Herb Graver
Encyclopedia
Herbert Spencer Graver, Sr. (August 29, 1880 – August 6, 1954) was an American football
player and coach and businessman. He played at the end, halfback
, fullback
, and quarterback
positions for Fielding H. Yost's renowned 1901
, 1902
and 1903 "Point-a-Minute" football teams
. He scored five touchdowns against Ohio State
in 1903, which remains the single-game record for the most touchdowns scored by a player for either team in the history of the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry. In 1904, Graver was the head coach of the Marietta College
football team. He worked for the Graver Tank Company from 1904 to 1954.
in 1880. He was the son of William Graver (1842–1915) and Christina Graver, who moved in 1884 to Chicago. In 1888, his father founded the Graver Tank Works in East Chicago, Indiana
. The company was the first industry established in East Chicago, Indiana
, and got its start manufacturing tanks for a Standard Oil Company refinery. The company was also a pioneer in the manufacture of large steel tanks for grain elevators, oil and gas storage.
Graver was raised in Chicago, and attended Englewood High School
, where he played two years of high school football and helped lead Englewood to a football championship in 1899. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, Graver was living in Chicago with his parents, four brothers (James, William, Philip and Alexander), and two servants.
in 1900 and played on Michigan's varsity football teams in 1901, 1902 and 1903. During Graver's three years as a varsity football player, the Michigan Wolverines did not lose a game, compiling a three-year record of 33–0–1 and outscoring opponents 1,759 to 18. Graver was one of the lighter men on Michigan's football teams at 163 pounds, but it was said that he made up for his small size with aggressive playing. Coach Yost praised Graver for his open field play, identifying him as one of his dangerous men for opponents to let loose in the open field.
On November 7, 1903, Graver scored five rushing touchdowns against Ohio State
, tying him with Albert E. Herrnstein
for the single-season record for most touchdowns scored by a player for either team in the history of the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry. According to a newspaper account of the game, "Yost's 'point a minute machine'" showed terrific speed in scoring 36 points in the first half, and "Graver ran Ohio's ends at will and in the open field it seemed impossible to tackle him." Graver scored a total of 15 touchdowns for the 1903 season, one more than College Football Hall of Fame
inductee Willie Heston
.
Graver also won favor with Yost for his versatility, playing at halfback, fullback, quarterback and end during the 1902 season. Injuries required Yost to fill holes at the fullback and quarterback positions, and Graver was the player he called on. In response to a newspaper inquiry as to how Graver was adapting to being moved to a new position, Yost replied, "How did he do? That boy does well any place you put him. He is little, but I rather guess if I stuck him in at guard he would hustle any one in the country to keep him from doing things." At the end of the 1902 season, Graver was selected as an All-Western substitute for positions behind the line. The Chicago Tribune
in 1902 called Graver "the best man on defense" on the Michigan team.
At the end of the 1903 season, he was selected by Walter Camp
for Collier's Weekly
as a halfback on his third All-American team.
Graver was an engineering student at Michigan and was elected as president of the engineering department's Class of 1904. He was also a member of the Theta Delta Chi
fraternity at Michigan. He was also chosen to serve as a member of Michigan's Athletic Board of Control for the 1903-1904 academic year.
during the summer of 1904. In the fall of 1904, he was hired as the head football coach at Marietta College
in Marietta, Ohio
. Graver compiled a record of 4–3–1 in his one season as head football coach at Marietta.
At the time of the 1910 United States Census, Graver was living with his parents in Chicago. His occupation was identified at the time as a civil engineer for a tank works. His father was listed as a tank builder at the tank works, and his younger brother, Alexander, was identified as a mechanical engineer for the tank works.
In September 1910, Graver married Anna Thorne. The Suburbanite Economist reported: "The wedding will be a home affair, and the young couple will leave immediately for a month's trip through northern Canada and to the northwest. Upon their return, they will be at home at 140 70th Street."
