Lorin Fuller Deland (October 11, 1855 – May 2, 1917) was head coach of 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 for three games in 1895, after having been a football "adviser" to the team beginning in 1892. He invented the "

flying wedge A flying wedge (also called flying V or wedge formation, or simply wedge) is a configuration created from a body moving forward in a triangular formation. This V-shaped arrangement began as a successful military strategy in ancient times when inf ...

" formation, which was unveiled in a 6-0 loss to Yale in the championship game of 1892. Later, Deland collaborated with former

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 ...

coach

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage and the system ...

on the seminal book titled ''Football'', published in 1896.

Background

Deland was born on October 11, 1855 and grew up in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

’s South End. He graduated from

The English High School The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...

in 1872 and upset his family by rejecting an opportunity to attend

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 order to become an actor. He performed for the Boston Museum company until 1877, when he co-founded the Park Dramatic Club. During his acting career, Deland worked for his father’s publishing business, which he took over following his father’s death. On May 12, 1880, he married

Margaret Deland Margaret Deland (born Margaretta Wade Campbell; February 23, 1857 – January 13, 1945) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. She also wrote an autobiography in two volumes. She generally is considered part of the literary ...

, who later gained fame as a novelist, short story writer, and poet. Deland sold father's publishing company in 1886 to go into advertising, as well as opening a greeting card business. Margaret's writing career began by authoring verses for her husband's greeting cards.Levenson, J. C. ''Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary'' (Edward T. James, editor). Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1971: Vol. I, 454. The Delands had no children, but opened their home to unwed mothers. Deland was raised Unitarian but later joined the

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

Trinity Church due to his admiration of

Phillips Brooks Phillips Brooks (December 13, 1835January 23, 1893) was an American Episcopal clergyman and author, long the Rector of Boston's Trinity Church and briefly Bishop of Massachusetts. He wrote the lyrics of the Christmas hymn, "O Little Town of ...

. By 1892, Deland was working as a

business consultant A business consultant (from Latin ''consultare'', "to discuss") is a professional who provides professional or expert advice or service in a particular area such as security (electronic or physical), management, accountancy, law, human resources, ma ...

with around 15 clients.

Football and the flying wedge

Deland never played football or even attended a football game until 1891, when he attended the Harvard–Yale game in Springfield. Deland, who studied

military strategy Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek word '' strategos'', the term strategy, when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow s ...

as a hobby, saw similarities between the sport and war. He analyzed football as if it were a battlefield and devised plays based on his study of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and military tactics. Once he was convinced he had plays that could be used on the field he presented them to Captain

Bernard Trafford Bernard Walton Trafford (July 2, 1871 – January 3, 1942) was an American banker and college football and baseball player. Personal life Trafford was born July 2, 1871, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts to William Bradford and Rachel Mott Davis ...

, Everett J. Lake, and some other members of the Harvard football team, who used them during the 1892 season. Deland's biggest innovation was the latest and greatest of the mass-momentum plays, the fabled "flying wedge." He theorized that the key to the sport was to catapult all one's strength at the enemy's weakest point. He worked with the Harvard team on a voluntary basis to perfect the flying wedge, a violent assault by several men on a single opponent. Deland Flying Wedge

Walter Camp's confidante Theodore S. Woolsey reported to Camp in July 1892 that Lorin Deland was adapting "military strategy to football" and "testing the practicability of these new plays." Yet, Woolsey questioned whether Harvard players could carry them out. He noted: "To work them out at all would require a standard of team play which Harvard is not usually up to. Harvard's 1892 team had an undefeated 10-0 record heading into its end-of-year showdown with the

Yale Bulldogs The Yale Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two NCAA national championships in women's fencing, four in ...

, coached by football pioneer

. Though the team had been working on the flying wedge formation since the pre-season, Deland was saving its unveiling for the Yale game. Against Yale in 1892, Harvard opened the second half with a kickoff, but in those days it was legal to tap the ball and then put it in play by running with it or handing or pitching to a teammate. Using this strategy, Harvard implemented their devastating new play. According to football historian Parke H. Davis: Despite the effectiveness of the flying wedge, Yale won the game 6-0. In 1894, Deland, William A. Brooks, and

Robert Bacon Robert Bacon (July 5, 1860 – May 29, 1919) was an American statesman and diplomat. He was also a leading banker and businessman who worked closely with Secretary of State Elihu Root, 1905-1909, and served as United States Secretary of Sta ...

took over coaching duties following the death of George A. Stewart, with Brooks serving as the head coach. Brooks was unable to coach the team in 1895 and Harvard did not have a head coach until

Robert Emmons Robert Wales Emmons II (December 28, 1872 – April 18, 1928) was an American football player, coach, yachtsman, and millionaire. He played and coached college football for Harvard University from 1891 to 1895. He later had a successful career in ...

took over on October 21, 1895. Deland assisted Emmons, supervising the Crimson offense. On November 3, the day after the Crimson lost 12-4 to

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

, the coaching staff met and elected Deland as its new head coach. Deland led the team to a 4-0 win over the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

, a 0-0 tie with the

Boston Athletic Association The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit, running-focused, organized sports association for the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Marathon, the ...

, and a 17-14 loss to Penn, the closest game the undefeated Quakers played all year. Deland was credited with improving the team’s performance and Captain

Edgar Wrightington Edgar Newcomb Wrightington (July 30, 1875 – October 31, 1945) was an American college football player and coach. He attended Harvard University, where he played as a halfback for the Harvard Crimson and was selected to the 1896 College Football ...

secured Deland’s services for 1896. However, on April 4, 1896, Deland resigned as head coach, citing business pressure. Deland and Yale coach Walter Camp collaborated in 1896 to write their comprehensive study of the sport, titled simply ''Football''. The diagrammed plays in the book were drawn by Deland's wife.

Later life

From 1904 to 1907, Deland managed the

Castle Square Theatre The Castle Square Theatre (1894–1932) in Boston, Massachusetts, was located on Tremont Street in the South End, Boston, South End. The building existed until its demolition in 1933. Actors who worked in stock theater there included Edmund B ...

with

Winthrop Ames Winthrop Ames (November 25, 1870 – November 3, 1937) was an American theatre director and producer, playwright and screenwriter. For three decades at the beginning of the 20th century, Ames was an important force on Broadway, whose repertoire i ...

. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1911, but continued to work, forming the Wage-Earners Theater League that same year. Deland died on May 2, 1917 at age 62 at his apartment in Boston.

Publications

*''Football'', by Walter Camp and Lorin F. Deland. Published by Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1896 *''Imagination in Business'', Published by Harper & Brothers, 1909 *''At the Sign of the Dollar and Other Essays'', Published by Harper & Brothers, New York, 1917 *''The Musical Record: A Journal of Music-Art-Literature'', Number 415, August 1896 (edited by Deland), published by Oliver Ditson Co., Boston, 1896 *"The Lawrence Strike: A Study", ''The Atlantic Monthly'', May 1912
"Football at Harvard and at Yale"
''The Atlantic Monthly'', November 1910, pp. 700-713

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deland, Lorin F. 1855 births 1917 deaths 19th-century American actors American theatre managers and producers Episcopalians from Massachusetts Harvard Crimson football coaches People from South End, Boston Sportspeople from Boston