Thomas H. McNeil (February 29, 1860 – October 1, 1932) 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 and lawyer. He was the first

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

football player to be the starting

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 ...

in consecutive years. He led the Michigan football team to undefeated seasons in 1884 and 1885. He later became a lawyer practicing in Missouri.

Early years

McNeil was born near Burdette,

Bates County, Missouri Bates County is a county located in the west central part of the U.S. state of Missouri, two counties south of the Missouri River and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,042. Its county sea ...

, in 1860.

University of Michigan

McNeil attended the

where he graduated from the Literary Department in 1885 and the Law Department in 1886. While attending Michigan, he was the starting quarterback for the

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price atte ...

and

1885 Michigan Wolverines football team Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 &nda ...

s. He was the first player to be Michigan's starting quarterback in consecutive years. During his two years at quarterback, Michigan was undefeated. The 1884 team compiled a 2–0 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 36 to 10. The center on the 1884, snapping the ball to McNeil, was

Henry Killilea Henry James Killilea (June 30, 1863January 23, 1929) was an American baseball team owner and attorney. He was one of the founders of baseball's American League. He also played college football and baseball at the University of Michigan. Early y ...

, one of the five men who founded baseball's

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

."H.J. Killilea Dies." ''New York Times''. January 24, 1929. p. 20
/ref> McNeil led the 1885 team to a 3–0 record, with the team outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 82 to 0. During the time when McNeil was Michigan's starting quarterback, the

forward pass In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The forward pass is one of the main distinguishers between gridiron ...

was not permitted and the ball (''pictured at McNeil's side in photograph to the right'') was round, bearing a stronger resemblance to a rugby ball than a modern

Legal career and Pythians

After graduating from Michigan, McNeil began practicing law at

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. In January 1901, McNeil became a lawyer in the Claims Department of the Kansas City Railways Company, a position he held for more than 21 years. In later years, he was responsible for making accident reports to the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Public Service Commission of Missouri. At the time of his 21st anniversary with the company, the ''Railwayan'' noted:

The life of Tom McNeil has been a success because he has possessed the three necessary qualifications – honest, industry and a vision for the future. His word is as sacred as his signed contract. He is always the first to arrive at his office in the morning and never fails to accomplish a full day's work. ... It is too bad that such men as Tom H. McNeil of such sterling worth and integrity cannot live forever.

In addition to his legal career, McNeil was a member and leader in the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

, a

fraternal organization A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...

and

secret society A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

founded in 1864. He served as the 30th Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias from 1899 to 1900.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNeil, Thomas H. 1860 births 19th-century players of American football American football quarterbacks Michigan Wolverines football players Missouri lawyers People from Bates County, Missouri Players of American football from Missouri 1932 deaths

Early years

University of Michigan

Legal career and Pythians

See also

References