Chic Harley
Encyclopedia
Charles William "Chic" Harley (September 15, 1894 – April 21, 1974) was one of the outstanding American football
players of the first half of the 20th century and the player who first brought the Ohio State University
football program
to national attention. Harley was Ohio State's first consensus first-team All-America
selection and first three-time All-America selection. In 1951, he became a charter inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame
.
In 1941, James Thurber
described Harley's running skills for the New York City
newspaper, PM
, "If you never saw him run with a football, we can't describe it to you. It wasn't like Red Grange
or Tom Harmon
or anybody else. It was kind of a cross between music and cannon fire, and it brought your heart up under your ears."
when he was 12 years old. There Harley attended East High School
. The family was to return to Chicago just before Harley's senior year, but the Columbus East principal convinced the family to let Harley stay for his final year. In his career at East High School, Harley's team lost only one game, his last. So many people wanted to see Harley play that many times football games at East High's now-named "Harley Field" outdrew Ohio State football games.
fraternity, the fraternity he joined upon his arrival on campus. Harley began his career with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1916. He led the team to a 7–0 record and their first Big Ten Conference
championship. The team scored 258 points in seven games and giving up only 29. The key games of the season were a 7–6 victory over the University of Illinois
and a 14–13 victory over the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, teams that were at the time the conference's dominant powers. In both games the margin of victory was a point after touchdown kicked by Harley. Following the season, Harley was named as a consensus first-team All-America
selection, including a spot on Walter Camp
's authoritative list.
The Buckeyes
repeated as conference champion in 1917 with an 8–0–1 record, and Harley repeated as a consensus first-team All American. In 1918 Harley left school to be a pilot
in the United States Army Air Service
during World War I
, but he returned the following year. In 1919 the Buckeyes finished 6–1. Harley's only career loss was a heartbreaker; the team lost the game and the conference title to the University of Illinois
on the last play of the last game of the season. That season, however, is remembered at Ohio State for the Buckeyes' first victory over the University of Michigan
. Following that senior season, Harley was again a consensus first-team All-America
selection.
Throughout his Ohio State career, Harley played right halfback
on offense and safety on defense, and was also the team's punter
and place kicker. He scored 201 points in a 23-game career. This total was the school's individual scoring record until Harley was surpassed by Howard "Hopalong" Cassady in 1955. Harley's 8.74 points per game remains a school record. Harley also holds the team record for interceptions in a game: he picked off four passes in the 1919 game against the University of Michigan
.
In 1950, Harley was voted a first-team halfback on the Associated Press
college football All-Star team for the first half of the 20th century. The other first-team halfback was Jim Thorpe
. Red Grange
was voted to the second team. When asked to explain his vote, one writer said, "Red Grange was a great runner, but that's all he was. Chic Harley was a great runner, a great passer, a great kicker and a great defensive back. That's why he's on my first-team." In 1951 Harley was one of 44 players and coaches selected as the charter members of the College Football Hall of Fame
.
In Harley's era, the Buckeyes played in Ohio Field
, which had a seating capacity of no more than 20,000. Harley so excited the fans of Ohio State football that he inspired a $1.3 million funding drive, starting in 1920, to build the massive Ohio Stadium
. For this reason Ohio Stadium, where the Buckeyes still play, is sometimes called "The House That Harley Built".
in baseball
, basketball
, and track
. He was an outfielder
in baseball, a guard in basketball, and a sprinter
in track. Harley was a member of the 1917 Big Ten baseball championship team. On the track field, Harley set a conference record in the 50-yard dash.
to play for the NFL
team Halas was organizing, a team that would ultimately become the Chicago Bears
. Harley's brother, Bill Harley, negotiated a contract that was to give Chic Harley one-third ownership of the team. However, that contract was voided when a physical revealed health impairments resultant from Harley's time in the war. At the time he was diagnosed with Dementia praecox
, a chronic, deteriorating psychotic disorder characterized by rapid cognitive disintegration, usually beginning in the late teens or early adulthood." Harley ultimately became hospitalized at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Danville, Illinois
, where he would be a patient for the remainder of his life.
adapted their famous "Script Ohio" formation to spell out the name "Chic." That performance remains the only time that the formation has been altered. Harley died in 1974 at the age of 78. His pallbearers were contemporary Ohio State football players, including Archie Griffin
and Neal Colzie
.
in 1977.
