Vernon Prichard
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Major General Vernon Edwin "Prich" Prichard (January 25, 1892 − July 10, 1949) 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 ...
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 ...
and
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
. He played
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 ...
with
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
and was selected as a first-team All-American in 1914. He became a career officer in the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of major general. He was lifelong friends with
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
classmate Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower. He served overseas during both
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 ...
and
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 ...
, and during the latter he commanded the 14th Armored Division in the United States from 1942 to 1944 and the 1st Armored Division from 1944 to 1945 during the Italian campaign.


Early years

A native of
Onawa, Iowa Onawa is a city in, and the county seat of, Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,906 at the time of the 2020 Census. It is the largest town on the Iowa side of the Missouri River between Council Bluffs and Sioux City. Hist ...
, Prichard was the son of attorney J.A. Prichard. The younger Prichard began his education at Morningside College in
Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...
, where he also played football and established a reputation as a passer. In November 1910, while he was a student at Morningside, Prichard received word that he had been appointed to the
United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
(USMA) at
West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...
. He enrolled at West Point on June 11, 1911.


U.S. Military Academy

While serving as a cadet at West Point, Prichard played for the Academy's football and baseball teams. He gained his greatest fame in football as the quarterback for the
Army Black Knights football The Army Black Knights football team, historically known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. The Black Knights team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Ath ...
team from 1912 to 1914. Prichard's teammates on the Army football teams included two of the leading generals of
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 ...
,
Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (12 February 1893 – 8 April 1981) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He wa ...
, who played at the end position, and
Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
, who played halfback until a knee injury sidelined him.
James Van Fleet General (United States), General James Alward Van Fleet (19 March 1892 – 23 September 1992) was a United States Army officer who served during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Van Fleet was a native of New Jersey, who was raised i ...
, commander of U.S. forces in the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, also played on the 1914 West Point football team with Prichard. Although he weighed only 158 pounds, Prichard played every minute of every major game during his three years of varsity football at West Point. Prichard first gained national attention after an October 1913 game against
Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...
. Colgate led 6–0 with ten seconds left to play, when Prichard sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown to lead Army to a 7–6 victory. Throughout his football career at West Point, Prichard's favorite receiver was Louis A. Merrilat from Chicago. The passing team of "Prichard to Merrilat" was one of the first great passing combinations in college football. The Prichard-Merrilat combination gained national fame after the 1913
Army–Navy Game The Army–Navy Game is an American college football college rivalry, rivalry game between the Army Black Knights football, Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, and the Navy Midshipmen football ...
, played in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
before a crowd of 40,000 at the
Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...
. Army had not defeated
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
since 1905, and Navy was undefeated and favored to beat Army by odds of 6–1. Although Navy had allowed only seven points in its other games in 1913, Prichard and Merrilat teamed up to lead Army to a 22–9 win, with Prichard throwing two touchdown passes to Merrilat. The crowd reportedly left the Polo Grounds chanting, "Prichard-to-Merillat, Prichard-to-Merillat ..." over and over again. On the train trip back to West Point after the 1913 Navy game, the football team elected Prichard as the captain of the 1914 football team. A newspaper report announcing his election noted:
The football squad elected its next year's captain on the train trip home. They chose Cadet Vernon E. Prichard of the second class as their leader. Cadet Prichard has played quarterback on the team for two seasons and got in every game except one on the army's schedule this season. His brilliant forward passing, spectacular open field running and excellent generalship have made him one of the season's leading quarterbacks. ... His election was unanimous. He is a color sergeant in the cadet battalion and popular with his teammates and fellow cadets.
In 1914, Prichard led Army to an undefeated 9–0 season. In the final game of the season, Army defeated Navy, 20–0, as Prichard finished his college football career by throwing passes to Merrilat and Bob Neyland, who later became the football coach 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 ...
. At the end of the season, Prichard was selected as a first-team All-American quarterback. At West Point, Prichard was known to his fellow cadets by the nicknames "Prich" and "Nigger". A profile of Prichard in a West Point yearbook noted:
It's hard to tell the truth about Prich for no one knows just what it is. Some move him right up beside St. Peter and hand him a 'New Model Harp' with printed directions for playing, while others give him a dog's name and call him Nigger. But wherever you rank him, it's a safe bet that he'll feel right at home. He'll borrow his Satanic Majesty's opera cloak for the first night or slap the old Saint on the back and ask him for Bull and papers."


Military career


Early years

Upon graduating from the Academy in June 1915, Prichard received the rank of second lieutenant and was assigned to the 1st Infantry Regiment. He served at
Eagle Pass, Texas Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County, Texas, United States. Its population was 28,130 as of the 2020 census. Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across the ...
, from September 1915 to April 1916 and participated in the
Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...
into Mexico from April to August 1916. While serving in Mexico, Prichard was promoted to the rank of
first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
. Prichard returned to West Point for temporary duty during the fall of 1916 but returned to Mexico from December through February 1917.


