Dudley Dean
Encyclopedia
Dudley S. Dean was an All-American football
quarterback
for Harvard University
. He played quarterback for Harvard from 1888-1890 and was selected as an All-American in 1890. Dean also fought with the Rough Riders
at the Battle of San Juan Hill
during the Spanish–American War.
. While at Harvard, Dean was the quarterback for Harvard's varsity football team. He became famous for his role in Harvard's November 1890 football victory over Yale—the first since the schools first met in 1875. A newspaper account of the game described a touchdown run from midfield by Dean. Yale had the ball at midfield when Dean broke through past Hall of Famer Pudge Heffelfinger and batted the ball out of the hands of the Yale quarterback. The report noted: "The ball bounded beautifully for the now famous 'Dud.' He caught it as it came up saying, 'Now Dud's your chance.' On the run he was past the Yale backs ... and had a clear field to Yale's unprotected goal." The report called Dean the "hero of the day" and concluded as follows:
At the end of the 1890 season, Dean was selected as the quarterback on the All-American football team. Dean also played shortstop and second base for the Harvard baseball team and was captain of that team in 1891. His skills as a baseball player were such that he traveled with Albert Spalding
's professional baseball tour of England and was paid £4 a week plus expenses.
. In July 1898, after the Battle of San Juan Hill
, Dean was one of five members of the regiment mentioned by Theodore Roosevelt
for bravery on the battlefield. In his book, "The Rough riders, a history of the First United States volunteer cavalry," Roosevelt named Dean as "one of the men whom I noticed as leading in the charges and always being nearest the enemy." Upon his return, Dudley told how the Rough Riders had been "literally riddled by the murderous fire from ambush." He called Gen. Wood and Col. Roosevelt "dandies" and noted: "It is due to them largely that the rough riders came home in better physical condition than most of the volunteers. Teddy hustled about and saw that food reached us." In October 1898, the New York World
published article titled, "Dudley S. Dean, Twice a Hero," which told of his exploits on the gridiron and at the Battle of San Juan Hill:
During World War II
, Dean was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Air Forces and was the executive producer of the play "Winged Victory
," which ran from November 1943 to May 1944. The play was intended as a morale booster and fundraiser for the Army Emergency Relief
Fund. The play depicted both the training and work of airmen.
Dean was involved for most of his professional career in the mining business, and the companies with which he was associated had extensive land, lumber and mineral holdings in the Gogebic Range
of northern Michigan. He was affiliated with the Keweenaw Land Association, Ltd. for more than 50 years. In 1920, Dean was the treasurer of the Keweenaw Land Association, at which time the company owned 400000 acres (1,618.7 km²) of timber and mineral lands in the copper belt of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Dean eventually became the company's president. He was also the treasurer of the Newport Land Company.
Dudley became friends with Joseph P. Kennedy as the two men spent summers together in Cohasset, Massachusetts
. In 1922, Dudley led an unsuccessful campaign to have Kennedy admitted to the Cohasset Golf Club, and several of his letters lobbying for Kennedy's admission were published in the book, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
.
Dean died at his home in Cohasset at age 79.
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...
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...
for Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He played quarterback for Harvard from 1888-1890 and was selected as an All-American in 1890. Dean also fought with the Rough Riders
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
at the Battle of San Juan Hill
Battle of San Juan Hill
The Battle of San Juan Hill , also known as the battle for the San Juan Heights, was a decisive battle of the Spanish-American War. The San Juan heights was a north-south running elevation about two kilometers east of Santiago de Cuba. The names San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill were names given by the...
during the Spanish–American War.
College athlete at Harvard
A native of Lake Village, New Hampshire, Dean enrolled at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. While at Harvard, Dean was the quarterback for Harvard's varsity football team. He became famous for his role in Harvard's November 1890 football victory over Yale—the first since the schools first met in 1875. A newspaper account of the game described a touchdown run from midfield by Dean. Yale had the ball at midfield when Dean broke through past Hall of Famer Pudge Heffelfinger and batted the ball out of the hands of the Yale quarterback. The report noted: "The ball bounded beautifully for the now famous 'Dud.' He caught it as it came up saying, 'Now Dud's your chance.' On the run he was past the Yale backs ... and had a clear field to Yale's unprotected goal." The report called Dean the "hero of the day" and concluded as follows:
"After all has been said, however, about individual players, and a vast deal might be said, the last word should be devoted to Dudley Dean. If the Harvard victory can be ascribed to one man more than any other, that man is Dean. His tackling and breaking through were unsurpassed.
