George Thomas Barclay (May 24, 1910 – October 6, 1997) was an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

from 1949 to 1951 and at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

from 1953 to 1955, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 28–30–2. Barclay was a standout

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

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

at North Carolina. He was a three-year starting player from 1932 to 1934. Barclay made the first team All-

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

as a guard in 1933 and 1934 and was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in 1934.

Early life and playing career

A native of

Natrona, Pennsylvania Natrona is an unincorporated community in Harrison Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is located in western Pennsylvania within the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, approximately northeast of Downtown Pittsburgh. Natrona i ...

, Barclay attended

The Kiski School The Kiski School (formerly the Kiskiminetas Springs School and often known simply as Kiski or Kiski Prep) is an independent, college-preparatory boarding school in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The school, named after the nearby Kis ...

Saltsburg, Pennsylvania Saltsburg is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its location is in Western Pennsylvania, in the southwestern corner of Indiana County near its border with Westmoreland County. The town was based on the construction of sal ...

Coaching career

While serving as head coach at

, Barclay took the Generals to their only postseason bowl appearance, leading the

1950 Washington and Lee Generals football team Year 195 ( CXCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Scrapula and Clemens (or, less frequently, year 948 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 195 f ...

to the

Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, usually contested on or around New Year's Day. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first televise ...

, where they were beaten by

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. He was named the

and Virginia Coach of the Year. Barclay became an assistant coach at Carolina under

Carl Snavely Carl Gray "The Grey Fox" Snavely (July 30, 1894 – July 12, 1975) was an American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Bucknell University (1927–1933), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1934–19 ...

. Snavely was a proponent of the

single-wing In American and Canadian football, a single-wing formation was a precursor to the modern shotgun formation. The term usually connotes formations in which the snap is tossed rather than handed. Formations with one wingback and a handed snap a ...

offense but thought Carolina's players were more suited to the

split-T The split-T is an offensive formation in American football that was popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Developed by Missouri Tigers head coach Don Faurot as a variation on the T formation, the split-T was first used in the 1941 season and allowed the ...

formation, and Barclay helped install it there. In 1953, he was hired as the head football coach. Barclay was dismissed from his alma mater in 1955, and replaced by

Jim Tatum James Moore "Big Jim" Tatum (August 22, 1913 – July 23, 1959) was an American college football and college baseball player and coach. Tatum served as the head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1942, 1956–1958 ...

, who had been a teammate with him at Carolina.

Death and honors

Barclay died in the early morning hours of October 6, 1997, at his home in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

, following a heart attack. The George Barclay Award for outstanding linebacker at North Carolina named in his honor. He was inducted to the

North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame The North Carolina Museum of History is a history museum located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is an affiliate through the Smithsonian Affiliations program. The museum is a part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archi ...

in 1976. Barclay Road in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

is named after him.

Head coaching record

Football

Ice hockey

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barclay, George T. 1910 births 1997 deaths American football guards American football linebackers Dartmouth Big Green football coaches Dartmouth Big Green men's ice hockey coaches Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers football coaches Maryland Terrapins football coaches North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches North Carolina Tar Heels football players Oberlin Yeomen football coaches VMI Keydets football coaches Washington and Lee Generals football coaches The Kiski School alumni People from Harrison Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania