Iolas Huffman
Encyclopedia
Iolas Melitus Huffman was an American football
and baseball
player. He was a first-team All-American
football player for Ohio State
in 1920 and 1921 and was the captain of the 1920 Buckeyes football team
that won the Western Conference
championship. He also played professional football in the early years of the National Football League
for the Cleveland Indians (1923) and Buffalo Bisons
(1924).
. He enrolled in the medical college at the Ohio State University
and played college football
and baseball.
Though he had never played football before enrolling at Ohio State, Huffman played four years of varsity football for the Buckeyes. Freshman were eligible to play football in 1918 due to the exigency of World War I
. As a result, Huffman reportedly played for Ohio State's football team in "every quarter of every game save one" in the four years from 1918–1921. At the conclusion of his career at Ohio State, he was "hailed as probably the greatest tackle in Buckeye history."
As captain of the 1920 football team, Huffman led the Buckeyes to a Western Conference championship. In the 1920 game against Michigan
, Huffman blocked a punt by All-American Frank Steketee
, which the Buckeyes recovered in Michigan's endzone for a touchdown, the key play in Ohio State's 14–7 win. Huffman was selected as a first-team All-American by syndicated sports writer Lawrence Perry in 1920
and 1921
. In 1921, Huffman was selected as a first-team All-American tackle
by Football World, based on the collected opinions of 267 coaches. After Ohio State lost to California
, 28–0, in the 1921 Rose Bowl
, Huffman told reporters, "We were defeated, but at the same time we are not downhearted. I admit that we seemed to lack our usual pep but I do not believe that California is twenty-eight points better than Ohio. It was a great game, and I hope that we will have another opportunity to meet California and reverse the tables."
At the conclusion of his four-year football career at Ohio State, an Ohio newspaper reported:
As a baseball player, Huffman was the catcher
for Ohio State for three years. He was known as "a deadly thrower to bases," and few ballplayers in the Western Conference attempted to steal bases on Huffman. He had one of the best batting average
s on the Ohio State team, and in 1921 he led Ohio State in stolen bases.
Huffman was offered a tryout as a catcher with Major League Baseball
's Cleveland Indians
in 1920, and in 1922 the St. Louis Browns
offered him a contract as to play for them as a catcher. He played for the Zanesville
Greys during the summer of 1922, but at the end of July he decided to give up baseball for the rest of the season because of a sore arm that had kept him on the bench for several weeks.
In the fall of 1923, Huffman turned to professional football in the early days of the National Football League
. In 1923, he played for the Cleveland Indians in the first season of the NFL under its current name. In 1924, he played for the Buffalo Bisons
. Huffman played in a total of 13 games in the NFL during those two seasons.
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...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player. He was a first-team All-American
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
football player for 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 1920 and 1921 and was the captain of the 1920 Buckeyes football team
1920 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1920 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1920-1921.They outscored opponents 150-20 in the regular season and beat Michigan, 14-7...
that won the Western Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
championship. He also played professional football in the early years of the 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...
for the Cleveland Indians (1923) and Buffalo 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...
(1924).
Biography
Huffman was a native of Chandlersville, OhioChandlersville, Ohio
Chandlersville is an unincorporated community in western Salt Creek Township, Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43727. It lies along State Route 146 at its intersection with State Routes 284 and 313.-References:...
. He enrolled in the medical college at the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and baseball.
Though he had never played football before enrolling at Ohio State, Huffman played four years of varsity football for the Buckeyes. Freshman were eligible to play football in 1918 due to the exigency of 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...
. As a result, Huffman reportedly played for Ohio State's football team in "every quarter of every game save one" in the four years from 1918–1921. At the conclusion of his career at Ohio State, he was "hailed as probably the greatest tackle in Buckeye history."
As captain of the 1920 football team, Huffman led the Buckeyes to a Western Conference championship. In the 1920 game against Michigan
1920 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1920 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1920 college football season. The team's head coach was Fielding H. Yost...
, Huffman blocked a punt by All-American Frank Steketee
Frank Steketee
Frank W. Steketee was an All American football halfback and fullback who played with the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1918, 1920, and 1921...
, which the Buckeyes recovered in Michigan's endzone for a touchdown, the key play in Ohio State's 14–7 win. Huffman was selected as a first-team All-American by syndicated sports writer Lawrence Perry in 1920
1920 College Football All-America Team
The 1920 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations for the 1920 college football season.-Key:* WC = Walter Camp* UP = Henry L...
and 1921
1921 College Football All-America Team
The 1921 College Football All-America team consists of American football players selected to the College Football All-America Teams selected by various organizations in 1921...
. In 1921, Huffman was selected as a first-team All-American tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
by Football World, based on the collected opinions of 267 coaches. After Ohio State lost to California
1920 California Golden Bears football team
The 1920 California Golden Bears represented the University of California, Berkeley. The Golden Bears offense scored 510 points while the defense allowed 14 points. Led by head coach Andy Smith, the Golden Bears finished with an undefeated season. At season’s end, the Golden Bears won the National...
, 28–0, in the 1921 Rose Bowl
1921 Rose Bowl
The 1921 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1921. In the game, the 7th Rose Bowl, the California Golden Bears defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes by a score of 28-0. It was only the second time a Big Ten team had met a Pacific Coast Conference team. The first was the...
, Huffman told reporters, "We were defeated, but at the same time we are not downhearted. I admit that we seemed to lack our usual pep but I do not believe that California is twenty-eight points better than Ohio. It was a great game, and I hope that we will have another opportunity to meet California and reverse the tables."
At the conclusion of his four-year football career at Ohio State, an Ohio newspaper reported:
"Big of frame but not ponderous and gifted with unusual speed for so large a man, Huffman entered college without ever having donned a football suit. Watching varsity practice one night early in the season he vowed he'd like to try his hand at the game. Outfitted with old togs and utterly green at the game he turned up for the varsity (it was the S. A. T. C. year when freshmen were eligible) he quickly adapted himself and soon won a place on the Buckeye line. He is credited with playing in every quarter of every game save one in the four years he held down a varsity berth. As a ball hawk he had few peers. In recent years in Western Conference circles. Time after time he broke thru opposing lines and blocked kicks and on a number of vital occasions converted them into touchdowns."
As a baseball player, Huffman was the catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for Ohio State for three years. He was known as "a deadly thrower to bases," and few ballplayers in the Western Conference attempted to steal bases on Huffman. He had one of the best batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
s on the Ohio State team, and in 1921 he led Ohio State in stolen bases.
Huffman was offered a tryout as a catcher with Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in 1920, and in 1922 the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
offered him a contract as to play for them as a catcher. He played for the Zanesville
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
Greys during the summer of 1922, but at the end of July he decided to give up baseball for the rest of the season because of a sore arm that had kept him on the bench for several weeks.
In the fall of 1923, Huffman turned to professional football in the early days of the 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...
. In 1923, he played for the Cleveland Indians in the first season of the NFL under its current name. In 1924, he played for the Buffalo 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...
. Huffman played in a total of 13 games in the NFL during those two seasons.