Clayton King Fauver (August 1, 1872 – March 3, 1942) was an American college football coach during the late 19th century. In 1895, he became the first paid coach at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...

. In 1896, Fauver served as the head coach at Oberlin College, compiling a record of 5–3–1. Fauver was also a Major League

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...

Early life and family

Fauver was born on August 1, 1872, in North Eaton, Ohio. He was the son of Alfred and Elizabeth (King) Fauver. He lived in North Eaton until his family moved to

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, 31 miles southwest of Cleveland. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students. The town is the birthplace of th ...

, where he attended

Oberlin Academy Oberlin Academy Preparatory School, originally Oberlin Institute and then Preparatory Department of Oberlin College, was a private preparatory school in Oberlin, Ohio which operated from 1833 until 1916. It opened as Oberlin Institute which beca ...

. Fauver father was a prominent citizen in

Lorain County, Ohio Lorain County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,964. Its county seat is Elyria. The county was physically established in 1822, becoming judicially independent in 1824 ...

, where he served as Lorain County commissioner and Mayor of the town of Oberlin. Clayton Fauver had several siblings including Alfred Fauver, a former Lorain County Surveyor, Louis B. Fauver who played football with Clayton Fauver at Oberlin, and twin brothers, Edward Fauver and Edgar Fauver, who were both were well-known coaches and college athletic administrators.

College student and athlete

Fauver entered Oberlin College in 1893 and graduated

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in 1897. He was active on campus including being on the debate team, assistant editor of the student newspaper and manager of the annual yearbook. A talented athlete, he played varsity football and baseball and was captain of the football team in 1893 and 1894, and captain of the baseball team in 1896.

Football player

Fauver earned a varsity letter in football at Oberlin in 1892, 1893, 1894 and 1895. In 1892, Fauver was not a student at the college but a student at the Oberlin Academy, a college predatory school run by the college. He still played on the college football team, which included his brother Louis B. Fauver, a 24-year-old freshman, and was coached by John W. Heisman. This team was captained by its quarterback

Carl Sheldon Williams Carl Sheldon "Cap" Williams (May 16, 1872 – November 8, 1960) was an American football player, coach, and ophthalmologist. He played college football at Oberlin College and the University of Pennsylvania during the 1890s. He returned to Penn ...

and finished the season undefeated with a record of 7–0 including a season with an opening victory over

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

During 1892 Oberlin claims a second victory over the Ohio State. Ohio State does not acknowledge playing the game.During 1892 Oberlin claims a 24–22 victory over the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Michigan claims it won their game by a score of 26–24 After winning its first six games against teams from Ohio, Oberlin crossed the border to play regional power

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. In a controversial game known for rough and dirty play, including a Michigan player being kicked out for punching an Oberlin player and the Umpire, Oberlin claimed a 24 to 22 winBrandt p. 83 Because of injuries to other players, Fauver helped the Yoeman effort by playing two positions. In middle game he moved from left tackle to right tackle. The game ended with a dispute over the time remaining. Oberlin contended the game was over resulting in an Oberlin win. Michigan contended there was still time left. Oberlin left the field so they could catch a train back to Ohio. Michigan stayed on the field and ran a play with no opposition that resulted in a touchdown. Both teams claimed victory. Oberlin finished the season with a 16–0 victory over

Western Reserve The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. The Reserve had been granted to the Colony under the terms o ...

. In 1893, Fauver was elected captain of the varsity football team after Will Merriam resigned. The team was coached by Everett B. Camp and finished with a 6–1 record including victories over Ohio State,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. Fauver helped by scoring a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

against Ohio State and blocking a punt against Chicago. Oberlin won the first 6 games but lost the last one to

Case Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location i ...

by a score of 8–22. The team was hampered by injuries and lack of practice due to exams. The injuries forced Fauver to move from the line to the backfield for the game. Before the 1894 season Fauver brought national attention to Oberlin by being featured in Spalding Athletic Equipment Company football guide. The 1894 Oberlin Yeoman were again coached by John W. Heisman. Fauver once again was elected captain, but Heisman moved him from the tackle to right halfback. The team finished with a record of 4–3–1. Fauver was injured late in season in a loss to Adelbert College, also known then as

. He missed the Michigan game but returned to his right half back position for a victory over Penn State University. This victory was short lived when

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage and the system ...

later overruled the game officials allowing a game winning kick by Penn State. Fauver once again played on Oberlin varsity football team in 1895. The team finished with a record of 4–1–1 under former

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

player William M. Richards. The record allowed it to self proclaim the team as champion of Ohio.

