Roger Sherman (American football)
Encyclopedia
Roger Sherman was an American football
player, coach and lawyer. He played college football
for the University of Michigan
from 1890 to 1893 and coached the University of Iowa
football team in 1894. In late 1895, he was implicated in a series of articles by Caspar Whitney
alleging that the schools of the Western Conference
had been corrupted by "professionalism" involving the payment of money to athletes for their services in playing football. Sherman practiced law in Chicago, Illinois, and served as a master of chancery of the Superior Court and president of the Chicago Bar Association
and Illinois State Bar Association
.
. He played two years of football for Hyde Park in the Cook County High School League. He was captain of a Hyde Park team that "was never defeated and won the pennant."
, where he played at the quarterback
and end positions for the Michigan Wolverines football
team in 1890
, 1891
and 1893
. At 5 feet, 7 inches, he was the shortest player on the Michigan team. In November 1891, the Chicago Daily Tribune
wrote: "Sherman at quarter back, although not a swift passer, is cool-headed and is nearly always to be found near the ball."
While attending the University of Michigan, Sherman was also a member of the school's banjo club. In April 1892, Sherman performed with Michigan's banjo and glee clubs at Chicago's Central Music Hall. At the time, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported: "Sherman is equally handy at football or at a banjo, but, as the former game is out of season, it is reasonable to suppose that his present efforts in Chicago will be confined to music."
Sherman completed five years' of study in four years, earning a bachelor's degree in 1894 while simultaneously completing the first year of law school.
. One of Sherman's players, Michael L. McKinley, recalled: "In 1894 the athletic committee made arrangements with Roger Sherman, a famous Michigan end, to coach the team for the fall season." Sherman coached the entire team at Iowa—line, ends and backs. He led the Hawkeyes
to a 4–4–1 record in his one year as head coach.
wrote a series of articles in Harper's Weekly
contending that "professionalism" had corrupted collegiate athletics among the Western Conference
schools, including Wisconsin, Northwestern
, Minnesota
and Michigan. One of Whitney's accusations was that Sherman, who he described as "Michigan's manager," had on October 6, 1895, while riding on a Chicago cable car, offered a Chicago Athletic Association player named Stevenson the sum of $600 to finish the season with the Michigan team. Sherman denied Whitney's charge in an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune:
Michigan supporters denied Whitney's charges and, as proof that Whitney's account was wild and unreliable, noted that he had erroneously identified Sherman as Michigan's manager. Whitney stood his ground and explained:
Later, Sherman responded by challenging the assertion that matters were purer in the East and with a pragmatic defense of professionalism as "an evil, but not an unmixed evil," and "a bad means to a good end." In an essay published by The Inlander, Sherman wrote:
and received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1895. He began the practice of law in Chicago with his father, Penoyer L. Sherman, a master in the chancery court. In 1897, he practiced law with two other attorneys in the firm of Church, McMurdy & Sherman. Sherman was active in politics in Chicago's Sixth Ward and was appointed master in chancery of the Superior Court in 1906. He served as a chancery master from 1906 to 1907 and as the Assistant State's Attorney in Chicago from 1907 to 1908. As of 1918, he was in private practice as one of three partners in the firm of Tenney, Harding & Sherman.
He later served as the president of the Chicago Bar Association (1922–1923) and president of the Illinois State Bar Association
(1923–1924). He continued in private practice for many years thereafter with the firm of Tenney, Sherman, Rogers & Guthrie.
. He also had a winter home in Pompano Beach, Florida
. In 1957, Sherman died at age 85 at his winter home in Pompano Beach. He was survived by his wife, the former Grace Buttolph, and two daughters, Mrs. Philip M. Watrous and Mrs. Robert K. Vincent.
