Jesse Hawley (football)
Encyclopedia
Jesse Barnum Hawley was an American football
coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Iowa
from 1910 to 1915 and at Dartmouth College
from 1923 to 1928, compiling a career college football
record of 63–28–1. Hawley was the tenth head coach in Iowa football
history and led Dartmouth to a national championship
in 1925.
as its tenth head football coach in 1910. Iowa had not won the conference title in a decade, and Hawkeye fans were hoping Hawley could turn Iowa's fortunes around. School officials also hired Nelson A. Kellogg
in 1910 to be Iowa's athletic director. Supervision of intercollegiate athletics at Iowa had, since 1900, also been the responsibility of the head coach. Hawley, however, could focus solely on coaching the football team.
Hawley's Hawkeyes had a 5–2 record in 1910. The most notable game that season was a loss to Missouri
. Before traveling to Columbia
for the game, Hawley was warned not to take Archie Alexander
, Iowa's talented black tackle, along for the game. Fearing troubles similar to what Frank Holbrook, Iowa's first black football player, encountered in a game against Missouri in 1896, Hawley agreed to leave Alexander behind. When the Iowa team arrived in Columbia, a mob of local townspeople met the team to ensure that Alexander was not with them. In view of the racial incidents as well as the unsportsmanlike treatment Hawkeye players received during the game, Hawley vowed that Iowa would never again play Missouri in football as long as he was the coach. It has been longer than that. The two neighboring state universities have not met since 1910.
A 1–3 start was cause for concern in 1911, but Iowa finished the year strong and had a solid 4–3 record in 1912. The biggest win of the 1912 season was a 20–7 victory over Iowa State
, the last Iowa State team to win a conference title. It was also the final loss in the coaching career of Clyde Williams
, a former Iowa football star.
Hawley was poised to field his best Iowa team in 1913. The 1913 Hawkeyes had a 5–2 record and easily led the nation in scoring. Only a loss to Chicago
kept Iowa from the Western Conference
title. However, Iowa responded the following week with a 78–6 victory over Northwestern
, the team that cost Iowa a share of the Western Conference title in 1910. Iowa's 78 points is the most ever surrendered by a Northwestern team, and the 72 point loss is the second largest defeat in Northwestern school history. The Hawkeyes also defeated Cornell College
, 76–0, and Indiana
, 60–0. Iowa's 45–7 win over Iowa State was the most lopsided in series history
at the time and was Iowa's first Homecoming win.
Iowa defeated Northern Iowa
, 95–0, to open the 1914 season under Hawley. It is the largest margin of victory in Iowa history and easily Northern Iowa's biggest loss. However, many fans were critical of Iowa's win, stating that winning 95–0 did little to prepare Iowa for the rest of the season. They may have been correct; Iowa lost consecutive conference games by 7–0 scores to knock the Hawkeyes from the conference race yet again.
Iowa started 3–0 in 1915, but Iowa lost the final four games of the season, and criticism of Hawley mounted. Specifically, eleven of the best players in the Western Conference were Iowans playing for other member schools. Undefeated Minnesota started four Iowans, Chicago and Northwestern each started three, and the star of the 1915 Wisconsin
team was an Iowan as well. Five Iowans earned all-conference honors in 1915, and only one played for Iowa. In addition, Hawley only coached and lived in Iowa City
during the season, and many Hawkeye fans felt the program needed a "full-time" coach. As a result, Hawley resigned after the 1915 season.
Hawley had a 24–18 record at Iowa. He was a quiet, reserved coach who believed in fundamentals and attention to detail. He was also a brilliant offensive coach who guided Iowa to some of the most lopsided wins in school history.
graduate, returned to Hanover
and continued his business after leaving Iowa in 1915.
In 1923, Dartmouth's football team
needed a head coach, and Hawley took the job and stayed for six years. Successful in private enterprise, he volunteered his services and coached his alma mater for free.
Under Hawley, Dartmouth went 22 games without a loss from 1923 to 1926. Hawley reached the pinnacle of success in 1925, when he led Dartmouth to an undefeated 8–0 season, for which Dartmouth claims the national championship.
Other than two national titles claimed by Princeton
in the 1930s under Fritz Crisler
, the 1925 Dartmouth national title is the last claimed by an Ivy League
school.
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...
coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
from 1910 to 1915 and at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
from 1923 to 1928, compiling a career 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...
record of 63–28–1. Hawley was the tenth head coach in Iowa football
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
history and led Dartmouth to a national championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
in 1925.
Iowa
Hawley was hired by the University of IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
as its tenth head football coach in 1910. Iowa had not won the conference title in a decade, and Hawkeye fans were hoping Hawley could turn Iowa's fortunes around. School officials also hired Nelson A. Kellogg
Nelson A. Kellogg
Nelson A. Kellogg was a track athlete, American football, basketball, and baseball coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Northern Illinois University from 1906 to 1909, compiling a record of 8–17–3...
in 1910 to be Iowa's athletic director. Supervision of intercollegiate athletics at Iowa had, since 1900, also been the responsibility of the head coach. Hawley, however, could focus solely on coaching the football team.
