Joe Fogg
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
July 6, 1882 Mount Vernon, Iowa |
| Died |
December 2, 1946 (aged 64) Shaker Heights, Ohio |
| Playing career | |
| 1901-1903 | Wisconsin |
| 1904 | Akron East Ends |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1907–1910 | Case Tech |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 26-8-4 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| |
Joseph G. Fogg (July 6, 1882 - December 2, 1946) was an American football player for the Wisconsin Badgers and the Akron East Ends. Born in Mount Vernon, Iowa, he was also the founder and president of the Cleveland Touchdown Club as well as prominent attorney in Cleveland, Ohio. At the beginning of his law career he had practiced law part-time and coached the East High School football team. From 1907 to 1910, he was the head football coach at Case School of Applied Science, now known as Case Western Reserve University. He was later inducted into the school's varsity hall of fame on April 4, 1986.
Fogg was also a part-owner of the Cleveland Rams of the National Football League.
Playing career
1904 Akron-Massillon Ohio League Championship
In a Thanksgiving Day game between the Massillon Tigers and Akron East Ends was scheduled to determine the champion of the "Ohio League", which was the direct predecessor to the modern National Football League. During the game Massillon score the first touchdown of the game (which counted as five points at the time) and made the extra point to make the score 6–0. In the last moments of the game though, Akron scored a touchdown to make the score 6–5. Fogg, who was Akron's quarterback, had to make the extra point in order for East Ends to get a share of the title. Under the rules of the time, an extra point came on a free kick straight out from where the touchdown was scored (a rule still in place in both codes of rugby but not in American football, which abolished it upon the creation of hash marks in 1932). This made for a very difficult kick by Fogg since the touchdown was scored on a difficult angle from the goal posts and he had to deal with a crosswind blowing. Fogg missed the extra point as Massillon won the title outright 6-5.
Coaching career
While at Case Tech, Fogg continued the program success created by Coach Joseph Wentworth, who had won the first four football titles of the OAC. From 1907-1910, Fogg coached for a combined winning record of 26-8-4 (0.737).
Against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Fogg earned a perfect 4-0 record, where the Ohio State Championship Award was retired to the Case trophy case.[1] Against rival Western Reserve, Fogg struggled against the teams coached by William B. Seaman, going 0-2-1. After Coach Seaman's death, Fogg would finally defeat Western Reserve in 1910, who was coached by Xen C. Scott.[2]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case (Ohio Athletic Conference) (1907–1910) | |||||||||
| 1907 | Case | 8–3 | 5–2 | ||||||
| 1908 | Case | 6–3–1 | 4–2–1 | ||||||
| 1909 | Case | 6–1–2 | 5–0–2 | ||||||
| 1910 | Case | 6–1–1 | 5–1 | ||||||
| Case: | 26–8–4 | 19–5–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 26–8–4 | ||||||||
Legacy
Fogg died on December 2, 1946 from a cerebral hemorrhage. Today the Cleveland Touchdown Club's Joe Fogg Memorial Award is presented to the national collegiate player of the year in the Midwest. His son, Joe G. Fogg, Jr., was a 1941 graduate from Princeton University and served in the American Field Service during World War II. His unit, on active duty through Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany, ultimately evacuated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. He died on April 2, 1992.
References
- Schoenfeld, Clay (1947). "Trailing the Badgers". Wisconsin Alumnus. University of Wisconsin. 48 (5): 24–26.
- PFRA Research. "Ohio Pounce Again" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–5.
- "Memorials by Name". Princeton Alumni Weekly. Princeton University. 1992.