Joseph Atherton Gilman was an All-American football player at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

. A native of Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...

, Gilman attended Exeter before enrolling at Harvard. As a freshman, Gilman played on Harvard's freshman football team. In his third year at Harvard, he was declared ineligible due to poor academic performance. He returned to Harvard in 1915 and "came through in a marvelously gritty manner, winning his old position at tackle back and eventually winning the choice on all the leading selections for All-American tackles." Gilman was the first football player from Hawaii to be named as an All-American. In December 1915, as a reward for his "plucky comeback," Gilman was voted by his teammates as captain of Harvard's 1916 football team. In March 1916, after being selected as captain, Gilman was expelled by Harvard's Administrative Board due to poor academic performance.