The company later became known as the Graver Tank and Manufacturing Company, and Herb Graver was its sales manager.
In 1922, Graver built an English manor style home at 10616 Longwood Drive in Chicago. The three-story brick structure had eleven rooms, four baths, two powder rooms, and covered and open terraces. The home was designed by John Todd Hetherington, is currently used as the headquarters of the Ridge Historical Society, and is listed in the AIA Guide to Chicago as one of the city's architecturally significant structures.
At the time of the 1930 United States Census, Graver was living at the Longwood Drive home with his wife Anna, son Herbert, and a servant.
In a draft registration card completed by Graver at the time of World War II
, he indicated that he lived at 10428 South Seeley Avenue in Chicago and worked for the Graver Tank & Mfg. Co., Inc. He was married to Anna T. Graver.
Graver died in August 1954 at age 74. He suffered a heart attack at the International Amphitheatre
where he was watching wrestling matches. Graver was survived by his wife, Anna Thorne Graver, and a son, Herbert S. Graver, Jr.
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 and coach and businessman. He played at the end, halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
, fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
, and 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...
positions for Fielding H. Yost's renowned 1901
1901 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1901 college football season. In their first year under new head coach Fielding H. Yost, Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11–0 record, outscored their opponents by the unprecedented total of 550...
, 1902
1902 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1902 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1902 college football season. In their second year under head coach Fielding H. Yost, Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11–0 record, outscored their opponents by a combined score of 644 to...
and 1903 "Point-a-Minute" football teams
1903 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1903 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1903 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost...
. He scored five touchdowns against Ohio State
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...
in 1903, which remains the single-game record for the most touchdowns scored by a player for either team in the history of the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry. In 1904, Graver was the head coach of the Marietta College
Marietta College
Marietta College is a co-educational private college in Marietta, Ohio, USA, which was the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory. The school offers 42 majors along with a large number of minors, all of which are grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation...
football team. He worked for the Graver Tank Company from 1904 to 1954.
Early years
Graver was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
in 1880. He was the son of William Graver (1842–1915) and Christina Graver, who moved in 1884 to Chicago. In 1888, his father founded the Graver Tank Works in East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
. The company was the first industry established in East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
, and got its start manufacturing tanks for a Standard Oil Company refinery. The company was also a pioneer in the manufacture of large steel tanks for grain elevators, oil and gas storage.
Graver was raised in Chicago, and attended Englewood High School
Englewood Technical Prep Academy
Englewood Technical Prep Academy or sometimes referred to as simply Englewood High School , part of the Chicago Public School system, served the Englewood community on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois....
, where he played two years of high school football and helped lead Englewood to a football championship in 1899. At the time of the 1900 United States Census, Graver was living in Chicago with his parents, four brothers (James, William, Philip and Alexander), and two servants.
Michigan
He enrolled at the University of MichiganUniversity 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 1900 and played on Michigan's varsity football teams in 1901, 1902 and 1903. During Graver's three years as a varsity football player, the Michigan Wolverines did not lose a game, compiling a three-year record of 33–0–1 and outscoring opponents 1,759 to 18. Graver was one of the lighter men on Michigan's football teams at 163 pounds, but it was said that he made up for his small size with aggressive playing. Coach Yost praised Graver for his open field play, identifying him as one of his dangerous men for opponents to let loose in the open field.
On November 7, 1903, Graver scored five rushing touchdowns against Ohio State
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...
, tying him with Albert E. Herrnstein
Albert E. Herrnstein
Albert Ernest Herrnstein was an American football player and coach. He played at the University of Michigan as a halfback and end from 1899–1902 and was the head football coach at the Haskell Indian School , Purdue University , and Ohio State University .-University of Michigan:A native of...
for the single-season record for most touchdowns scored by a player for either team in the history of the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry. According to a newspaper account of the game, "Yost's 'point a minute machine'" showed terrific speed in scoring 36 points in the first half, and "Graver ran Ohio's ends at will and in the open field it seemed impossible to tackle him." Graver scored a total of 15 touchdowns for the 1903 season, one more than 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...
inductee Willie Heston
Willie Heston
William Martin "Willie" Heston was an American football player and coach. He played halfback at San Jose State University and the University of Michigan. Heston was the head football coach for Drake University in 1905 and North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now North...
