Wilbur Darwin Hockensmith Sr. (August 17, 1878 – August 19, 1951) was the head coach of the football team at the Western University of Pennsylvania, today known as the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

Panthers Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...

, in 1901. On October 5, 1901, Hockensmith led the school to a victory over

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

, a 12–0 shutout in Morgantown. This was Pitt's first victory in the Backyard Brawl. The team would also post a record 7 wins in 1901 under Hockensmith. Hockensmith, who also played left

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for the university's football team, graduated from the Western University in 1901 with a degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...

. He later worked for his family's business, the Hockensmith Corporation, which ran a

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

Irwin, Pennsylvania Irwin is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. Some of the most extensive bituminous coal deposits in the State are located here. In the past, iron foundries, flour mills, car shops, facing and planing mills, e ...

. Wilbur, his father (Frank Hockensmith) and son (Wilbur D. Hockensmith, Jr.) all served as the company's presidents.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hockensmith, Wilbur 1878 births 1951 deaths American football guards Pittsburgh Panthers football coaches Pittsburgh Panthers football players Swanson School of Engineering alumni Players of American football from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania