John Livingston "Honus" Craig (November 30, 1881 – April 18, 1942) was an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player and coach.

Early years

John Livingston Craig was born on November 30, 1881, in

Culleoka, Tennessee Culleoka is an unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Mos ...

, to Thompson Sloan Craig and Ella Cline.

Playing career

Vanderbilt

Craig was a prominent halfback for

Dan McGugin Daniel Earle McGugin (July 29, 1879 – January 23, 1936) was an American football player and coach, as well as a lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1904 to 1917 and again from ...

Vanderbilt Commodores football The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the East Divis ...

teams which won four SIAA titles. He was also selected All-Southern four times. McGugin once called him the South's greatest athlete and Vanderbilt's greatest halfback. One report says "When Craig was confronted with the above formidable title yesterday by a reporter whose business it is to know such things, he blushed like a girl and tried to show why Dan McGugin's judgment is not always to be trusted." In Craig's opinion, Bob Blake was the South's greatest player. Craig stood 5 feet 9 inches and weighed 165 pounds. He was nominated though not selected for an ''Associated Press'' All-Time Southeast 1920-1969 era team.

1906

Vanderbilt had a major intersection for the first time when it defeated

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

in 1906 by a single Bob Blake drop kick, "the crowning feat of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association season." Craig called this his hardest game, giving special praise to

Albert Exendine Albert Andrew "Ex" Exendine (January 7, 1884 – January 4, 1973) was an American football player, coach, and lawyer. He played college football at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School where he was an All-American end. Exendine served as the he ...

as "the fastest

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

I ever saw."

1907

Craig went over for the touchdown to beat

Sewanee Sewanee may refer to: * Sewanee, Tennessee * Sewanee: The University of the South * ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892 * Sewanee Natural Bridge * Saint Andrews-Sewanee School See also * Suwanee (disambiguati ...

in 1907, after the play which

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...

called the greatest thrill he ever witnessed in his years of watching sports, the double-pass play ending with a pass from Bob Blake to

Stein Stone James Nollner "Stein" Stone Sr. (April 18, 1882 – August 25, 1926) was an American football and basketball player and coach. "Stein" is the German for stone. Vanderbilt University At Vanderbilt he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternit ...

. Earlier in the game Craig caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Blake.

Coaching career

Craig once coached at the

Columbia Military Academy The campus of Columbia Military Academy was built as an arsenal for the US Army in 1891 and closed after the Spanish–American War. The arsenal was declared surplus property in 1901 and in 1904 the land was formally turned over to the Columbia M ...

Polytechnic College

Craig was coach and athletic director at

Texas Wesleyan University Texas Wesleyan University is a private Methodist university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was founded in 1890 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The main campus is located in the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth. Its mascot is th ...

(then called Polytechnic College).

Death

Craig died on April 18, 1942, in

Maury County, Tennessee Maury County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Middle Tennessee region. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 100,974. Its county seat is Columbia, Tennessee, C ...

, while on a fishing trip. At the time of his death he was safety director for the Tennessee State Highway Department.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Honus 1881 births 1942 deaths American football halfbacks Texas Wesleyan Rams athletic directors Texas Wesleyan Rams football coaches Vanderbilt Commodores football players All-Southern college football players People from Culleoka, Tennessee Coaches of American football from Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee