David Schley Schaff (17 October 1852, in

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, located near the southern border of Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage ...

– 2 March 1941, in

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was fo ...

) was a United States

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

clergyman, educator and pioneer of American football.

Biography

He was the son of theologian and historian Philip Schaff. He prepared for college at Phillips Academy, Andover, the gymnasium at Kornthal, Germany, and at the Rugby School in England. Schaff graduated from

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

in 1873 (A.B.) and from Union Theological Seminary in 1876. In 1877, he was ordained in the Presbyterian ministry. He served as a pastor in

Hastings, Nebraska Hastings is a List of cities in Nebraska, city and the county seat of Adams County, Nebraska, Adams County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 25,152 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is known as the town where Kool-Aid ...

from 1877-1881. He then led a congregation in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

from 1881 to 1889. After traveling in the Holy Land, Schaff was called to

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

where he was a pastor from 1890 to 1897. He then became Professor of Church History at

Lane Theological Seminary Lane Seminary, sometimes called Cincinnati Lane Seminary, and later renamed Lane Theological Seminary, was a Presbyterian theological college that operated from 1829 to 1932 in Walnut Hills, Ohio, today a neighborhood in Cincinnati. Its campus ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

until 1903. Schaff then taught church history at Western Theological Seminary, an antecedent of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, until 1927. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary named an annual lecture after Schaff for his service to the seminary. In 1927, Schaff began a term as Lecturer in American Church History at Union Theological Seminary. In 1910, Schaff earned a Ph.D. from the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. He was a delegate to the Pan-Presbyterian Council at Aberdeen, Scotland in 1913. Schaff wrote extensively in the area of church history and co-edited the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia. He completed the unfinished work of his father,

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

, who had begun the History of the Christian Church before his death. The young Schaff also wrote two books on the life of John Hus. David Schley Schaff played an early role in the introduction of and development of football in the United States. A graduate of the Rugby School in England, he was familiar with the game of football. In 1872, while a student at Yale, he helped organize and served as the President of the Yale Football Association and was the Captain of Yale's first intercollegiate football team, though he was unable to play in their first game because of injury.

Works

Author

* ''Commentary on the Book of

Acts The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message ...

'' (1882) * ''Life of Philip Schaff'' (New York, 1897) * '' John Huss'' (1915)

Editor

* ''Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia'' (4 vols., 1883) * ''History of the Christian Church'' (Vols. I-II, 1907–10)

Translator

* John Huss, ''The Church'' (1915)

Notes

References

* * * This source puts him at Western Theological Seminary beginning in 1903. {{DEFAULTSORT:Schaff, David Schley 1852 births 1941 deaths American Presbyterian ministers Yale Bulldogs football players American people of German descent People from Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania