Gaylord Roscoe "Pete" Stinchcomb (June 24, 1895 – August 24, 1973) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. He played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and halfback at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

where he was selected as an All-American in 1920. He later played professional football as a

back The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column run ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

(1921–1922),

Columbus Tigers The Columbus Panhandles were a professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. The club was founded in 1901 by workers at the Panhandle shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were a part of the Ohio League from 1904 before fol ...

(1923),

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1923), and

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as ...

(1926). He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 1973.

Biography

Stinchcomb was a native of

Sycamore, Ohio Sycamore is a village in Wyandot County, Ohio, United States. The population was 861 at the 2010 census. History Sycamore was laid out in 1842, its name derived from nearby Sycamore Creek. Geography Sycamore is located at (40.950402, -83.17091 ...

. He played high school football for

Fostoria High School Fostoria High School is a public high school in Fostoria, Ohio. It is the largest high school in the Fostoria Community Schools district. Their nickname is the Redmen. They are currently members of the Northern Buckeye Conference. Ohio High Sc ...

Fostoria, Ohio Fostoria (, ) is a city located at the convergence of Hancock, Seneca, and Wood counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is approximately south of Toledo and north of Columbus. The city is known for its railroads, as app ...

, and was named an All-Ohio halfback while playing on an undefeated football team. Stinchcomb enrolled at

in 1916. He played for the Buckeyes as a quarterback and halfback in 1917, 1919 and 1920. Stinchcomb's biography at the

describes him as follows: "Although a lightweight at 165 pounds, Stinchcomb was a halfback blitz, quick and shifty as he made his way through enemy defenses." As a sophomore in 1917, Stinchcomb was selected as an All-

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

player at the quarterback position. Though All-American

Chic Harley Charles Wesley "Chic" Harley (September 15, 1895 – April 21, 1974) was an American football player and athlete, often credited with bringing Ohio State University's football program to national attention. Harley was Ohio State's first consens ...

was the veteran star of the 1917 Buckeyes team, Stinchcomb's play won him praise as a co-star of the Ohio State backfield. One newspaper wrote as follows about Stinchcomb's performance in 1917:

Stinchcomb a Star. On the campus at Ohio State they call him 'Pete,' and although the stellar performance against Northwestern was his 'curtain' affair they have learned to mention him in the same breath with 'Chic' Harley. Last season when Stinchcomb was running through the varsity as a member of the freshman eleven Ohio fans looked a year ahead and longed to see Harley and Stinchcomb paired off as halves on the same team. Today, that situation has come pass, and with what effect the season's record shows.

At the end of the 1917 season, one newspaper wrote: "Harley and his teammate, Stinchcomb, of Ohio State, outstepped their rivals and made the greatest pair of backs ever seen in the Western Conference." In April 1918, following the entry of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

into

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Stinchcomb enlisted in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

and missed the 1918 football season. He played for a Cleveland Naval football team during the 1918 season. In an 83–0 win over

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, he ran 100 yards for a touchdown. In a 14–6 win over Camp Grant, Stinchcomb was the Navy's star, kicking two extra points and returning a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. And at the end of the 1918 season, Stinchcomb scored seven points (a touchdown and an extra point) as the Cleveland Naval Reserve team defeated the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

football team, 10–9. In a profile of Stinchcomb published in November 1918, one writer observed:

The reason for such optimistic predictions is the showing Stlnchcomb has made this season in the 'unofficial' football season all grid fans have enjoyed. As backfleld man for the Cleveland Naval Reserve team -- in which branch of the service Stinchcomb has been serving -- 'Pete' has romped around opposing ends -- plunged through their lines and carried his team to the fore ranks of military and naval football ratings.

In late December 1918, Stinchcomb, described as "the star line-plunger on the Cleveland Naval Reserve eleven," announced his plan to return to Ohio State in 1919. After the war, Stinchcomb returned to Ohio State and played for the Buckeyes football team in 1919 and 1920. He also founded the Student Bookstore at Ohio State in 1920. In 1919, he played for the first Ohio State football team to defeat the University of Michigan. Stinchcomb and fellow backfield star Chic Harley were the stars in the Buckeyes' first victory over the Wolverines. At the end of the 1919 season, Stinchcomb was selected as a first-team All-Western quarterback. With Harley's graduation, Stinchcomb was the star of Ohio State's 1920 football team. The 1920 group led by Stinchcomb became Ohio State's first undefeated football team, and at the end of the season Stinchcomb was selected as a first-team All-American. Ohio State coach

John Wilce John Woodworth Wilce (May 12, 1888 – May 17, 1963) was an American football player and coach, physician, and university professor. He served as the head football coach at Ohio State University from 1913 to 1928, compiling a record of 78–33–9 ...

later recalled the efficiency of the two stars of his 1920 team: "'Workmen to Stinchcomb' was a phrase almost as common in the west as the famous 'Tinker to Evers to Chance.' Hoge Workman at quarter and Pete Stinchcomb at right half played every phase of footpall expertly but they had developed the aerial game to the last degree of efficiency. ... Stinchcomb was perhaps the outstanding star of the squad. The critics unanimously picked him for all-American halfback." While traveling to

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

in December 1920 to play in the 1921 Rose Bowl, Stinchcomb announced that he would marry Anne Jane Summers of

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. The two remained married for more than 50 years until Stinchcomb's death in 1973. Stinchcomb also competed for Ohio State in baseball and track and field. As a senior, he won the 1921 NCAA championship in the

broad jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

. Stinchcomb played several years of professional football. He played two years for

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chic ...

(1921–1922) and also played some for the

(1923), the

(1923), and the

(1926). He was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 1921 and 1922 and a second-team All-Pro in 1923. Stinchcomb returned to Ohio State as a backfield coach in 1935. After retiring from football, Stinchcomb served as president of Linworth Homes Inc. of

Findlay, Ohio Findlay ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Ohio, United States. The second-largest city in Northwest Ohio, Findlay lies about 40 miles (64 km) south of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The population was 40,313 at the 2020 United St ...

and

Uhrichsville, Ohio Uhrichsville( ) is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,413 at the 2010 census. Claymont City School District is the major education provider for the city of Uhrichsville and for the village of Dennison, Ohio. The ...

, and as president of Eagle Creek Utility Co. of Findlay. Stinchcomb and his wife, Anne Jane, lived in

Upper Arlington, Ohio Upper Arlington, often known by its initials U.A., is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Old Arlington neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ...

for many years, but moved to

in 1968 when he became president of Linworth Homes. In 1973, Stinchcomb was elected to the

, but he died at age 78 before the induction ceremony was conducted. There i
a street
named after him nearby the Ohio State campus.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stinchcomb, Gaylord 1895 births 1973 deaths American football halfbacks American football quarterbacks Chicago Staleys players Chicago Bears players Cleveland Indians (NFL 1923) players Columbus Panhandles coaches Columbus Tigers players Louisville Colonels (NFL) players Ohio State Buckeyes football coaches Ohio State Buckeyes football players All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Sycamore, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio People from Findlay, Ohio