Edgar Fauver
Encyclopedia
Dr. Edgar Fauver was an American athlete, coach, university administrator and medical doctor. He played football and baseball for Oberlin College
in the 1890s. He later served as the athletic director at Wesleyan University
from 1911 to 1937. He was also a pioneer in college athletics for women, coaching basketball and introducing baseball at Barnard College
in the 1900s.
for approximately 20 years. He spent his early childhood on the family's farm in Eaton, Ohio
. The family moved to Oberlin where the children were educated.
Fauver and his twin brother, Edwin Fauver, attended Oberlin College
. The Fauver brothers they played at the end positions for the school's football team from 1896 to 1898. The New York Times
reported that the Fauver brothers "made a fast pair." Fauver and his brother also played for the Oberlin baseball team. According to a 1936 newspaper account, Fauver was "considered the most brilliant performer in football and baseball who ever attended Oberlin College." Other siblings includes Alfred Fauver who was Lorain County Surveyor, and Clayton K. Fauver
former Oberlin football coach and major league pitcher.
in Kentucky. He was also the gymnasium director at Centre College from 1899 to 1900.
as as an assistant coach alongside his brother Edward Fauver
and an instructor of Greek at the Oberlin Academy, a preparatory school located on the Oberlin campus. He also taught gymnastics at Oberlin College. Fauver remained at Oberlin from 1900 to 1903.
in New York City. He taught at Horace Mann from 1903 to 1904.
). He earned his medical degree from Columbia in 1909. After receiving his degree, Fauver also served as an assistant professor of physical education at Columbia University
from 1909 to 1911.
, a women's
liberal arts college
affiliated with Columbia University. In December 1910, The New York Times reported on Fauver's success in developing the women's basketball program at Barnard: "Barnard College students are keen for basket ball. In fact they are so keen that Dr. Edgar Fauver, the athletic coach, is beset, three times a week, by one hundred enthusiasts, all clamoring at once for a place on the teams."
In 1909, Fauver also introduced baseball at Barnard College. In June 1910, The Washington Post
reported on Fauver's experiment with womens's baseball:
of New Hampshire
. The camp was one of the earliest boys' camps in the United States. The Fauver brothers owned and operated the camp during the summers for more than 30 years.
in Middletown, Connecticut
. In 1913, Fauver became a professor and college physician in 1913. He was also the Wesleyan's director of athletics and physical education and chairman of the department of physical education from 1911 to 1937. In his 27 years at Wesleyan, Fauver coached at various times coached the school's football, basketball, baseball, swimming, and tennis teams. Fauver also served for many years as the president of Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, Connecticut.
When an outbreak of smallpox
hit the Wesleyan campus in 1914, Dr. Fauver, as the college physician, personally vaccinated practically all of the university's students.
In September 1917, after Wesleyan's head football coach entered the military during World War I
, Fauver took over as the head football coach for the 1917 season. He also served as the university's head football coach in 1921. He compiled a 4–6–5 in his two seasons as head football coach.
At the annual meeting of the NCAA in December 1921, Fauver spoke in opposition to the menace of "big money" in college sports. Fauver predicted the scrapping of college athletics unless "the commercial evil" was not overcome. He pointed out that the lure of immense gate receipts and the need to maintain an elaborate athletic system would result in attempts to get winning teams at any price and by any means.
In 1937, Fauver retired as Wesleyan's athletic director to devote himself to his duties as Wesleyan's college physician.
Fauver died in April 1946 at the Wesleyan University infirmary at age 70.
In 1959, Wesleyan dedicated its athletic field as Fauver Field in honor of Fauver's long years of service to the institution. When two undergraduate residence complexes were built on the site of Fauver Field in 2005, the buildings were named the Fauver Residences.
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in the 1890s. He later served as the athletic director at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
from 1911 to 1937. He was also a pioneer in college athletics for women, coaching basketball and introducing baseball at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
in the 1900s.
Early years
Fauver was one of six children of Alfred Fauver, who served as the mayor of Oberlin, OhioOberlin, Ohio
Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, to the south and west of Cleveland. Oberlin is perhaps best known for being the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students...
for approximately 20 years. He spent his early childhood on the family's farm in Eaton, Ohio
Eaton Township, Lorain County, Ohio
Eaton Township is one of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 9,675 people in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
. The family moved to Oberlin where the children were educated.
Fauver and his twin brother, Edwin Fauver, attended Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
. The Fauver brothers they played at the end positions for the school's football team from 1896 to 1898. 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...
reported that the Fauver brothers "made a fast pair." Fauver and his brother also played for the Oberlin baseball team. According to a 1936 newspaper account, Fauver was "considered the most brilliant performer in football and baseball who ever attended Oberlin College." Other siblings includes Alfred Fauver who was Lorain County Surveyor, and Clayton K. Fauver
C. K. Fauver
Clayton King Fauver was an American football coach during the late 19th century. In 1895, he became the first paid coach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In 1896, Fauver served as the head coach at Oberlin College, compiling a record of 5–3–1...
former Oberlin football coach and major league pitcher.