Ohio State began honoring players by retiring their numbers in 1999. Jersey numbers were more fluid in Harley's era, changing from game to game, but the University decided to honor Harley by retiring the final number he wore for Ohio State, #47. The ceremony was held at halftime of a game on October 30, 2004. Ironically, that number was worn by Harley in the only collegiate game he lost. Many believe it would have been more appropriate to retire #10, which was the number Harley wore while defeating Michigan.
To this day, East High School still plays on the same field that Harley played on in the 1910s, which has been named Harley Field in his honor.
The Chic Harley Award
is presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus
to the College Football Player of the Year.
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...
players of the first half of the 20th century and the player who first brought the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
football program
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
to national attention. Harley was Ohio State's first consensus first-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
selection and first three-time All-America selection. In 1951, he became a charter inductee in 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 1941, James Thurber
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
described Harley's running skills for the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
newspaper, PM
PM (newspaper)
PM was a leftist New York City daily newspaper published by Ralph Ingersoll from June 1940 to June 1948 and bankrolled by the eccentric Chicago millionaire Marshall Field III....
, "If you never saw him run with a football, we can't describe it to you. It wasn't like Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
or Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
or anybody else. It was kind of a cross between music and cannon fire, and it brought your heart up under your ears."
Early years
Charles Harley was born in Chicago, Illinois, hence the source of the nickname Chic, but his family moved to Columbus, OhioColumbus, 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...
when he was 12 years old. There Harley attended East High School
East High School (Columbus, Ohio)
East High School is a public high school located on the near east side of Columbus, Ohio at 1500 E. Broad Street. It is a part of Columbus City Schools. It was originally constructed in 1922....
. The family was to return to Chicago just before Harley's senior year, but the Columbus East principal convinced the family to let Harley stay for his final year. In his career at East High School, Harley's team lost only one game, his last. So many people wanted to see Harley play that many times football games at East High's now-named "Harley Field" outdrew Ohio State football games.
College career
Harley was recruited to attend Ohio State by the university's chapter of the Phi Gamma DeltaPhi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
fraternity, the fraternity he joined upon his arrival on campus. Harley began his career with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1916. He led the team to a 7–0 record and their first Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
championship. The team scored 258 points in seven games and giving up only 29. The key games of the season were a 7–6 victory over the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and a 14–13 victory over the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, teams that were at the time the conference's dominant powers. In both games the margin of victory was a point after touchdown kicked by Harley. Following the season, Harley was named as a consensus first-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
selection, including a spot on 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 authoritative list.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
repeated as conference champion in 1917 with an 8–0–1 record, and Harley repeated as a consensus first-team All American. In 1918 Harley left school to be a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
in the United States Army Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
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...
, but he returned the following year. In 1919 the Buckeyes finished 6–1. Harley's only career loss was a heartbreaker; the team lost the game and the conference title to the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
on the last play of the last game of the season. That season, however, is remembered at Ohio State for the Buckeyes' first victory over the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. Following that senior season, Harley was again a consensus first-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
selection.
Throughout his Ohio State career, Harley played right halfback
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
on offense and safety on defense, and was also the team's punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...
and place kicker. He scored 201 points in a 23-game career. This total was the school's individual scoring record until Harley was surpassed by Howard "Hopalong" Cassady in 1955. Harley's 8.74 points per game remains a school record. Harley also holds the team record for interceptions in a game: he picked off four passes in the 1919 game against the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
In 1950, Harley was voted a first-team halfback on the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
college football All-Star team for the first half of the 20th century. The other first-team halfback was Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
. Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
was voted to the second team. When asked to explain his vote, one writer said, "Red Grange was a great runner, but that's all he was. Chic Harley was a great runner, a great passer, a great kicker and a great defensive back. That's why he's on my first-team." In 1951 Harley was one of 44 players and coaches selected as the charter members of 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 Harley's era, the Buckeyes played in Ohio Field
Ohio Field
Ohio Field, home to the football team at The Ohio State University before Ohio Stadium, was built in 1898 and dedicated ten years later. Seating capacity was approximately 5,000 until 1907, when a grandstand and bleachers were added. Another renovation in 1910 saw a second grandstand added, with...
