George Cecil "Kid" Woodruff Sr. (November 29, 1888 – November 16, 1968) was an American businessman and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

from 1923 to 1927.

Early life and education

Born in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it o ...

in 1889, Woodruff attended Columbus High School and the University School for Boys in

Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...

before enrolling at the

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

in 1907. He played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

for the

Georgia Bulldogs football The Georgia Bulldogs football program represents the University of Georgia in the sport of American football. The Bulldogs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern D ...

team during the 1907 and 1908 seasons before taking a year off from school to travel around the United States and Mexico. After returning to the university and rejoining the football team in 1910 and 1911, when he was team captain, Woodruff graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in 1912. He was nominated though not selected for an ''Associated Press'' All-Time Southeast 1869-1919 era team.

Professional and coaching career

Following graduation, Woodruff became an insurance salesman in Columbus. He served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

as a major in the 82nd Infantry ("All-American") Division of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

. He was Kirk Newell's backup on the

1917 Camp Gordon football team The 1917 Camp Gordon football team represented Camp Gordon near Augusta, Georgia, during the 1917 college football season. The team was led by a backfield of former Auburn back and war hero Kirk Newell, former Mercer back Cochran, former Geo ...

. He then returned to his successful insurance business after the war. After the 1922 season, Georgia football head coach

Herman Stegeman Herman James Stegeman (January 21, 1891 – October 22, 1939) was a player and coach of American football, basketball, baseball, and track and field athletics, and a college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Beloit C ...

moved to the position of

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

, and Woodruff was hired as the new head coach at a salary of $1 a year. Woodruff was the third former Georgia player to become the Bulldogs' head coach, preceded by Ernest Brown and Marvin D. Dickinson and followed by Johnny Griffith,

Ray Goff Ray Goff (born July 10, 1955) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Georgia from 1989 to 1995, compiling a record of 46–34–1. Playing career Goff attended the University of Georgia, ...

, and Kirby Smart. Woodruff brought to Athens the Notre Dame offensive scheme as well as assistant coaches Frank Thomas and

Harry Mehre Harry J. Mehre (September 18, 1901 – September 27, 1978) was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Georgia (1928–1937) and the University of Mississippi (1938–1945), ...

, who were

Knute Rockne Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used ...

's disciples.

Jim Crowley James Harold "Sleepy Jim" Crowley (September 10, 1902 – January 15, 1986) was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he played halfback f ...

, who was one of the

Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand tha ...

at Notre Dame, was also an assistant coach under Woodruff at Georgia. Woodruff compiled a record of 30–16–1 over five seasons, including his 1927 " Dream and Wonder team's" upset of Yale. After the 1927 season, Woodruff stepped down to focus on his insurance business. Georgia governor

Richard Russell, Jr. Richard Brevard Russell Jr. (November 2, 1897 – January 21, 1971) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 66th Governor of Georgia from 1931 to 1933 before serving in the United States Senate for almos ...

appointed Woodruff as an initial member of the

University System of Georgia The University System of Georgia (USG) is the government agency that includes 26 public institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is governed by the Georgia Board of Regents. It sets goals and dictates gene ...

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual c ...

in 1932, where Woodruff would serve until 1945. His son reported that Woodruff would call Dwight D. Eisenhower, cursing at him, telling him to get Georgia players out of the Army.http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/sports/article29318674.html

Legacy

Woodruff Hall Woodruff Hall was a 3,000 seat multi-purpose arena on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Georgia. It opened in 1923, and was located on North Campus in the area bounded by Baldwin Street, Sanford Drive, and Hooper Street now occupied by t ...

, the former basketball arena at the University of Georgia, was named in honor of Woodruff and his older brother, Harry "Big Kid" Woodruff, who also attended Georgia and played quarterback. Woodruff Hall stood on the site of the current

Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is a constituent college of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. Established in 1915, Grady College offers undergraduate degrees in journalism, advertising, public re ...

. Georgia's current outdoor football practice field is also named in honor of George Woodruff. Woodruff was instrumental in arranging for the annual Auburn–Georgia football game to be played in Columbus for many years.

Head coaching record

References

Sources

''History of the University of Georgia'', Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca.1949, pp.3543-3561
*
New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for George Woodruff
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodruff, George 1888 births 1968 deaths American businesspeople in insurance American football quarterbacks Camp Gordon football players Georgia Bulldogs football coaches Georgia Bulldogs football players United States Army personnel of World War I Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Players of American football from Columbus, Georgia