World War I

In May 1917, a month following the
American entry into World War I The United States entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began in Europe. Apart from an Anglophile element urging early support for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and an a ...
, Prichard was promoted to the rank of
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 Infantry Branch. He sailed for the Western Front via
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
on January 8, 1918. He entered Germany with the Army of Occupation via Belgium and Luxembourg and served in Germany and France through June 1919.


World War II

Prichard remained lifelong friends with his backfield partner, Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower. Eisenhower later recalled that he looked for "natural leaders" from the ranks of football. Eisenhower believed that football, more than any other sport, instilled the belief that victory comes from teamwork and dedication. He identified Prichard as one of the officers with football background who had "measured up" during the war. Choosing to remain in the army in the period between the wars, he attended the
United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...
from September 1939 until June 1940. During
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 ...
, Prichard served as the
Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...
(CO) of the
27th Field Artillery Regiment The 27th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army, first Constituted in 1918 in the National Army (USA). History The 27th Artillery was constituted on 2 August 1918, and assigned to the 9th Division at C ...
from 1940–41, and received a promotion to colonel in the
Army of the United States The Army of the United States was one of the four major service components of the United States Army. Today, the Army consists of the Regular Army, the Army National Guard of the United States, the Army National Guard while in the service of the ...
(AUS) on April 26, 1941. He served as
chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
of the 4th Armored Division from 1941–42. On February 16, 1942 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general (AUS). and was again promoted, on September 9, to major general (AUS). At the same time he was made Commanding General (CG) of the 14th Armored Division, a post he held until July 1944. From July 1944 until September 1945, after the
end of World War II in Europe The end of World War II in Europe occurred in May 1945. Following the Death of Adolf Hitler, suicide of Adolf Hitler on 30 April, leadership of Nazi Germany passed to Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz and the Flensburg Government. Soviet Union, Soviet t ...
, he was the CG of the 1st "Old Ironsides" Armored Division during the Italian campaign, including the Battle of the
Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...
,
Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain (, , or ) is a major geographical feature of northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetian Plain, Venetic extension not actu ...
and the
Spring 1945 offensive in Italy The Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the final Allies of World War II, Allied attack during the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. The attack in the Lom ...
. Prichard and Eisenhower exchanged correspondence during the war. Shortly after the United States entered the war, in December 1941, Eisenhower wrote a letter to Prichard in which he confided, "this is a long tough road we have to travel." In an oft-quoted passage, Eisenhower continued his comments to Prichard, noting that, "men that can do things are going to be sought out just as surely as the sun rises in the morning," and, "fake reputations, habits of glib and clever speech, and glittering surface performances are going to be discovered." During the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
in late December 1944, Prichard wrote to Eisenhower, reminding him of what their football coach had taught them: "If things break badly or go against you -- stay with it all the harder." Eisenhower's biographer, Matthew Holland, later wrote that Eisenhower had learned important lessons on the football playing field at West Point, and concluded: "World War II was won on the playing fields of West Point, and Ike would prove to be the quarterback of the winning team." After World War II, Prichard became the Chief of the Army Public Information Division. In February 1949,
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
promoted Prichard from the permanent rank of brigadier general to major general.


Death and funeral

Prichard was killed in a yacht explosion in July 1949. He was part of a group that had boarded the yacht ''Halcyon'' for a picnic cruise on the
Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
The craft was within yards of the dock at the Corinthian Yacht Club when an explosion destroyed the vessel. Prichard was thrown into the Potomac and killed instantly. Navy Commodore Wilfred Painter was also killed in the blast. Philadelphia soldier, diplomat and socialite Col. Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr. dove into the Potomac in an effort to save Prichard and recovered his body. Prichard's funeral was held at the chapel of
Fort Myer Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army Military base, post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and ...
, adjacent to
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. ...
. The Army's chief of chaplains officiated at the funeral, and the honorary pallbearers included Secretary of the Army, Gordon Gray, and classmates from the West Point class of 1915, including Dwight Eisenhower.


Decorations

Below is the ribbon bar of Major General Vernon Prichard:


See also

* 1914 College Football All-America Team


References


Bibliography

*


External links

*
Generals of World War II
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Prichard, Vernon 1892 births 1949 deaths American football quarterbacks Army Black Knights baseball players Army Black Knights football players Morningside Mustangs football players United States Army generals United States Army War College alumni United States Army Infantry Branch personnel Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Officers of the Legion of Honour American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939–1945 Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Monona County, Iowa Graduates of the United States Military Academy Class of 1915 United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II Military personnel from Iowa College honor society founders