Clifford Douglas "Pop" Bliss (July 16, 1870 – March 26, 1948) was an American
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
player and coach. He served as the head football coach at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
,
Haverford College
Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...
, and the
University of Missouri, compiling a career coaching record of 15–6–1. Bliss played football at
Yale University as a
halfback alongside his brother,
Laurie Bliss
Laurence Thornton "Laurie" Bliss (November 28, 1872 – November 12, 1942) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Military Academy in 1893 and at Lehigh University in 1895, compiling a ...
, who went on to coach at the
United States Military Academy and
Lehigh University.
Playing career
Bliss was born in
New York City and attended
Yale University, where he played halfback. With his brother,
Laurie Bliss
Laurence Thornton "Laurie" Bliss (November 28, 1872 – November 12, 1942) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Military Academy in 1893 and at Lehigh University in 1895, compiling a ...
, in the same backfield, he led Yale to back-to-back
national championships
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, i ...
and undefeated seasons in 1891 and 1892. Coached by
Walter Camp, Yale did not allow opposing teams to score a single point in those two seasons.
Coaching career
In 1893, Bliss was named head football coach at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
.
Bliss, who had graduated from Yale the year before, was filling in for
Walter Camp, who was the school's first coach in 1892 and returned in 1894. Bliss' team was undefeated with one tie.
In 1894, Bliss coached
Haverford College
Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...
but the team did not win a single game.
[ In 1895, Bliss became the fifth head coach for the University of Missouri–Columbia Tigers located in ]Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...
where his team record was 7–1.
Head coaching record
References
External links
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1870 births
1948 deaths
19th-century players of American football
American football halfbacks
Haverford Fords football coaches
Missouri Tigers football coaches
Stanford Cardinal football coaches
Yale Bulldogs football players
Players of American football from New York City
Coaches of American football from New York (state)
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