George B. "Dutch" Slagle, also called Geoffrey Slagle, was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

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 gu ...

and coach. He played one game in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that 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 ...

, and later coached the

Wilmington Clippers The Wilmington Clippers were a professional American football team that played from 1937 to 1942, and from 1946 to 1949. They played in the American Association from 1939 to 1941, later returning for the 1946 to 1949 seasons when the league wa ...

and Scranton Miners, as well as several high school teams. A native of

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,286 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in West Virginia, ninth-most populous city in th ...

, Slagle attended the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. After graduating, Slagle spent time professionally with "Atlantic City, Canton ulldogs New York iants Chicago ears Louisville olonels Cincinnati, and Wilmington," according to ''The Tribune'', though his only known game in the

(NFL) came in 1926 with Louisville. The Colonels, after suffering a defeat in the first game of the season, "re-arranged" their lineup for their matchup with the Detroit Panthers, and signed several players including Slagle. In the game, a 0–47 loss, he appeared as a substitute for

Pete Vainowski Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to: People * Pete (given name) * Pete (nickname) * Pete (surname) Fictional characters * Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe * Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a characte ...

. He was released after the game. Slagle also played for the Boston Shamrocks and a team in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

, according to ''

The Bridgeport Post The ''Connecticut Post'' is a daily newspaper located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It serves Fairfield County and the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Municipalities in the Post's circulation area include Ansonia, Bridgeport, Darien, Derby, Easto ...

''. In 1936, Slagle started a coaching career, becoming the head coach of the newly formed

. They played their first season in 1937, compiling a 7–4 record under Coach Slagle. He resigned from his coaching position in 1938, citing salary differences and other coaching offers. In 1939, Slagle was hired as the head coach of the Scranton Miners, a team in the Eastern Pennsylvania Football League (EPFL). He accepted a position at Pottstown High School in 1940 to be head football coach and English teacher, but resigned in December that year. When asked if he was going to coach a team in 1941, he replied, "I'm not denying and I'm not confirming." He later served as an advisor to

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained for mos ...

football coaches as well as several other stints with schools in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, before becoming Bullard-Havens Technical High School coach in 1960.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slagle, George Players of American football from West Virginia American football guards Louisville Colonels (NFL) players Wilmington Clippers coaches Johns Hopkins Blue Jays football coaches Penn Quakers football players Year of death missing Year of birth missing Sportspeople from Beckley, West Virginia