George Caspar Adams (April 24, 1863 – July 13, 1900) was an American football player and former

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

of the

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

football program from 1890 to 1892. He co-coached with

George A. Stewart George Andrew Stewart (September 26, 1862 – June 21, 1894) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Harvard University Harvard Crimson football, football team from 1890 to 1893. From 1890 to 1892, he co-coached with G ...

, another Harvard graduate.

Early life

Adams was born on April 24, 1863, in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a member of the

Adams political family The Adams family is an American political family of English origins, most prominent between the late 18th century and the early 20th century. Based in eastern Massachusetts, they formed part of the Boston Brahmin community. The family traces to ...

, which includes his father politician

John Quincy Adams II John Quincy Adams II (September 22, 1833 – August 14, 1894) was an American politician who represented Quincy in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1866 to 1867, 1868 to 1869, 1871 to 1872, and from 1874 to 1875. Adams served as ...

and two United States Presidents, his great-grandfather

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

and his great-great-grandfather

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

. His mother was also a granddaughter of

United States Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On Mar ...

Benjamin Williams Crowninshield under presidents

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

and

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

. Adams attended the

Adams Academy The Adams Academy was a school for boys in Quincy, Massachusetts founded by President John Adams, who outlined his wishes for a school to be built on the site of John Hancock's birthplace in an 1822 deed of trust. Opened in 1872, the Academy op ...

before entering Harvard in 1882, where he graduated with an A.B. in 1886.

Football career

During his time as a student at Harvard, Adams played a vital role in reinstating the football program in 1886 for Harvard by heading a petition movement to the administration. Once the season was granted, Adams played on the team and assisted in managing and coaching it. In 1890, Adams, along with another fellow alumnus,

(Class of 1884) were appointed as coaches for the Harvard football program of the upcoming season. In their first season, the team went 11–0, winning the national championship, also with five players being named All-Americans. The appointment of Adams and Stewart is widely regarded to be the beginning of an organized coaching system at Harvard.

Head coaching record

Later life

Adams later resided in Boston where he worked for real estate. He was also a recreational

yachtsman A yacht () is a sail- or motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a ...

who belonged to many yacht clubs. Adams died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in Quincy on July 13, 1900.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, George C. 1863 births 1900 deaths 19th-century players of American football 19th-century American sportsmen Adams family American football ends American football halfbacks Crowninshield family Harvard Crimson football coaches Harvard Crimson football players Adams Academy alumni Players of American football from Boston 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Massachusetts