Charley Barrett
Encyclopedia
Charley "Chuck" Barrett (November 3, 1893 – May 21, 1924) was an American football
player. He was the consensus All-American quarterback
in 1914 and 1915 while playing for Cornell University
and led Cornell to an undefeated season and national championship
in 1915. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1958.
, and raised in Cleveland, Ohio
. He attended the University School
in Cleveland before enrolling at Cornell University
.
team. He was Cornell's quarterback from 1913 to 1915 where he developed a reputation as "a real triple threat man" who kept opponents guessing, with his talents as a rusher, passer and kicker. He led Cornell to a record of 8–2 in 1914 and 9–0 in 1915. The undefeated 1915 team was recognized as the national football champion and became known as "the 'Big Red' machine."
In Barrett's final college football game, Cornell trailed the Penn
by a score of 9–0, but Barrett scored 24 points to lead the Big Red to a 24–9 victory. He scored on runs of 40, 25 and three yards and drop-kicked a field goal and three extra points. Barrett was selected as the consensus first-team All-American quarterback in both 1914 and 1915. He was also selected by his teammates as the captain of the 1915 football team. The New York Times
called him "the greatest football player ever developed at Cornell."
Barrett had difficulties keeping up with his classwork as a mechanical engineering student and was placed on academic probation in February 1915. The probation was removed in time for Barrett to play for the football team in the fall of 1915. In February 1916, Barrett was "busted out" of Cornell's College of Mechanical Engineering
for failure to meet his scholastic requirements.
during World War I
. In 1918, he was injured in an explosion on the armored cruiser
USS Brooklyn
in Yokohama
harbor and never fully recovered from the injuries. After returning to the United States, Barrett lived in Bellevue, Pennsylvania
. In November 1919, he married Edna Stevens in a private ceremony at the home of the bride's sister. Barrett and his wife had two daughters.
Barrett later went into the real estate business in Los Angeles, California
. He moved to Tucson, Arizona
in 1923, hoping to recover his health. He died in Tucson in May 1924 at age 30.
In 1925, a bronze tablet was unveiled on the Cornell campus containing the following tribute to Barrett: "In memory of Charles Barrett, who died May 21, 1924, as a result of illness contracted in an explosion on the U.S.S. Brooklyn in Yokohama Harbor, Japan, during the World War. As a tribute to his splendid loyalty and leadership and as homage to a most worthy gridiron adversary, we respectfully dedicate this tablet to Cornell University. His teammates and friends, and the 1915 Pennsylvania football team."
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. He was the consensus All-American quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in 1914 and 1915 while playing for Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and led Cornell to an undefeated season and national championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
in 1915. He 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 1958.
Early years
Barrett was born in Bellevue, PennsylvaniaBellevue, Pennsylvania
Bellevue is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Ohio River, adjoining Pittsburgh. The population was 8,370 at the 2010 census. The borough was incorporated in 1867. It is located in the Northgate School District...
, and raised in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He attended the University School
University School
University School, commonly referred to as US, is an all-boys K - 12 school with two campus locations in the Greater Cleveland, Ohio area...
in Cleveland before enrolling at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.
Cornell
At Cornell, Barrett was quarterback for the football team and a pitcher for the baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team. He was Cornell's quarterback from 1913 to 1915 where he developed a reputation as "a real triple threat man" who kept opponents guessing, with his talents as a rusher, passer and kicker. He led Cornell to a record of 8–2 in 1914 and 9–0 in 1915. The undefeated 1915 team was recognized as the national football champion and became known as "the 'Big Red' machine."
In Barrett's final college football game, Cornell trailed the Penn
Penn Quakers football
The Penn Quakers football team is the college football team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. The Penn Quakers have competed in the Ivy League since its inaugural season of 1956, and are currently a Division I Football Championship Subdivision member of the National...
by a score of 9–0, but Barrett scored 24 points to lead the Big Red to a 24–9 victory. He scored on runs of 40, 25 and three yards and drop-kicked a field goal and three extra points. Barrett was selected as the consensus first-team All-American quarterback in both 1914 and 1915. He was also selected by his teammates as the captain of the 1915 football team. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called him "the greatest football player ever developed at Cornell."
Barrett had difficulties keeping up with his classwork as a mechanical engineering student and was placed on academic probation in February 1915. The probation was removed in time for Barrett to play for the football team in the fall of 1915. In February 1916, Barrett was "busted out" of Cornell's College of Mechanical Engineering
Cornell University College of Engineering
The College of Engineering is a division of Cornell University that was founded in 1870 as the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts...
for failure to meet his scholastic requirements.
Later years and death
Barrett served as an ensign in the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In 1918, he was injured in an explosion on the armored cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
USS Brooklyn
USS Brooklyn (CA-3)
The second USS Brooklyn was a United States Navy armored cruiser.She was launched on 2 October 1895 by William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; sponsored by Miss Ida May Schieren; and commissioned on 1 December 1896, Captain Francis Augustus Cook in...
in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
harbor and never fully recovered from the injuries. After returning to the United States, Barrett lived in Bellevue, Pennsylvania
Bellevue, Pennsylvania
Bellevue is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Ohio River, adjoining Pittsburgh. The population was 8,370 at the 2010 census. The borough was incorporated in 1867. It is located in the Northgate School District...
. In November 1919, he married Edna Stevens in a private ceremony at the home of the bride's sister. Barrett and his wife had two daughters.
Barrett later went into the real estate business in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. He moved to Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
in 1923, hoping to recover his health. He died in Tucson in May 1924 at age 30.
In 1925, a bronze tablet was unveiled on the Cornell campus containing the following tribute to Barrett: "In memory of Charles Barrett, who died May 21, 1924, as a result of illness contracted in an explosion on the U.S.S. Brooklyn in Yokohama Harbor, Japan, during the World War. As a tribute to his splendid loyalty and leadership and as homage to a most worthy gridiron adversary, we respectfully dedicate this tablet to Cornell University. His teammates and friends, and the 1915 Pennsylvania football team."
See also
- 1914 College Football All-America Team1914 College Football All-America TeamThe 1914 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1914. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp...
- 1915 College Football All-America Team1915 College Football All-America TeamThe 1915 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1915. The organizations that chose the teams included Collier's Weekly selected by Walter Camp.-Key:*WC = Collier's Weekly as...