John Thomas Scannell (January 27, 1872 – October 2, 1951) was an American player and coach of

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 ...

, and also a physician. He was the first head coach of the football team now known as the

New Hampshire Wildcats The New Hampshire Wildcats, or 'Cats, are the American intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of New Hampshire (UNH), located in Durham. The wildcat is the school's official mascot, the colors are UNH Blue and white. The Uni ...

Biography

Scannell was from

Newmarket, New Hampshire Newmarket is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 9,430 at the 2020 census. Some residents are students and employees at the nearby University of New Hampshire in Durham. The densely settled center of town ...

, and was an 1896 graduate of

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

. He then attended

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

in Maine, before earning his medical degree in 1902 from

Baltimore Medical College University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus (formerly Maryland General Hospital) is a hospital in the downtown area of Baltimore, Maryland. The hospital was founded for teaching purposes in 1881 by a group of local doctors. The hospital h ...

. Scannell played football at Exeter, Colby and Baltimore, serving as captain on each of those teams. He was also captain of the Exeter baseball team. Scannell played

right tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...

for Exeter, including a game against New Hampshire in 1895 during which he scored a touchdown and three conversion kicks. He captained the Exeter squads of 1894 and 1895. At Colby, he played

right guard Right Guard is an American brand of deodorant and shower gel that is manufactured and sold by Thriving Brands LLC. It is the second largest brand in the male deodorant category in the United States. Right Guard was introduced in 1960 by The Gill ...

on the teams of 1896, 1897, and 1898, serving as captain in the lattermost season. In 1896, during the first-ever meeting of the Colby and New Hampshire programs, he again scored a touchdown against New Hampshire. He returned to playing right tackle for the Baltimore teams of 1899, 1900, and 1901, serving as captain during his final season with the program. In 1902, Scannell became the first head coach of the New Hampshire football team at

New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (NHC) was founded and incorporated in 1866, as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College. In 1893, NHC moved to Durham, where it became the University of New Ha ...

Durham, New Hampshire Durham is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 15,490 at the 2020 census, up from 14,638 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011. D ...

. The college would become the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...

in 1923 and would adopt the Wildcats nickname in 1926. As head coach for the 1902 and 1903 seasons, Scannell compiled a 4–9–2 record. Scannell died in

Rialto, California Rialto is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 56 miles east of Los Angeles, near the Cajon Pass, Interstate 15, Interstate 10, State Route 210 and Metrolink routes. Its population was 104,026 as of the 2020 Census, u ...

, in October 1951; he had lived in California for 29 years. He was an elder in the

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), is an American-based international church, and is the second-largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. The churc ...

. His wife, Myrtle, had died in 1938. They had two children; a son, John R., who was killed in action in Italy in December 1943, and a daughter, Mary.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scannell, John 1872 births 1951 deaths People from Newmarket, New Hampshire Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Colby Mules football players University of Maryland School of Medicine alumni New Hampshire Wildcats football coaches Players of American football from New Hampshire Coaches of American football from New Hampshire Physicians from New Hampshire