College coach

In 1895, before he graduated from Oberlin, Fauver was hired by

, to coach the football team. He arrived two days before the

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the River Elbe, north o ...

game and stay three weeks. In addition to coaching, Fauver also suited up and played in games. The Miami University student newspaper praised his play versus Wittenberg for being "in almost every play" and credited him for knocking down six player in one play. Fauver is credited with an undefeated record of 3–0 with victories over

, Butler, and

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

.There is conflicting information on the exact record of the 1895 Miami University football team. Miami University media guide list the 1895 season record as 3–0 with victories over Wittenberg, Butler and Cincinnati. The December 1895 edition of the Miami Student show 3 additional games with victories over Hamilton YMCA and Hamilton and a loss to

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cu ...

. The 2009 Wabash College Football Media Guide list confirms loss for Miami in 1895. cfbdatawarehouse.com shows a 3–1 record for Miami with the loss Wabash to listed but the victories over Hamilton and Hamilton YMCA not listed. In 1896, Fauver served as the head coach at Oberlin College, compiling a record of 5–3–1. All of Fauver's losses came to regional powers Michigan, Illinois and Chicago His victories all came against teams from Ohio including a 16–0 win against Ohio State. The only other blemish was his team also tied in-state rival

by a score of 6–6 after beating them yearly in the year by a score of 4–0. This record allowed Oberlin to claim the 1896 Ohio State Championship. Fauver returned to coaching in 1902. While teaching law, he became the head baseball coach at

. In his only season he compiled a 6–5 record.

Head coaching record

Professional baseball

During the time he was attending law school in Cleveland, Fauver played

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the

. On September 7. 1899 played his first and only Major League game. Fauver started at

against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He threw a complete game with no earned runs. The following season, he played for the Cleveland Lake Shores of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(pre Major League status). He pitched in 10 games with a 4–6 record. He also batted .206 scoring 2 runs for the Lake Shores.

Attorney

In 1900 Fauver received a LL. B. from Western Reserve Law School in Cleveland, Ohio. He stayed in Cleveland where he was an attorney as well as teaching law at Western Reserve. In 1916 he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

where he continued his legal career where he specialized in import and export trade law. During this time he became Vice-President and General Counsel of Gaston Williams and Wigmore. From 1931 to 1933 he was a partner in the New Rochelle, New York firm of Fauver, Albertson & Schoble.

Return to Oberlin

Even with living in Cleveland and New York, Fauver was still involved with Oberlin. In 1920 he became a trustee of Oberlin College. In 1933 he returned to the city of Oberlin as both an investment executive for the college as well as the President of Oberlin Savings Bank. On March 3, 1942, Fauver died of

coronary thrombosis Coronary thrombosis is defined as the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel of the heart. This blood clot may then restrict blood flow within the heart, leading to heart tissue damage, or a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart at ...

while travelling from Ohio to Florida. He had stopped in

Chatsworth, Georgia Chatsworth is a city in Murray County, Georgia, United States, specifically in the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 4,874 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Murray County and the site of the coldes ...

, for the night because of a snow storm. While preparing to continue his journey the next morning, he collapsed on the stairs of the hotel.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fauver, C. K. 1872 births 1942 deaths 19th-century players of American football 19th-century baseball players American football halfbacks American football tackles Major League Baseball pitchers Case Western Spartans baseball coaches Cleveland Lake Shores players Louisville Colonels players Miami RedHawks football coaches Oberlin Yeomen football coaches Oberlin Yeomen football players Oberlin Yeomen baseball players People from Chatsworth, Georgia People from Oberlin, Ohio Coaches of American football from Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Baseball coaches from Ohio Baseball players from Ohio Deaths from coronary thrombosis