothers - second cousins, twice removed of American author Edgar Allan Poe
- to play football at Princeton in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was selected retroactively by the Helms Athletic Foundation
as the national college football player of the year for 1899, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1969.
, and was named to Walter Camp
's All-American football second team in 1898 and first team in 1899. He was one of the Poe Brothers
, six celebrated American football players - second cousins, twice removed of American author Edgar Allan Poe
- to play football at Princeton in the late 19th and early 20th century. Arthur made the plays that led to victories over Yale
in 1898 and 1899. In 1898 he took the ball from a Yale runner's grasp and raced 100 yards for the game's only score. Remarkably, he almost repeated the feat in the game's second half when he ran 90 yards with a Yale fumble
for an apparent touchdown before the ball was ruled down where it had been recovered.
In 1899, Poe volunteered to attempt a game-winning field goal with only 30 seconds to play. Poe, despite never having before kicked in a game, volunteered to kick because both of Princeton's kickers had left the game due to injury. His kick was good and brought about a 11-10 Princeton victory over Yale. In 1914, a Pittsburgh Press
article declared the last-minute winning field goal "Football's Greatest Moment." Both his winning run in 1898 and kick against the Elis in 1899 were celebrated in comic, quasi-epic poems by fellow Princeton grad M'Cready Sykes in a book entitled "Poe's Run and Other Poems." Of Poe's long touchdown run to beat Yale 6-0 in 1898, Sykes penned:
"Hys eyes on ye dystante Goale;
He lookes behynde him not,
but from ye Scripture learned in Youthe
Rememberethe Mrs. Lot.
"Ye Elis tears in fierce Pursuite;
But Poe eludes ycm alle;
He rushes 'twixt ye quyverrynge Postes,
& sytteth on ye Balle."
Poe's stardom on the gridiron as a junior and senior at Princeton was the result of a remarkable comeback from a severe leg injury suffered during his freshman year, after which doctors doubted that he would ever play football again. At only 5-7 and 146 pounds, he was a standout on the defensive line, and in addition to his heroics in Yale games had an 80-yard touchdown run to beat Navy
and a 40-yard run to help defeat Brown
in his junior season. In addition to excelling at football, Arthur was the top wrestler
during his time at Princeton and was voted the most popular man in his class. Dartmouth
star Fred Crolius
, who played with Poe on the Homestead Library & Athletic Club team after they had both left college, described Poe's grit as an undersized football star. "Arthur Poe was about as game a man as the football world ever saw" said Crolius. "He was handicapped in his playing by a knee which would easily slip out of place. We men who played with him on the Homestead team were often stopped after Arthur had made a magnificent tackle and had broken up heavy interference, with this quiet request: 'Pull my bum knee back into place.' After this was done, he would jump up and no one would ever know that it had been out. This man, who perhaps was the smallest man playing at that time, was absolutely unprotected. His suit consisted of a pair of shoes, stockings, unpadded pants, jersey and one elastic knee bandage."
as a member of the Pittsburgh Stars
. The Stars would go on to win the league title that year.
, where he would become the assistant plant manager and then the plant manager for the Quaker Oats Company
. As a civic leader in Cedar Rapids, he served as director of the Red Cross
; chairman of all Liberty Loan drives; president of the Princeton alumni class of 1900; president of the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce; president of the Coe College
Board of Trustees; vice president of St. Luke's Hospital
; a member of the International Board of Directors of the Y.M.C.A.; trustee of the School of Religion at the University of Iowa
; chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the Diocese of Iowa and trustee of Iowa Episcopate Funds; and vice president of the Morris Plan Bank.
He was honored after his death in 1951 by the Quaker Oats Co., who erected a non-denominational chapel on the Coe College campus, the Poe Chapel, in his memory.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and businessman, and one of six celebrated Poe brothers - second cousins, twice removed of American author Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
- to play football at Princeton in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was selected retroactively by the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
as the national college football player of the year for 1899, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1969.
College career
Poe attended Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and was named to Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
's All-American football second team in 1898 and first team in 1899. He was one of the Poe Brothers
Poe Brothers, The
The Poe brothers were six celebrated American football players who played football at Princeton University from 1882 until 1901. They were sons of John P. Poe, Sr., an 1854 Princeton graduate and the Attorney General of Maryland from 1891 until 1895...
, six celebrated American football players - second cousins, twice removed of American author Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
- to play football at Princeton in the late 19th and early 20th century. Arthur made the plays that led to victories over Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1898 and 1899. In 1898 he took the ball from a Yale runner's grasp and raced 100 yards for the game's only score. Remarkably, he almost repeated the feat in the game's second half when he ran 90 yards with a Yale fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
for an apparent touchdown before the ball was ruled down where it had been recovered.
