Ernest Edward West (July 7, 1867 – July 16, 1914) was the organizer,
head coach, and player of
Georgia Tech's first football team.
West was born in
Rome, Georgia
Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statisti ...
in 1867 and graduated from the
United States Naval Academy in 1888.
After graduation, he resigned his commission and practiced law in
Georgia before becoming a professor at the
Georgia school of Technology.
In 1892, he organized Georgia Tech's first football team, acted as coach and captain, and played
halfback.
It was only season he would coach or play for the school. During the
Spanish–American War, West served as a captain of marines.
On June 14, 1914, during custody dispute over his nine-year-old daughter, West was found in a
Chattanooga, Tennessee hotel room with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
He survived his injuries, but died of
kidney failure in
Rhea Springs, Tennessee
Rhea Springs was a community once located along the Piney River in Rhea County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Originally established in the 19th century as a health resort, the community was inundated when the completion of Watt ...
on July 17, 1914.
Head coaching record
References
External links
*
1867 births
1914 deaths
19th-century players of American football
American football halfbacks
Coaches of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)
Deaths from kidney failure
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players
Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state)
Player-coaches
Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)
Sportspeople from Rome, Georgia
United States Naval Academy alumni
{{1890s-collegefootball-coach-stub