William George Lee (November 2, 1873 – February 10, 1927) 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 medical doctor. He played for the

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

team while attending

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

and was a consensus selection at the

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 ...

position on the

1901 College Football All-America Team The 1901 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various individuals who chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1901 college football season. The only two individ ...

. Lee began his college education 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 ...

. He transferred to

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1899. During the fall of 1899, he was ineligible to play for the

team, but he did play for the "scrub" team in 1900 and, based on his play with the scrubs, was "acknowledged one of the best guards Harvard has had for years."(referring to "George Lee") In 1901, Lee, at age 28, became eligible for the football team. He played at the left guard position for the

1901 Harvard Crimson football team The 1901 Harvard Crimson football team was an American football team that represented Harvard University as an independent during the 1901 college football season. In its first season under head coach Bill Reid, the team compiled a 12–0 recor ...

that compiled an undefeated 12–0 record and outscored its opponents 205 to 44. After Harvard defeated rival

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 ...

, 22–0, the ''

Boston Daily Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachus ...

'' praised Lee's work:

" ere is no lad in that Harvard eleven to whom I would sooner take off my hat to than to George Lee. His is the spirit which wins in the long run, and by the way, Harvard won yesterday simply because they had 10 men with the same spirit that animated Lee."

Eight of the eleven starters on the 1901 Harvard team, including Lee, were selected as consensus first-team selections for the 1901 College Football All-America Team. After the 1901 season, Lee was determined to be ineligible for the 1902 season under "the four-year rule", limiting a student-athlete to no more than four years of college football. Lee graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

with an M.D. degree from Harvard in 1904. He returned to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

where he established a medical practice. He died there in 1927 at the age of 53.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, George 1873 births 1927 deaths American football guards Northwestern Wildcats football players Harvard Crimson football players All-American college football players Harvard Medical School alumni Sportspeople from Leavenworth, Kansas Physicians from Illinois Players of American football from Kansas