Hawley's Hawkeyes had a 5–2 record in 1910. The most notable game that season was a loss to Missouri
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
. Before traveling to Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
for the game, Hawley was warned not to take Archie Alexander
Archie Alexander
Archie Alphonso Alexander was an African-American mathematician and engineer and an early African-American graduate of the University of Iowa. He was also a governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands....
, Iowa's talented black tackle, along for the game. Fearing troubles similar to what Frank Holbrook, Iowa's first black football player, encountered in a game against Missouri in 1896, Hawley agreed to leave Alexander behind. When the Iowa team arrived in Columbia, a mob of local townspeople met the team to ensure that Alexander was not with them. In view of the racial incidents as well as the unsportsmanlike treatment Hawkeye players received during the game, Hawley vowed that Iowa would never again play Missouri in football as long as he was the coach. It has been longer than that. The two neighboring state universities have not met since 1910.
A 1–3 start was cause for concern in 1911, but Iowa finished the year strong and had a solid 4–3 record in 1912. The biggest win of the 1912 season was a 20–7 victory over Iowa State
Iowa State Cyclones football
The Iowa State Cyclones football team represents Iowa State University in college football. The Cyclones compete in the Big 12 Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. ISU started playing football in 1892, however, it did not become an official sport until 1894...
, the last Iowa State team to win a conference title. It was also the final loss in the coaching career of Clyde Williams
Clyde Williams (football)
Samuel Clyde Williams was an All-American football player at the University of Iowa, and a football, basketball, and baseball coach and athletic director at Iowa State University. He is a member of both schools' Halls of Fame.- College career :Clyde Williams was born in Shelby, Iowa...
, a former Iowa football star.
Hawley was poised to field his best Iowa team in 1913. The 1913 Hawkeyes had a 5–2 record and easily led the nation in scoring. Only a loss to Chicago
Chicago Maroons football
The Chicago Maroons are the college football team representing the University of Chicago. The Maroons play in NCAA Division III as a member of the University Athletic Association. From 1892 to 1939, the Maroons were a major college football power...
kept Iowa from 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...
title. However, Iowa responded the following week with a 78–6 victory over Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
, the team that cost Iowa a share of the Western Conference title in 1910. Iowa's 78 points is the most ever surrendered by a Northwestern team, and the 72 point loss is the second largest defeat in Northwestern school history. The Hawkeyes also defeated Cornell College
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...
, 76–0, and Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
, 60–0. Iowa's 45–7 win over Iowa State was the most lopsided in series history
Cy-Hawk Trophy
The Cy-Hawk Trophy is the trophy awarded to the winner of the American college football intra-state rivalry game played annually between Big 12 Conference member Iowa State Cyclones of Iowa State University and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten Conference.Conceived and created as a...
at the time and was Iowa's first Homecoming win.
Iowa defeated Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa Panthers football
The first year of Northern Iowa Panthers football was in 1895. They have fielded a football team every year since then with the exceptions of 1906-1907 and 1943-1944...
, 95–0, to open the 1914 season under Hawley. It is the largest margin of victory in Iowa history and easily Northern Iowa's biggest loss. However, many fans were critical of Iowa's win, stating that winning 95–0 did little to prepare Iowa for the rest of the season. They may have been correct; Iowa lost consecutive conference games by 7–0 scores to knock the Hawkeyes from the conference race yet again.
Iowa started 3–0 in 1915, but Iowa lost the final four games of the season, and criticism of Hawley mounted. Specifically, eleven of the best players in the Western Conference were Iowans playing for other member schools. Undefeated Minnesota started four Iowans, Chicago and Northwestern each started three, and the star of the 1915 Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
team was an Iowan as well. Five Iowans earned all-conference honors in 1915, and only one played for Iowa. In addition, Hawley only coached and lived in Iowa City
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
during the season, and many Hawkeye fans felt the program needed a "full-time" coach. As a result, Hawley resigned after the 1915 season.
Hawley had a 24–18 record at Iowa. He was a quiet, reserved coach who believed in fundamentals and attention to detail. He was also a brilliant offensive coach who guided Iowa to some of the most lopsided wins in school history.
Dartmouth
When Hawley resigned at Iowa, he stated that he wanted to spend more time with his investment business. He was a successful investor and businessman before he arrived at Iowa. Hawley, a Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
graduate, returned to Hanover
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
and continued his business after leaving Iowa in 1915.
In 1923, Dartmouth's football team
Dartmouth Big Green football
The Dartmouth Big Green football team represents Dartmouth College in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Ivy League...
needed a head coach, and Hawley took the job and stayed for six years. Successful in private enterprise, he volunteered his services and coached his alma mater for free.
Under Hawley, Dartmouth went 22 games without a loss from 1923 to 1926. Hawley reached the pinnacle of success in 1925, when he led Dartmouth to an undefeated 8–0 season, for which Dartmouth claims the national championship.
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
Other than two national titles claimed by Princeton
Princeton Tigers football
The Princeton Tigers football program represents Princeton University college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
in the 1930s under Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
, the 1925 Dartmouth national title is the last claimed by an Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
school.