.
Graver also won favor with Yost for his versatility, playing at halfback, fullback, quarterback and end during the 1902 season. Injuries required Yost to fill holes at the fullback and quarterback positions, and Graver was the player he called on. In response to a newspaper inquiry as to how Graver was adapting to being moved to a new position, Yost replied, "How did he do? That boy does well any place you put him. He is little, but I rather guess if I stuck him in at guard he would hustle any one in the country to keep him from doing things." At the end of the 1902 season, Graver was selected as an All-Western substitute for positions behind the line. The Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
in 1902 called Graver "the best man on defense" on the Michigan team.
At the end of the 1903 season, he was selected by 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...
for Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
as a halfback on his third All-American team.
Graver was an engineering student at Michigan and was elected as president of the engineering department's Class of 1904. He was also a member of the Theta Delta Chi
Theta Delta Chi
Theta Delta Chi is a social fraternity that was founded in 1847 at Union College. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are Theta Delt, Thete, TDX, and TDC. Theta Delta Chi brothers refer to their local organization as Charges rather...
fraternity at Michigan. He was also chosen to serve as a member of Michigan's Athletic Board of Control for the 1903-1904 academic year.
Marietta College
Graver graduated from the University of Michigan in 1904 and began work for the Graver Tank Works in East Chicago, IndianaEast Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
during the summer of 1904. In the fall of 1904, he was hired as the head football coach at Marietta College
Marietta College
Marietta College is a co-educational private college in Marietta, Ohio, USA, which was the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory. The school offers 42 majors along with a large number of minors, all of which are grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation...
in Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
. Graver compiled a record of 4–3–1 in his one season as head football coach at Marietta.
Later years
At the end of the football season, he returned to work at the Graver Tank Works. The company, founded by his father, was one of the largest manufacturers and erectors of steel tanks in the world.At the time of the 1910 United States Census, Graver was living with his parents in Chicago. His occupation was identified at the time as a civil engineer for a tank works. His father was listed as a tank builder at the tank works, and his younger brother, Alexander, was identified as a mechanical engineer for the tank works.
In September 1910, Graver married Anna Thorne. The Suburbanite Economist reported: "The wedding will be a home affair, and the young couple will leave immediately for a month's trip through northern Canada and to the northwest. Upon their return, they will be at home at 140 70th Street."
The company later became known as the Graver Tank and Manufacturing Company, and Herb Graver was its sales manager.
In 1922, Graver built an English manor style home at 10616 Longwood Drive in Chicago. The three-story brick structure had eleven rooms, four baths, two powder rooms, and covered and open terraces. The home was designed by John Todd Hetherington, is currently used as the headquarters of the Ridge Historical Society, and is listed in the AIA Guide to Chicago as one of the city's architecturally significant structures.
At the time of the 1930 United States Census, Graver was living at the Longwood Drive home with his wife Anna, son Herbert, and a servant.
In a draft registration card completed by Graver at the time of 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...
, he indicated that he lived at 10428 South Seeley Avenue in Chicago and worked for the Graver Tank & Mfg. Co., Inc. He was married to Anna T. Graver.
Graver died in August 1954 at age 74. He suffered a heart attack at the International Amphitheatre
International Amphitheatre
The International Amphitheatre was an indoor arena, located in Chicago, Illinois, between 1934 and 1999. It was located on the west side of Halsted Street, at 42nd Street, on the city's south side, adjacent to the Union Stock Yards....
where he was watching wrestling matches. Graver was survived by his wife, Anna Thorne Graver, and a son, Herbert S. Graver, Jr.