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, coach and lawyer. He 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...
for the University of Michigan
University 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...
from 1890 to 1893 and coached 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...
football team in 1894. In late 1895, he was implicated in a series of articles by Caspar Whitney
Caspar Whitney
Caspar William Whitney was an American author, editor, explorer, and war correspondent. He originated the concept of the All-American team in college football in 1889 when he worked for Harper's Magazine....
alleging that the schools of 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...
had been corrupted by "professionalism" involving the payment of money to athletes for their services in playing football. Sherman practiced law in Chicago, Illinois, and served as a master of chancery of the Superior Court and president of the Chicago Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Founded in 1874, the Chicago Bar Association is a voluntary bar association with over 20,000 members. Like other bar associations, it concerns itself with professional ethics, networking among members, and continuing legal education. It is located adjacent to the John Marshall Law School in the...
and Illinois State Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
The Illinois State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the country. Approximately 30,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA membership is not required of lawyers licensed to practice in...
.
Early years
Sherman was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1872 and attended Chicago's Hyde Park High SchoolHyde Park Career Academy
Hyde Park Career Academy is a public 4-year high school located in the Woodlawn neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is a part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299.-Notable alumni:...
. He played two years of football for Hyde Park in the Cook County High School League. He was captain of a Hyde Park team that "was never defeated and won the pennant."
Michigan
Sherman 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...
, where he played at the 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...
and end positions for the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
team in 1890
1890 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1890 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1890 college football season. The team compiled a 4–1 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 129 to 36. The team captain was William C. Malley. George P. Codd, who later served as the Mayor...
, 1891
1891 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1891 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1891 college football season. The Wolverines played their home games at Ann Arbor Fairgrounds...
and 1893
1893 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1893 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1893 college football season. The team, with Frank Barbour as head coach, compiled a 7–3 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 278 to 102...
. At 5 feet, 7 inches, he was the shortest player on the Michigan team. In November 1891, the Chicago Daily 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...
wrote: "Sherman at quarter back, although not a swift passer, is cool-headed and is nearly always to be found near the ball."
While attending the University of Michigan, Sherman was also a member of the school's banjo club. In April 1892, Sherman performed with Michigan's banjo and glee clubs at Chicago's Central Music Hall. At the time, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported: "Sherman is equally handy at football or at a banjo, but, as the former game is out of season, it is reasonable to suppose that his present efforts in Chicago will be confined to music."
Sherman completed five years' of study in four years, earning a bachelor's degree in 1894 while simultaneously completing the first year of law school.
Iowa
In 1894, Sherman was hired as the head football coach at 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...
. One of Sherman's players, Michael L. McKinley, recalled: "In 1894 the athletic committee made arrangements with Roger Sherman, a famous Michigan end, to coach the team for the fall season." Sherman coached the entire team at Iowa—line, ends and backs. He led the Hawkeyes
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...
to a 4–4–1 record in his one year as head coach.
1895 recruiting scandal
In the fall of 1895, Caspar WhitneyCaspar Whitney
Caspar William Whitney was an American author, editor, explorer, and war correspondent. He originated the concept of the All-American team in college football in 1889 when he worked for Harper's Magazine....
wrote a series of articles in Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor...
contending that "professionalism" had corrupted collegiate athletics among 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...
schools, including Wisconsin, Northwestern
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and Michigan. One of Whitney's accusations was that Sherman, who he described as "Michigan's manager," had on October 6, 1895, while riding on a Chicago cable car, offered a Chicago Athletic Association player named Stevenson the sum of $600 to finish the season with the Michigan team. Sherman denied Whitney's charge in an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune:
"Stevenson had said he expected to go to Michigan to take a law course, and it was naturally expected he would join the team. When the Michigan team went into training at OmenaOmena, MichiganOmena is a small unincorporated community in Leelanau Township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Overlooking Omena Bay, on the western side of Grand Traverse Bay, Omena is home to wineries and farms including a thriving organic farming movement that includes cherries and...
early in the season, it was expected Stevenson would join the team, and when it was learned he would play for the athletic association Baird, the manager, wrote to me to see him and find out if he was coming to Michigan. I went to the Athletic club to see him and met him starting for a game at the Athletic Association field. I got on the car and rode with him and had a talk with him. I wanted to know if he was going to Michigan, as they had expected him. I made him no offer and held out no inducements to him, as I had no authority to do so, even had I wanted to, from Baird or any one else."
