Robert Treat Paine Storer (April 17, 1893 – February 5, 1962)
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 wi ...
player for
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
. In 1912, he scored Harvard's first touchdown against Yale since 1901 and was selected as a first-team
All-American at the
tackle position. In 1913, he was captain of Harvard's last undefeated, untied football team until 2001. During
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 ...
, Storer was cited for bravery for his actions in saving a French officer while on a reconnaissance mission.
Biography
Early years
Storer was a native of
Boston, Massachusetts, and the grandson of Dr.
Horatio Robinson Storer
Horatio Robinson Storer (February 27, 1830 – September 18, 1922) was an American physician, numismatist, and anti-abortion activist.
Early life and medical career
Storer was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and attended the Boston Latin School ...
(1830–1922), a Boston
gynecologist
Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined ...
.
He was the son of John Humphreys Storer (b. 1859) and Edith Paine, daughter of lawyer Robert Treat Paine
Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731 – May 11, 1814) was an American lawyer, politician and Founding Father of the United States who signed the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence as a representative of Massachusetts. ...
.[ Storer attended preparatory school at ]Noble and Greenough School
The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and five-day boarding school for students in grades seven through twelve. It is near Boston on a campus that borders the Charles River in Dedham, Massa ...
in Boston, where he played football at the center position.[ He was 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds.][
]
Harvard
Storer enrolled at Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1910 and played at the center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
position on the freshman football team.[ As a sophomore in 1911, he played for Harvard's varsity football team, moving from center to the tackle position. He also played tackle for Harvard's football team in 1912 and 1913.
In 1912, Storer scored Harvard's first touchdown in the Yale game, making him the first Harvard player to score a touchdown against Yale since Thomas Graydon accomplished the feat in 1901. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1912 by Robert Edgren, W.J. MacBeth, and Tommy Clark.
In January 1913, his teammates selected him as the captain of the 1913 Harvard football team.] The 1913 team was the last undefeated, untied Harvard team (9-0-0) until the 2001 team matched the feat. Storer saved the perfect record in a close game with Princeton in 1913. Playing on a muddy field, Storer blocked a Princeton punt and fell on the ball. Teammate Charley Brickley then drop-kicked the ball from the 19-yard line for the only points scored in the game.
World War I
During 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 ...
, Storer served in the U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
, attained the rank of major, and served as the commander of Battery E of the 305th Field Artillery. He was cited for bravery for his actions on September 6, 1918. While reconnoitering a forward position for his battery near Serval, France, Storer passed outside the American lines and carried on his reconnaissance until stopped by fire from German snipers that wounded a French officer accompanying Storer. "Although under carefully directed fire and in grave danger, he attended the French lieutenant and remained with him for four hours until under cover of darkness he was able to help him to a place of safety."
Later years
Storer served as a member of the board of directors of Boston YMCA starting in 1924 and was elected president of the organization in 1936.[ He also served as chairman of the management committee of the Army and Navy ]YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...
.
Storer was also the President of The Storer Associates, Inc., and had a long association with Boston's Northeastern University. He was a member of Northeastern's board of trustees from 1936 until at least 1960 and a member of the Executive Committee from 1936-1943.
Storer was married to his first cousin, Dorothy (Paine) Storer. Their son Robert Treat Paine Storer, Jr., was a noted real estate developer and philanthropist in Boston.[
]
See also
* 1912 College Football All-America Team
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Storer, Bob
1893 births
1962 deaths
American football tackles
Harvard Crimson football players
United States Army personnel of World War I
United States Army officers
Players of American football from Boston
Noble and Greenough School alumni
YMCA leaders