C. D. Bliss

Clifford Douglas "Pop" Bliss (July 16, 1870 – March 26, 1948) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Stanford University, Haverford College, and the University of Missouri, compiling a career coaching record of 15–6–1. Bliss played football at Yale University as a halfback alongside his brother, Laurie Bliss, who went on to coach at the United States Military Academy and Lehigh University.

C. D. Bliss
Bliss pictured in The Savitar 1896, Missouri yearbook
Biographical details
Born(1870-07-16)July 16, 1870
New York, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 26, 1948(1948-03-26) (aged 77)
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Playing career
1889Yale
1891–1892Yale
Position(s)Halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1893Stanford
1894Haverford
1895Missouri
Head coaching record
Overall15–6–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 WIUFA (1895)

Playing career

Bliss was born in New York City and attended Yale University, where he played halfback. With his brother, Laurie Bliss, in the same backfield, he led Yale to back-to-back national championships and undefeated seasons in 1891 and 1892. Coached by Walter Camp, Yale did not allow opposing teams to score a single point in those two seasons.[1][2]

Coaching career

In 1893, Bliss was named head football coach at Stanford University.[3][4] Bliss, who had graduated from Yale the year before, was filling in for Walter Camp, who was the school's first coach in 1892 and returned in 1894. Bliss' team was undefeated with one tie.[5]

In 1894, Bliss coached Haverford College but the team did not win a single game.[4] In 1895, Bliss became the fifth head coach for the University of Missouri–Columbia Tigers located in Columbia, Missouri where his team record was 7–1.[6]

Head coaching record
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Stanford (Independent) (1893)
1893 Stanford 8–0–1
Stanford: 8–0–1
Haverford (Independent) (1894)
1894 Haverford 0–5
Haverford: 0–5
Missouri Tigers (Western Interstate University Football Association) (1895)
1895 Missouri 7–12–1T–1st
Missouri: 7–12–1
Total:15–6–1
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References
  1. "Rah! Rah! Rah! Yale!" (PDF). The New York Times. November 19, 1892. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  2. "Yale's team in fine fettle". The New York Times. November 23, 1892. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  3. "Football: Retrospective and Perspective" (PDF). Outing. 23 (2): 126. November 1893.
  4. "Missouri Head Coaches - Clifford Bliss". University of Missouri. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  5. Migdol, Gary (1997). Stanford: Home of Champions. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 13. ISBN 1-57167-116-1. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
  6. "Missouri Coaching Records". Archived from the original on July 1, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
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