Michigan supporters denied Whitney's charges and, as proof that Whitney's account was wild and unreliable, noted that he had erroneously identified Sherman as Michigan's manager. Whitney stood his ground and explained:
"As to Stevenson, I have charged he was offered $600 by Roger Sherman, as manager of the Michigan team, to play with that eleven. I erred in an immaterial detail, which Michigan men have seized upon in order to dodge the issue. They deny that he made such an offer, or that he was manager of the eleven. The facts are as follows: Sherman managed the summer trip and training of the team at Omena, a summer resort on Traverse BayGrand Traverse BayGrand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...
, Michigan. Charles Baird was the regular manager, and was the one who originally conducted the negotiations with Stevenson, which Sherman knew about and talked over with Stevenson in the Chicago cable car Oct. 5, 1895. Mr. Sherman admitted this to me before a witness in Chicago Dec. 17, 1895. Mr. Sherman is a young lawyer of excellent repute and will not deny this statement. Besides, Stevenson has admitted it."
Later, Sherman responded by challenging the assertion that matters were purer in the East and with a pragmatic defense of professionalism as "an evil, but not an unmixed evil," and "a bad means to a good end." In an essay published by The Inlander, Sherman wrote:
"In order to get the support of the college body and the public in general a team must first win at almost any cost. Students will not support a losing team be it ever so pure, nor will the public pay to see such a team play ball. ... To declare for purity at the outset means a weak team and, as a consequence, defeat and lack of support, moral and financial, for years to come, maybe for ever. The power that a manager has to help men through college, if judiciously exercised, is productive of a great deal of good. Many of the best players are in the neediest of circumstances. It is only right that they should be helped through college in return for their sacrifices on the football field. ... The actual facts in this case are these: The most successful teams in the country today have built up their reputations and their successes by the judicious expenditure of money in securing the services of good players. That nearly all of them cling to this practice is well known to those who are in the possession of the true state of facts."
Legal career
Sherman enrolled at the Northwestern University School of LawNorthwestern University School of Law
The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school in Chicago, Illinois. The law school was founded in 1859 as the Union College of Law of the Old University of Chicago. The first law school established in Chicago, it became jointly controlled by Northwestern University in...
and received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1895. He began the practice of law in Chicago with his father, Penoyer L. Sherman, a master in the chancery court. In 1897, he practiced law with two other attorneys in the firm of Church, McMurdy & Sherman. Sherman was active in politics in Chicago's Sixth Ward and was appointed master in chancery of the Superior Court in 1906. He served as a chancery master from 1906 to 1907 and as the Assistant State's Attorney in Chicago from 1907 to 1908. As of 1918, he was in private practice as one of three partners in the firm of Tenney, Harding & Sherman.
He later served as the president of the Chicago Bar Association (1922–1923) and president of the Illinois State Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
The Illinois State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the country. Approximately 30,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA membership is not required of lawyers licensed to practice in...
(1923–1924). He continued in private practice for many years thereafter with the firm of Tenney, Sherman, Rogers & Guthrie.
Later years
In his later years, Sherman lived at 213 Linden Street in Winnetka, IllinoisWinnetka, Illinois
Winnetka is an affluent North Shore village located approximately north of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. Winnetka was featured on the list of America's 25 top-earning towns and "one of the best places to live" by CNN Money in 2011...
. He also had a winter home in Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach, Florida
Pompano Beach ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean just to the north of Fort Lauderdale. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 99,845...
. In 1957, Sherman died at age 85 at his winter home in Pompano Beach. He was survived by his wife, the former Grace Buttolph, and two daughters, Mrs. Philip M. Watrous and Mrs. Robert K. Vincent.