Dim Batterson
Encyclopedia
George Wilder Batterson was a professional football
coach with the Buffalo Bisons and Rangers
of the early National Football League
. He served as an assistant coach in 1925 and 1926, before becoming the team's head coach in 1927. During his NFL coaching career, Batterson posted an 0-5 record.
coach prior to coaching professionally. He would go on to win three consecutive Buffalo City High School Championships (called Harvard Cups) while coaching at Masten Park High School
in 1918, 1919 and 1920. He was later elected to Harvard Cup Hall of Fame in 2002. After Batterson left Masten, he became the football coach at the University of Buffalo.
, an early semi-pro
football team, who would later evolve into the Buffalo All-Americans-Rangers-Bisons
franchise.
.
A few sources have his name spelled as "Dim Patterson" with a P; this is a mistake. The mistake likely stems from confusion with Warren D. Patterson, a Buffalo area shoe salesman who, at the time, was the Bisons' part-owner, general manager, and president.
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...
coach with the Buffalo Bisons and Rangers
Buffalo (NFL)
Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under three different names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s...
of the early National Football League
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...
. He served as an assistant coach in 1925 and 1926, before becoming the team's head coach in 1927. During his NFL coaching career, Batterson posted an 0-5 record.
Coaching career
Batterson was a high school footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
coach prior to coaching professionally. He would go on to win three consecutive Buffalo City High School Championships (called Harvard Cups) while coaching at Masten Park High School
Fosdick-Masten Park High School
Fosdick-Masten Park High School, now known as City Honors School, is a historic public high school building located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. The school is located on a site...
in 1918, 1919 and 1920. He was later elected to Harvard Cup Hall of Fame in 2002. After Batterson left Masten, he became the football coach at the University of Buffalo.
Playing career
Around 1905, Batterson played for the Buffalo All-StarsBuffalo (NFL)
Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under three different names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s...
, an early semi-pro
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
football team, who would later evolve into the Buffalo All-Americans-Rangers-Bisons
Buffalo (NFL)
Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under three different names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s...
franchise.
Family
Dim's father, Thomas J. Batterson, was a traveling merchant. Thomas and his wife, Martha, had ten children. One of Dim's brothers, John P., became an opticianOptician
An optician is a person who is trained to fill prescriptions for eye correction in the field of medicine, also known as a dispensing optician or optician, dispensing...
.
A few sources have his name spelled as "Dim Patterson" with a P; this is a mistake. The mistake likely stems from confusion with Warren D. Patterson, a Buffalo area shoe salesman who, at the time, was the Bisons' part-owner, general manager, and president.