Harry Fouts Hazlett (April 17, 1884 – September 27, 1960) was a career officer in the U.S. Army. Prior to that he 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 ...

coach for the Canton Professionals-Bulldogs of the "

Ohio League The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct p ...

", which was the direct predecessor to the modern

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 ...

. He was also the head football and basketball coach at Canton McKinley High School, Ohio.He was fired as the head coach of the Canton Bulldogs, by manager Jack Cusack, after he benched Canton rookie

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

for the first game of the 1915 league title game. The first game in the two-game series resulted in a 16–0 victory over the Bulldogs by their rivals, the

Massillon Tigers The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the " Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championshi ...

. It is unknown why Hazlett benched Thorpe. After Hazlett was fired, the Bulldogs'

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, Don Hamilton,left the team in protest. Thorpe was later named the team's new head coach and led the Bulldogs to the 1915 championship, which was split between Canton and Massillon.

Biography

Hazlett joined the Ohio

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

as a captain in 1916 and participated in the Mexican Expedition. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served as a machine gun officer and was cited for bravery. After the war, he taught at the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public university, public research university in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM fields, STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advance ...

and the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...

as a professor of Military Science and Tactics. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Hazlett attended the Army War College and published a paper, ''Procurement and Processing during the Voluntary Enlistment Period of Initial Mobilization'', in 1933. Then Lt. Colonel Hazlett served as an instructor at the Army Command and General Staff School at

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

from 1935 to 1936. During 1945, Hazlett served as Commanding General of the Replacement and School Command. In June 1946, he succeeded Major General Paul J. Mueller as commander of the 86th Infantry Division. He commanded the division until it was deactivated in December 1946 on

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

, Philippines. After commanding the 86th, he was the Post Commander at

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan until 1947. In retirement Hazlett lived in California. He is buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

References

*''The Field Artillery Journal'' issue 8, August 1945, pg. 501 * * *

External links

Field Artillery Journal, August 1945

Remarkable Ohio

Annual Report of the Army Command and General Staff College 1935–1936

Canton-McKinley Football Coaching Recording

Canton-McKinley Basketball Coaching Recording
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazlett, Harry F. 1884 births 1960 deaths Military personnel from Ohio United States Army personnel of World War I University of Akron faculty University of Dayton faculty American recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Canton Bulldogs coaches Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Harrison County, Ohio United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals United States Army War College alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College faculty