In 1899, Poe volunteered to attempt a game-winning field goal with only 30 seconds to play. Poe, despite never having before kicked in a game, volunteered to kick because both of Princeton's kickers had left the game due to injury. His kick was good and brought about a 11-10 Princeton victory over Yale. In 1914, a Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
article declared the last-minute winning field goal "Football's Greatest Moment." Both his winning run in 1898 and kick against the Elis in 1899 were celebrated in comic, quasi-epic poems by fellow Princeton grad M'Cready Sykes in a book entitled "Poe's Run and Other Poems." Of Poe's long touchdown run to beat Yale 6-0 in 1898, Sykes penned:
"Hys eyes on ye dystante Goale;
He lookes behynde him not,
but from ye Scripture learned in Youthe
Rememberethe Mrs. Lot.
"Ye Elis tears in fierce Pursuite;
But Poe eludes ycm alle;
He rushes 'twixt ye quyverrynge Postes,
& sytteth on ye Balle."
Poe's stardom on the gridiron as a junior and senior at Princeton was the result of a remarkable comeback from a severe leg injury suffered during his freshman year, after which doctors doubted that he would ever play football again. At only 5-7 and 146 pounds, he was a standout on the defensive line, and in addition to his heroics in Yale games had an 80-yard touchdown run to beat Navy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
and a 40-yard run to help defeat Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in his junior season. In addition to excelling at football, Arthur was the top wrestler
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
during his time at Princeton and was voted the most popular man in his class. Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
star Fred Crolius
Fred Crolius
Frederick Joseph Crolius was a professional baseball and football player. He is best remembered as being the first player from Tufts University to come to play Major League Baseball. He was at Tufts in 1894, and at Dartmouth College, where he also played college football, from 1896 until 1899...
, who played with Poe on the Homestead Library & Athletic Club team after they had both left college, described Poe's grit as an undersized football star. "Arthur Poe was about as game a man as the football world ever saw" said Crolius. "He was handicapped in his playing by a knee which would easily slip out of place. We men who played with him on the Homestead team were often stopped after Arthur had made a magnificent tackle and had broken up heavy interference, with this quiet request: 'Pull my bum knee back into place.' After this was done, he would jump up and no one would ever know that it had been out. This man, who perhaps was the smallest man playing at that time, was absolutely unprotected. His suit consisted of a pair of shoes, stockings, unpadded pants, jersey and one elastic knee bandage."
Professional career
In 1900 and 1901, Poe played for the Homestead Library & Athletic Club as the team won the mythical professional football championship both years. In 1902, he joined many of his former Homestead players in the first National Football LeagueNational Football League (1902)
The National Football League was the first attempt at forming a national professional football league in 1902. The league has no ties with the modern National Football League. In fact the league was only composed of teams from Pennsylvania, which was hardly "national". Two of the teams were based...
as a member of the Pittsburgh Stars
Pittsburgh Stars
The Pittsburgh Stars were a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1902. The team was member of what was referred to as the National Football League. This league has no connection with the National Football League of today. The whole "league" was a curious mixture...
. The Stars would go on to win the league title that year.
Later life
After graduating from Princeton in 1900, Poe married Anne Emerson King in 1904. They moved to Cedar Rapids, IowaCedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
, where he would become the assistant plant manager and then the plant manager for the Quaker Oats Company
Quaker Oats Company
The Quaker Oats Company is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by Pepsico since 2001.-History:Quaker Oats was founded in 1901 by the merger of four oat mills:...
. As a civic leader in Cedar Rapids, he served as director of the Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
; chairman of all Liberty Loan drives; president of the Princeton alumni class of 1900; president of the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce; president of the Coe College
Coe College
Coe College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Founded in 1851, the institution is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . Its current president is James R. Phifer. It is one of the smaller universities to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa...
Board of Trustees; vice president of St. Luke's Hospital
St. Luke's Hospital (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
St. Luke’s is a 560-bed hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1884 as Cedar Rapids’ first hospital and is now one of two hospitals in Cedar Rapids, the other being Mercy Medical Center. St. Luke’s emergency department treats nearly 50,000 patients each year and the most cases of trauma...
; a member of the International Board of Directors of the Y.M.C.A.; trustee of the School of Religion at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
; chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the Diocese of Iowa and trustee of Iowa Episcopate Funds; and vice president of the Morris Plan Bank.
He was honored after his death in 1951 by the Quaker Oats Co., who erected a non-denominational chapel on the Coe College campus, the Poe Chapel, in his memory.