At the end of the 1890 season, Dean was selected as the quarterback on the All-American football team. Dean also played shortstop and second base for the Harvard baseball team and was captain of that team in 1891. His skills as a baseball player were such that he traveled with Albert Spalding
Albert Spalding
Albert Goodwill Spalding was a professional baseball player, manager and co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company.-Biography:...
's professional baseball tour of England and was paid £4 a week plus expenses.
Military service
During the Spanish American War, Dudley enlisted and served with the Rough RidersRough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
. In July 1898, after the Battle of San Juan Hill
Battle of San Juan Hill
The Battle of San Juan Hill , also known as the battle for the San Juan Heights, was a decisive battle of the Spanish-American War. The San Juan heights was a north-south running elevation about two kilometers east of Santiago de Cuba. The names San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill were names given by the...
, Dean was one of five members of the regiment mentioned by Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
for bravery on the battlefield. In his book, "The Rough riders, a history of the First United States volunteer cavalry," Roosevelt named Dean as "one of the men whom I noticed as leading in the charges and always being nearest the enemy." Upon his return, Dudley told how the Rough Riders had been "literally riddled by the murderous fire from ambush." He called Gen. Wood and Col. Roosevelt "dandies" and noted: "It is due to them largely that the rough riders came home in better physical condition than most of the volunteers. Teddy hustled about and saw that food reached us." In October 1898, the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
published article titled, "Dudley S. Dean, Twice a Hero," which told of his exploits on the gridiron and at the Battle of San Juan Hill:
"Dudley S. Dean ... is, as his friends express it, twice a hero. When Col. Roosevelt organized his regiment of Rough Riders, Mr. Dean was one of the first to enlist. He served throughout the campaign with distinction, and was in the thin brown line that charged up San Juan Hill. But his run at Springfield Nov. 22, 1890, when Harvard defeated Yale, is what endears him particularly to Harvard football men and the football world in general. On that occasion Dean ran through the entire Yale team for ninety yards and scored a goal."
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dean was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Air Forces and was the executive producer of the play "Winged Victory
Winged Victory (play)
Winged Victory is a play and, later, a film by Moss Hart, originally created and produced by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II as a morale booster and as a fundraiser for the Army Emergency Relief Fund. Upon recommendation of Lt. Col. Dudley S. Dean, who had been approached with the...
," which ran from November 1943 to May 1944. The play was intended as a morale booster and fundraiser for the Army Emergency Relief
Army Emergency Relief
Army Emergency Relief , often referred to by the longer title Army Emergency Relief Fund, is a non-profit, charitable organization independent of, but closely associated with the United States Army, founded in 1942...
Fund. The play depicted both the training and work of airmen.
Business career
After graduating from Harvard, Dudley worked for the El Paso and Western Railroad. He was also a reporter and columnist for the New York World and Boston Globe for a time.Dean was involved for most of his professional career in the mining business, and the companies with which he was associated had extensive land, lumber and mineral holdings in the Gogebic Range
Gogebic Range
The Gogebic Range extends from Lake Gogebic to the Wisconsin border in the east. It is located at the far western tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the south shore of Lake Superior. It refers both to the range of mountains that runs along the route and to the surrounding communities that...
of northern Michigan. He was affiliated with the Keweenaw Land Association, Ltd. for more than 50 years. In 1920, Dean was the treasurer of the Keweenaw Land Association, at which time the company owned 400000 acres (1,618.7 km²) of timber and mineral lands in the copper belt of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Dean eventually became the company's president. He was also the treasurer of the Newport Land Company.
Family and friends
Dudley's son, John H. Dean, also played football for Harvard and was captain of the 1933 team.Dudley became friends with Joseph P. Kennedy as the two men spent summers together in Cohasset, Massachusetts
Cohasset, Massachusetts
Cohasset is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, though it is not contiguous with the main body of the county. The population was 7,542 at the 2010 census.- History :...
. In 1922, Dudley led an unsuccessful campaign to have Kennedy admitted to the Cohasset Golf Club, and several of his letters lobbying for Kennedy's admission were published in the book, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer and historian, and an oft-seen political commentator. She is the author of biographies of several U.S...
.
Dean died at his home in Cohasset at age 79.