Herb Treat
Encyclopedia
Charles Herbert "Herb" Treat (c. 1900 - April 19, 1947) was an American football
player who played for Princeton University
and was unanimously selected as an All-American at the tackle position in 1922. He was also the player-coach of the first professional football team in Boston
, the Boston Bulldogs
of 1926. In 1943, Treat was badly injured when he was struck by an automobile, and he died four years later after falling nine stories from a hotel in Kansas City, Missouri
.
, Treat began his college football career at Somerville High School and then at Phillips Exeter Academy. In 1920, he gained acclaim as a star football player for Boston College
. When Treat decided to transfer to Princeton in August 1921, The New York Times
reported: "Boston College football prospects for the approaching gridiron season received quite a jolt today when it became known that Herbert Treat, the star varsity tackle of last season, had decided to quit Newton Heights and cast his fortunes with Princeton University. ... Treat will enter Princeton as a sophomore and after his year's residence, required by the 'Big Three' regulations, he will be eligible for the Princeton eleven."
In 1922, Treat and Pink Baker led Princeton to an undefeated season and national championship as part of a team that became known as the "Team of Destiny." Princeton defeated western power, the University of Chicago
, by a final score of 21-18, after rallying from an 18-7 deficit in the fourth quarter and holding Chicago four times near the goal line in the final seconds. The 1922 Princeton-Chicago match was the first football game broadcast on WOR
radio.
After graduating from Princeton in 1923, Treat became an assistant football coach at Providence College in Rhode Island. In 1926, Treat became the player-coach of Boston's first professional football team—the Boston Bulldogs
in the first American Football League. The team lasted only six games, playing one home game in Braves Field
and one in Fenway Park
.
During World War II, Treat worked at Bethlehem Steel Co.'s Hingham Shipyard. He suffered serious head injuries in August 1943 when he was struck by an automobile while crossing the street in Weymouth, Massachusetts
. He was in critical condition on arrival and spent several days in the hospital.
After the war, Treat reportedly worked as an "investment broker" in Boston. In April 1947, Treat, at age 47, was killed in a plunge from the window of his ninth floor room at the Muehlebach Hotel
in downtown Kansas City, Missouri
. Treat's body, clad only in a topcoat, was discovered in the early morning hours by a taxi driver. The coroner reported finding a note in the room addressed to Treat's wife, Muriel K. Treat. The note read, "On vacation. Couldn't stand it." Friends reported that he had been suffering from tuberculosis and was en route to Arizona after being told his condition was incurable. Another news account reported that he had traveled to Kansas City for "medical treatment for complications from crippling injuries" he sustained in the 1943 automobile accident." He had spent several months in a sanitarium in Rutland, Massachusetts
.
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 who played for Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and was unanimously selected as an All-American at the tackle position in 1922. He was also the player-coach of the first professional football team in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, the Boston Bulldogs
Boston Bulldogs (AFL)
The Boston Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed in the first American Football League in 1926. Owned by Robert McKirby, the Bulldogs lasted only six games into the AFL season, playing one home game in Braves Field and one in Fenway Park...
of 1926. In 1943, Treat was badly injured when he was struck by an automobile, and he died four years later after falling nine stories from a hotel in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
Football player
A native of Somerville, MassachusettsSomerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, Treat began his college football career at Somerville High School and then at Phillips Exeter Academy. In 1920, he gained acclaim as a star football player for Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
. When Treat decided to transfer to Princeton in August 1921, 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: "Boston College football prospects for the approaching gridiron season received quite a jolt today when it became known that Herbert Treat, the star varsity tackle of last season, had decided to quit Newton Heights and cast his fortunes with Princeton University. ... Treat will enter Princeton as a sophomore and after his year's residence, required by the 'Big Three' regulations, he will be eligible for the Princeton eleven."
In 1922, Treat and Pink Baker led Princeton to an undefeated season and national championship as part of a team that became known as the "Team of Destiny." Princeton defeated western power, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, by a final score of 21-18, after rallying from an 18-7 deficit in the fourth quarter and holding Chicago four times near the goal line in the final seconds. The 1922 Princeton-Chicago match was the first football game broadcast on WOR
WOR (AM)
WOR is a class A , AM radio station located in New York, New York, U.S., operating on 710 kHz. The station has a talk format and has been owned by Buckley Broadcasting since 1987, after the station was sold by RKO. The station has conservative, or right-of-center hosts.Its call letters have no...
radio.
After graduating from Princeton in 1923, Treat became an assistant football coach at Providence College in Rhode Island. In 1926, Treat became the player-coach of Boston's first professional football team—the Boston Bulldogs
Boston Bulldogs (AFL)
The Boston Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed in the first American Football League in 1926. Owned by Robert McKirby, the Bulldogs lasted only six games into the AFL season, playing one home game in Braves Field and one in Fenway Park...
in the first American Football League. The team lasted only six games, playing one home game in Braves Field
Braves Field
Braves Field was a baseball park that formerly stood on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium was home to the Boston Braves National League franchise from 1915–1952, when the team moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
and one in Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
.
Later years and death
In 1927, Treat played a role in the rescue of four youths who broke through the ice on Boston's Jamaica Pond.During World War II, Treat worked at Bethlehem Steel Co.'s Hingham Shipyard. He suffered serious head injuries in August 1943 when he was struck by an automobile while crossing the street in Weymouth, Massachusetts
Weymouth, Massachusetts
The Town of Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, Weymouth had a total population of 53,743. Despite its city status, it is formally known as the Town of Weymouth...
. He was in critical condition on arrival and spent several days in the hospital.
After the war, Treat reportedly worked as an "investment broker" in Boston. In April 1947, Treat, at age 47, was killed in a plunge from the window of his ninth floor room at the Muehlebach Hotel
Muehlebach Hotel
The Muehlebach Hotel is a historic hotel building in Downtown Kansas City that was visited by every President from Theodore Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan. It is currently operated as one of three wings of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown.-History:...
in downtown Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Treat's body, clad only in a topcoat, was discovered in the early morning hours by a taxi driver. The coroner reported finding a note in the room addressed to Treat's wife, Muriel K. Treat. The note read, "On vacation. Couldn't stand it." Friends reported that he had been suffering from tuberculosis and was en route to Arizona after being told his condition was incurable. Another news account reported that he had traveled to Kansas City for "medical treatment for complications from crippling injuries" he sustained in the 1943 automobile accident." He had spent several months in a sanitarium in Rutland, Massachusetts
Rutland, Massachusetts
Rutland is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,973 at the 2010 census. Worcester County's only buffalo herd is located in Rutland, at Alta Vista Farm...
.