John Bernard Christian Eckstorm (October 22, 1873 – October 28, 1964) was an American football player and coach. He played

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 ...

as a halfback at Dartmouth College from 1894 to 1897 and was captain of the

1897 Dartmouth football team The 1897 Dartmouth football team represented Dartmouth College in the 1897 college football season.

as a senior. Eckstorm served as two stints as the head football coach at Kenyon College in

Gambier, Ohio Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,391 at the 2010 census. Gambier is the home of Kenyon College. A major feature is a gravel path running the length of the village, referred to as "Middle Path". This ...

, in 1898 and from 1903 to 1904, and one stint at Ohio State University, from 1899 to 1901.

Early life and playing career

Dartmouth football 1897 league champions

Eckstorm grew up in Chicago and attended Lake View High School there, where excelled in athletics, captaining the football team for two years, playing baseball, and setting the Chicago interscholastic record in the broad jump. Eckstorm moved on to Dartmouth College, where he played

for four seasons, from 1894 to 1897, as a halfback. He was elected as captain of the

1897 Dartmouth football team The 1897 Dartmouth football team represented Dartmouth College in the 1897 college football season.

for his senior by his teammates, succeeding Walter McCornack.

Coaching career

Eckstorm served as the head coach at Ohio State University from 1899 to 1901, compiling a record of 22–4–3. Eckstorm was the first Ohio State Buckeyes football coach to have a winning record at the school. In his first season in 1899, the Buckeyes went 9–0–1 giving Ohio State their first undefeated season in school history. The next season, he led Ohio State to a tie against Michigan in the second meeting of the two schools. During the 1901 season, captain John Sigrist endured an injury during a game with Western Reserve University. Forty-eight hours later, he was pronounced dead and it very nearly led to the abolishment of football at Ohio State. It remains the only death because of injuries sustained during play in Ohio State history. A resolution to cancel the remainder of the season was defeated by an 18–8 vote, but it proved difficult for the Buckeyes to emotionally recover. They lost three of the last four games and Coach Eckstorm decided to leave his post at the end of the season.

Late life and death

Eckstorm was later a physician in Ohio and Chief Medical Officer at the Ohio Penitentiary. He died on October 28, 1964, at his daughter's home in Marysville, Ohio.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eckstorm, John B. 1873 births 1964 deaths 19th-century players of American football American football halfbacks Dartmouth Big Green football players Kenyon Lords football coaches Ohio State Buckeyes football coaches People from Blue Earth County, Minnesota Sportspeople from Chicago Players of American football from Chicago Physicians from Ohio