Nathan Washington "Big'n" Dougherty (March 23, 1886 – May 18, 1977) was a

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

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 for the

Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Vols," "UT" and "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 132 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 870–415–53 ( ...

team. He later became the Dean of the College of Engineering at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

and chairman of its Athletic Council. For this as well as his playing days Dougherty is "considered by many to be the founding father of UT Athletics." Dougherty was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 1967, and was a unanimous choice for the ''Associated Press'' Southeast Area All-Time football team 1869–1919 era.

Playing career

University of Tennessee

Dougherty played football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

at the

. He came to the university from

Scott County, Virginia Scott County is a county located in the far southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia, on the border with Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,576. Its county seat is Gate City. Scott County was formed by an act of ...

Football

Dougherty played

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 ...

for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

from 1906 to 1909, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 185 pounds. Dougherty was a standout in the sport before it became wildly popular around the country. Of the few accolades that were bestowed on individuals, Dougherty was an honoree. He was named to the All Southern team in 1907 and 1908.

= 1908

= The 1908 team was widely considered the best Tennessee football season up to that point. The backfield included

Walker Leach John Walker Leach (July 22, 1888 – January 2, 1944) was a college football player. University of Tennessee He was a prominent, halfback, end and kicker for the Tennessee Volunteers of the University of Tennessee. At Tennessee, he was a memb ...

. Vanderbilt coach

Dan McGugin Daniel Earle McGugin (July 29, 1879 – January 23, 1936) was an American college football player and coach, as well as a lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1904 to 1917 and a ...

noted "All things considered, Leach was perhaps the best football player of the year in Dixie."

= 1909

= He was

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 the football team in

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escapes death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Janu ...

Basketball

= 1908–09

= Dougherty was captain of the

Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Missi ...

team in 1908–09.

Coaching

Dougherty coached the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

's basketball team during the 1914–15 season, and compiled a 5–9 record.

Educator

Dougherty was dean of the University of Tennessee College of Engineering at Knoxville from 1940 to 1956. He was also the chairman of the UT Athletic Council from 1917 to 1956. An engineering building at the school is named after him. The building caught fire in November 2006, but was later reopened. Dougherty was instrumental in the establishment of the

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 ...

, being its first secretary-treasurer.

References

External links

Tennessee Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dougherty, Nathan 1886 births 1977 deaths American football guards George Washington Revolutionaries men's basketball coaches Tennessee Volunteers football players Tennessee Volunteers basketball players All-Southern college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Scott County, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia Basketball players from Virginia American men's basketball players