, which had a seating capacity of no more than 20,000. Harley so excited the fans of Ohio State football that he inspired a $1.3 million funding drive, starting in 1920, to build the massive Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium is the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is located on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on March 22, 1974...
. For this reason Ohio Stadium, where the Buckeyes still play, is sometimes called "The House That Harley Built".
College football scoring statistics
| Year | TDs | PATs | FGs | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 (7 games) | 8 | 7 | 1 | 58 |
| 1917 (9 games) | 8 | 15 | 3 | 72 |
| 1919 (8 games) | 7 | 17 | 4 | 71 |
| Total (24 games) | 23 | 39 | 8 | 201 |
All-around athlete
In addition to his football exploits, Harley also letteredVarsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
in baseball
Baseball
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...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. He was an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in baseball, a guard in basketball, and a sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
in track. Harley was a member of the 1917 Big Ten baseball championship team. On the track field, Harley set a conference record in the 50-yard dash.
Professional career and illness
Following his college playing career, Harley was contacted by George HalasGeorge Halas
George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
to play for the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
team Halas was organizing, a team that would ultimately become the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Harley's brother, Bill Harley, negotiated a contract that was to give Chic Harley one-third ownership of the team. However, that contract was voided when a physical revealed health impairments resultant from Harley's time in the war. At the time he was diagnosed with Dementia praecox
Dementia praecox
Dementia praecox refers to a chronic, deteriorating psychotic disorder characterized by rapid cognitive disintegration, usually beginning in the late teens or early adulthood. It is a term first used in 1891 in this Latin form by Arnold Pick , a professor of psychiatry at the German branch of...
, a chronic, deteriorating psychotic disorder characterized by rapid cognitive disintegration, usually beginning in the late teens or early adulthood." Harley ultimately became hospitalized at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Danville, Illinois
Danville, Illinois
Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of...
, where he would be a patient for the remainder of his life.
Later life and death
Harley returned to Columbus in 1949 for a tribute at Ohio Stadium. The Ohio State University Marching BandThe Ohio State University Marching Band
The Ohio State University Marching Band performs at Ohio State football games and other events during the fall quarter...
adapted their famous "Script Ohio" formation to spell out the name "Chic." That performance remains the only time that the formation has been altered. Harley died in 1974 at the age of 78. His pallbearers were contemporary Ohio State football players, including Archie Griffin
Archie Griffin
Archie Mason Griffin is a former American football running back. Griffin played seven seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. He is college football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner...
and Neal Colzie
Neal Colzie
Cornelius Connie Colzie, better known as Neal Colzie, was an American football defensive back for the Oakland Raiders , Miami Dolphins , and Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
.
Honors
Harley was among the first induction class of the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of FameOhio State Varsity O Hall of Fame
The Ohio State Varsity "O" Hall of Fame is the athletic hall of fame for The Ohio State University. Its purpose is to recognize individuals who have contributed to the honor and fame of the University in the field of athletics....
in 1977.
Ohio State began honoring players by retiring their numbers in 1999. Jersey numbers were more fluid in Harley's era, changing from game to game, but the University decided to honor Harley by retiring the final number he wore for Ohio State, #47. The ceremony was held at halftime of a game on October 30, 2004. Ironically, that number was worn by Harley in the only collegiate game he lost. Many believe it would have been more appropriate to retire #10, which was the number Harley wore while defeating Michigan.
To this day, East High School still plays on the same field that Harley played on in the 1910s, which has been named Harley Field in his honor.
The Chic Harley Award
Chic Harley Award
The Chic Harley Award is presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus to the College Football Player of the Year. The winner is selected by a committee of college football coaches, and is named after Ohio State All-America football legend, Chic Harley. It was first presented to Ohio State's Howard...
is presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus
Touchdown Club of Columbus
The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of State Auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More than a decade later, his son Sam Nicola, Jr...
to the College Football Player of the Year.
External links
- Who is Chic Harley? from author/historian Todd WessellTodd WessellTodd Wessell, is the Managing Editor, and part owner of the Journal & Topics newspapers that serve the communities that surround O'Hare airport. He currently lives in Des Plaines, Illinois.- References :...
's website.