Elmer William McDevitt (December 9, 1887 – May 4, 1940) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

from 1920 to 1921 and at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

from 1923 to 1924, compiling a career

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 ...

record of 14–15–2. McDevitt was born on December 9, 1887, in

Cloquet, Minnesota Cloquet ( ) is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States, at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 33. Part of the city lies within the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and serves as one of the reservation's three admi ...

. He attended

Duluth Central High School Duluth Central High School, also known as Central High School, was a secondary school located in Duluth, Minnesota, which educated students in grades ten through twelve until seventh and eighth were added after the closing of Washington Junior Hi ...

and

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

for prep school. He then attended

Yale University 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 wo ...

, where he played on the

Yale Bulldogs football The Yale Bulldogs football program represents Yale University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Yale's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun competing ...

team as a

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 ...

in 1910 and 1911, before graduating in 1912. In 1912 McDevitt served as field coach for the Yale football team before joining the Navy football team as line coach late in the season. He coach the linemen for the

Minnesota Golden Gophers football The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represents the University of Minnesota in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Founded in 1882, Minnesota has been a member of the Big Ten Conference since its ince ...

team in 1913. In 1914 he moved to Northwestern as line coach. McDevitt assisted Fred J. Murphy at the

in 1922 before succeeding him as head football coach the following season. McDevitt practiced law in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

at the time.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* 1887 births 1940 deaths 20th-century American lawyers American football guards Denver Pioneers football coaches Minnesota Golden Gophers football coaches Navy Midshipmen football coaches Northwestern Wildcats football coaches Yale Bulldogs football coaches Yale Bulldogs football players Phillips Academy alumni People from Cloquet, Minnesota Sportspeople from Duluth, Minnesota Coaches of American football from Minnesota Players of American football from Duluth, Minnesota Minnesota lawyers {{1920s-collegefootball-coach-stub