Centre College
After graduating from Oberlin in 1899, Fauver spent a year as the director of athletics at Centre CollegeCentre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
in Kentucky. He was also the gymnasium director at Centre College from 1899 to 1900.
Oberlin
He returned to Oberlin CollegeOberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
as as an assistant coach alongside his brother Edward Fauver
Edward Fauver
Dr. Edward "Edwin" Fauver was an American football coach and college athletic director in the United States. In addition to his coaching duties, he was an athletic instructor at Columbia University and Wesleyan University.-Alma:Fauver was the head college football coach for the Alma Scots located...
and an instructor of Greek at the Oberlin Academy, a preparatory school located on the Oberlin campus. He also taught gymnastics at Oberlin College. Fauver remained at Oberlin from 1900 to 1903.
Horace Mann
In September 1903, Fauver became the director of the physical training department at the Horace Mann AcademyHorace Mann School
Horace Mann School is an independent college preparatory school in New York City, New York, United States founded in 1887 known for its rigorous course of studies. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from all across the New York tri-state area from...
in New York City. He taught at Horace Mann from 1903 to 1904.
Columbia
From 1904 to 1909, Fauver was a student at the Columbia School for Physicians and Surgeons (later known as the Columbia University Medical SchoolColumbia University Medical Center
Columbia University Medical Center is an academic medical center that includes Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing and Mailman School of Public Health...
). He earned his medical degree from Columbia in 1909. After receiving his degree, Fauver also served as an assistant professor of physical education at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1909 to 1911.
Women's athletics at Barnard College
Fauver was also a pioneer in college athletics for women. From 1905 to 1910, he coached women's basketball at Barnard CollegeBarnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
, a women's
Women's colleges in the United States
Women's colleges in the United States are single-sex U.S. institutions of higher education that exclude or limit males from admission. They are often liberal arts colleges...
liberal arts college
Liberal arts colleges in the United States
Liberal arts colleges in the United States are certain undergraduate institutions of higher education in the United States. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers a definition of the liberal arts as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general...
affiliated with Columbia University. In December 1910, The New York Times reported on Fauver's success in developing the women's basketball program at Barnard: "Barnard College students are keen for basket ball. In fact they are so keen that Dr. Edgar Fauver, the athletic coach, is beset, three times a week, by one hundred enthusiasts, all clamoring at once for a place on the teams."
In 1909, Fauver also introduced baseball at Barnard College. In June 1910, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reported on Fauver's experiment with womens's baseball:
"Baseball for college girls was introduced at Barnard College a year ago this spring by Edgar Fauver, assistant professor of physical education at Columbia University. He conceived the idea of teaching them to play the national game with a few slight modifications, and so successful was the idea that before the end of the year more than half the students were playing. This year there is even more interest in the game, which Prof. Fauver has taught to practically every girl at Barnard. From 40 to 60 girls are to be found playing nearly every day, and there is a regular series of class games in which the greatest rivalry is shown. Two other colleges for women have taken up the game this spring, and Prof. Fauver believes it will be the principal outdoor sport of practically all the colleges for women within the next few years.
Camp Pemigewassett
In 1908, Fauver and his brother Edwin founded Camp Pemigewassett in the White MountainsWhite Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. The camp was one of the earliest boys' camps in the United States. The Fauver brothers owned and operated the camp during the summers for more than 30 years.
Wesleyan
In 1911, Fauver accepted a position as an associate professor of physical education at Wesleyan UniversityWesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
. In 1913, Fauver became a professor and college physician in 1913. He was also the Wesleyan's director of athletics and physical education and chairman of the department of physical education from 1911 to 1937. In his 27 years at Wesleyan, Fauver coached at various times coached the school's football, basketball, baseball, swimming, and tennis teams. Fauver also served for many years as the president of Middlesex Hospital in Middletown, Connecticut.
When an outbreak of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
hit the Wesleyan campus in 1914, Dr. Fauver, as the college physician, personally vaccinated practically all of the university's students.
In September 1917, after Wesleyan's head football coach entered the military 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...
, Fauver took over as the head football coach for the 1917 season. He also served as the university's head football coach in 1921. He compiled a 4–6–5 in his two seasons as head football coach.
At the annual meeting of the NCAA in December 1921, Fauver spoke in opposition to the menace of "big money" in college sports. Fauver predicted the scrapping of college athletics unless "the commercial evil" was not overcome. He pointed out that the lure of immense gate receipts and the need to maintain an elaborate athletic system would result in attempts to get winning teams at any price and by any means.
In 1937, Fauver retired as Wesleyan's athletic director to devote himself to his duties as Wesleyan's college physician.
Family and later years
In 1908, Fauver married Alice C. McDaniels.Fauver died in April 1946 at the Wesleyan University infirmary at age 70.
In 1959, Wesleyan dedicated its athletic field as Fauver Field in honor of Fauver's long years of service to the institution. When two undergraduate residence complexes were built on the site of Fauver Field in 2005, the buildings were named the Fauver Residences.