Edward Larkin (American football)

Larkin was born on March 17, 1882, in Ithaca, New York, where he received his early education.[1] He played as a quarterback for Ithaca High School.[2] Larkin played baseball as a catcher for the Haverling team.[3] He enrolled at Cornell University for his undergraduate education in 1902,[3] and played on the football team. The Elmira Morning Telegram wrote, "He was a fast, tricky end, who knew all of the possibilities of the position."[4]

Larkin attended the Georgetown University School of Medicine, from which he graduated in 1908.[1] He earned a varsity letter on the Georgetown football team in 1904.[5] After college, Larkin held an internship with the Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C.[1]

Upon the expiration of his college athletic eligibility, Larkin coached football as an assistant at Cornell.[6][7] In 1907, he served as an assistant at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School under head coach Glenn "Pop" Warner,[6] and helped coach the line and played on the practice team at Georgetown.[8][9] Bill Stern later described Larkin's coaching as "a gem of brevity and logic".[10] One season at Carlisle, Larkin explained to his players the game: "Boys, football is like this: When white man has ball, knock down white man. When Indian has ball, knock down white man."[11] At Carlisle, he "drilled Warner's Indians to look after Chicago's forward passes and fake plays".[12]

He turned down the opportunity to coach at Georgetown for the 1908 season despite strong support from the school's alumni and students.[6] He instead coached the ends at Cornell as the "head field coach".[12] In October, he spent a week confined with blood poisoning before returning to the sidelines.[13] In 1906 and 1907, Larkin also managed the DuBois, Pennsylvania based DuBois Miners baseball club of the Interstate League, having played baseball in the minor leagues beginning in 1904.[14][15]

Larkin worked for many years as the club physician for the Washington Senators baseball team.[16] He was also the team physician for the Georgetown football program.[17] In 1909, while also working for the Senators, Larkin assisted Bill Lang as co-head coach at the Maryland Agricultural College (now the University of Maryland). The team finished the season with a 2–5 record.[18]

In 1911, Larkin coached the ends at Carlisle,[4] and then assisted Ray Van Orman in coaching the ends at Cornell.[19] During the 1913 season, Warner, a long-time friend, lent his assistant and former Carlisle star Albert Exendine to coach the Georgetown football team in its final games as a favor to Larkin.[20] Exendine served as head coach at Georgetown for nine more seasons.[21] Larkin suffered a brief illness and died on August 18, 1948.[1]