Charles O. Gill
Encyclopedia
Charles Otis Gill was an American Congregationalist clergyman and author, with Gifford Pinchot
, of two influential books on the state of rural churches in the US.
He played American football
for Yale University
from 1886 to 1889 He was Captain of the Yale team and was on the first College Football All-America Team
in 1889.
He was the head coach of the California
(1894) and New Hampshire
(1908) college football
programs.
, Gill graduated from Yale in 1889, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
. He played football at Yale from 1885-1889. In 1888 the team went undefeated and was not scored upon. In 1889, Gill was captain of the team under coach Walter Camp
and that year Yale scored 665 points while only giving up 31 points to their opponents. That year Casper Whitney selected Gill and teammates Amos Alonzo Stagg
and William Heffelfinger
for the first ever College Football All-America Team
.
for Yale, Gill attended the Yale Divinity School
from 1889–90, then the Union Theological Seminary
in New York City from 1892–94, where he received his graduate degree and was ordained as a minister in the Congregational Church on July 25, 1894. He served as pastor of the Westmore, Vermont
Congregational Church in 1894 and 1895 and then as a foreign missionary for the Presbyterian Church in Peking, China in 1895-97. He returned to Vermont and served in East Fairfield, Vermont, 1897–98; Westmore, Vermont
, 1898–1902; Jericho, Vermont, 1902–04; West Lebanon, New Hampshire
, 1904–06; and Hartland, Vermont
from 1906-09. Remaining in Harland he collaborated with his Yale football teammate Gifford Pinchot
in writing The Country Church - The Decline Of Its Influence and The Remedy published by Macmillan Company in 1913. This led to his appointment as the Secretary of the Committee on Church & Country Life, Social Service Commission, Federal Council of Churches, in Columbus, Ohio
, from 1913 to 1919. In that capacity he wrote a second book with Pinchot, Six Thousand Country Churches, published by MacMillan in 1919. While in Ohio he was also Secretary of the Ohio Rurual Life Association, a member of the Commission on Interchurch Cooperation, and Supervisor of rural church survey work for the Interchurch World Movement.
He returned to Vermont as pastor in Hartland until his retirement in 1929, when he relocated to Waterford, Vermont
and took up farming. He remained in Waterford until his death on June 2, 1959.
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
, of two influential books on the state of rural churches in the US.
He played American football
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...
for Yale University
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...
from 1886 to 1889 He was Captain of the Yale team and was on the first College Football All-America Team
1889 College Football All-America Team
The 1889 College Football All-America team was the first College Football All-America Team. The team was selected by Casper Whitney and published in This Week's Sports....
in 1889.
He was the head coach of the California
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
(1894) and New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
(1908) college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
programs.
Early life and college career
Born in Walpole, MassachusettsWalpole, Massachusetts
Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located about south of Boston and north of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 24,070 at the 2010 census. Walpole was first settled in 1659 and was considered a part of Dedham until officially incorporated in 1724...
, Gill graduated from Yale in 1889, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. He played football at Yale from 1885-1889. In 1888 the team went undefeated and was not scored upon. In 1889, Gill was captain of the team under coach 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...
and that year Yale scored 665 points while only giving up 31 points to their opponents. That year Casper Whitney selected Gill and teammates Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and pioneering college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football...
and William Heffelfinger
William Heffelfinger
-External links:...
for the first ever College Football All-America Team
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
.
Minister, missionary, author
In addition to his accomplishments on the gridironAmerican 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...
for Yale, Gill attended the Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
from 1889–90, then the Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York City from 1892–94, where he received his graduate degree and was ordained as a minister in the Congregational Church on July 25, 1894. He served as pastor of the Westmore, Vermont
Westmore, Vermont
Westmore is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 306 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county...
Congregational Church in 1894 and 1895 and then as a foreign missionary for the Presbyterian Church in Peking, China in 1895-97. He returned to Vermont and served in East Fairfield, Vermont, 1897–98; Westmore, Vermont
Westmore, Vermont
Westmore is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 306 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county...
, 1898–1902; Jericho, Vermont, 1902–04; West Lebanon, New Hampshire
West Lebanon, New Hampshire
West Lebanon, New Hampshire, is a district within the city of Lebanon on the Connecticut River. The area contains a major shopping plaza strip along New Hampshire Route 12A, serving the Upper Valley communities along Interstates 89 and 91...
, 1904–06; and Hartland, Vermont
Hartland, Vermont
Hartland is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,223 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.2 square miles , of which 45.0 square miles is land and 0.2 square mile is water...
from 1906-09. Remaining in Harland he collaborated with his Yale football teammate Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot
Gifford Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service and the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania...
in writing The Country Church - The Decline Of Its Influence and The Remedy published by Macmillan Company in 1913. This led to his appointment as the Secretary of the Committee on Church & Country Life, Social Service Commission, Federal Council of Churches, in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, from 1913 to 1919. In that capacity he wrote a second book with Pinchot, Six Thousand Country Churches, published by MacMillan in 1919. While in Ohio he was also Secretary of the Ohio Rurual Life Association, a member of the Commission on Interchurch Cooperation, and Supervisor of rural church survey work for the Interchurch World Movement.
He returned to Vermont as pastor in Hartland until his retirement in 1929, when he relocated to Waterford, Vermont
Waterford, Vermont
Waterford is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,104 at the 2000 census.The town was originally called Littleton but the name was changed to Waterford in 1797.-Geography:...
and took up farming. He remained in Waterford until his death on June 2, 1959.