John William Scarbrough (October 20, 1885 – March 3, 1960) was a

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. He later became a successful department store owner in Austin.

Early years

Scarbrough was born on October 20, 1885, in

Rockdale, Texas Rockdale is a city in Milam County, Texas, United States. Its population was 5,323 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is approximately 41 miles west of College Station, Texas, College Station. History As a passing point ...

, to Eugene Monroe Scarbrough and Ada Ledbetter.

Sewanee

Scarbrough was an All-Southern

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 ...

for the

Sewanee Tigers The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an off ...

of Sewanee: The University of the South, and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of its team in 1905. On the dedication of Harris Stadium, one writer noted "The University of the South has numbered among its athletes some of the greatest. Anyone who played against giant Henry Phillips in 1901-1903 felt that he was nothing less than the best as guard and fullback. Anyone who ever saw a punt from the foot of J. W. Scarbrough." One source calls him the "prince of punters and runners." Yet another, "the greatest kicker of them all." He also drop kicked. He scored the Tigers' only points in the 68 to 4 loss to Vanderbilt.

References

1885 births 1960 deaths American football quarterbacks American football punters Sewanee Tigers football players Players of American football from Texas People from Rockdale, Texas All-Southern college football players American football drop kickers {{collegefootball-player-stub