Cleveland Leigh "Cleve" Abbott (some sources say "Cleveland S. Abbott") (December 9, 1894 – April 14, 1955) was an American football player, coach and educator. He was the head coach of the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers football team from 1923 to 1954.

Life

Abbott was born in

Yankton, South Dakota Yankton is a city in and the county seat of Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,411 at the 2020 census, and it is the principal city of the Yankton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entirety of Y ...

in 1894, one of seven children to Albert B. (aka Elbert) Abbott (1862

Abbeville, GA Abbeville is a city in Wilcox County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 2,685. The city is the county seat of Wilcox County. History Abbeville was founded in 1857 as seat of the newly formed Wilcox County. The t ...

– 1952

Huron, SD Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Beadle County. The '' Huron Daily Plainsman'', also referred to as the ''Plainsman'', is the newspaper. The first settlement at Huron was made in 1880. The cit ...

) and Mollie Brown Abbott (1868–1909). Abbott graduated from high school (1908–1912)

Watertown, South Dakota Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Codington County, South Dakota, United States. Watertown is home to the Redlin Art Center which houses many of the original art works produced by Terry Redlin, one of America's most popular wildlife ...

. He received his bachelor's degree (1912–1916) from South Dakota State College (SDSC) in

Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is South Dakota's fourth largest city, with a population of 23,377 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State Univ ...

. He was an outstanding, multi-sport athlete at Watertown High School (16 varsity sports letters) and SDSC (now SDSU) (14

varsity letters A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. Description ...

). Hired by Booker T. Washington in 1913 to be the Tuskegee Institute football coach and dairy instructor upon 1916 SDSC graduation. He joined the US Army in 1917 at

Camp Dodge Camp Dodge is a military installation in the city of Johnston, Iowa. Centrally located near the capital of Iowa, it currently serves as the headquarters of the Iowa National Guard. History Original construction of the post began in 1907, to prov ...

and served in Europe 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 an officer in the 366th Infantry Regiment After mustered out in 1919, Abbott taught at the Kansas Vocational School in Topeka, Kansas. In 1923, Abbott accepted a position as Athletic Director, professor and coach at Tuskegee. Abbott was the eighth head football coach for the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers located in

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...

and he held that position for 32 seasons, from 1923 until 1954. Abbott earned the respect of his peers through his team's performance and by participating in national committees for the selection of "

all-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n" players at the collegiate level.Baltimore Afro-American
"Looking 'em Over" November 2, 1946 He was the first African-American member of USA Track and Field Board circa 1940 and the first African-American member of the US Olympic Committee in 1946. He coached the first African-American Olympic champion, Alice Coachman (1948 high jump), and the second,

Mildred McDaniel Mildred "Millie" Louise McDaniel-Singleton ( McDaniel, November 4, 1933 – September 30, 2004) was an American athlete, who competed mainly in the women's high jump event during her career. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, she attended David T. ...

(1956 high jump). He was married to Jessie Harriette Scott (March 23, 1897, Des Moines, Iowa – August 12, 1982, Tuskegee, Alabama) and had had a daughter, Jessie Ellen Abbott. Abbott died on April 17, 1955, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Cleveland Abbott was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in September 2018.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

USATF Hall of Fame

SDSU Athletic Hall of Fame

Abbott, Cleveland Leigh (1892–1955)
at BlackPast.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Cleveland 1894 births 1955 deaths American men's basketball players South Dakota State Jackrabbits baseball players South Dakota State Jackrabbits football players South Dakota State Jackrabbits men's basketball players Tuskegee Golden Tigers athletic directors Tuskegee Golden Tigers football coaches Tuskegee Golden Tigers men's basketball coaches South Dakota State Jackrabbits men's track and field athletes Tuskegee Golden Tigers track and field coaches Tuskegee University faculty United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army officers People from Yankton, South Dakota People from Watertown, South Dakota Coaches of American football from South Dakota Players of American football from South Dakota Baseball coaches from South Dakota Basketball coaches from South Dakota Basketball players from South Dakota African-American coaches of American football African-American players of American football African-American basketball coaches 20th-century African-American sportspeople African Americans in World War I African-American United States Army personnel Military personnel from South Dakota

Life

Head coaching record

College

See also

References

External links