Harry C. Graves
Harry Cornelius Graves (April 25, 1898 – January 3, 1966) was an American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute—now known as Virginia State University in 1923, and Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio from 1924 to 1933. His 1931 Wilberforce Green Wave football team was undefeated and recognized as a black college football national champion.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 25, 1898 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | January 3, 1966 (aged 67) Leonardtown, Maryland, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1918 | Michigan Agricultural |
| 1921–1922 | Michigan Agricultural |
| Position(s) | Fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1923 | Virginia Normal |
| 1924–1933 | Wilberforce |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1923–1924 | Virginia Normal |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 61–12–14 (football) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 black college national (1931) | |
Graves played high school football in Pratt, Kansas and college football at Michigan Agricultural College—now known as Michigan State University.[1] He succeeded Harry R. Jefferson at Wilberforce in 1924.[2] He earned a master's degree from Ohio State University in 1933.[3][4]
Graves died on January 3, 1966, at St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown, Maryland.[5]
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Normal Trojans (Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1923) | |||||||||
| 1923 | Virginia Normal | 4–3 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
| Virginia Normal: | 4–3 | 3–3 | |||||||
| Wilberforce Green Wave (Independent) (1924–1933) | |||||||||
| 1924 | Wilberforce | 3–1–2 | |||||||
| 1925 | Wilberforce | 7–2 | |||||||
| 1926 | Wilberforce | 6–2 | |||||||
| 1927 | Wilberforce | 5–1–2 | |||||||
| 1928 | Wilberforce | 4–1–4 | |||||||
| 1929 | Wilberforce | 7–1–1 | |||||||
| 1930 | Wilberforce | 7–1–1 | |||||||
| 1931 | Wilberforce | 8–0 | |||||||
| 1932 | Wilberforce | 4–0–3 | |||||||
| 1933 | Wilberforce | 6–0–1 | |||||||
| Wilberforce: | 57–9–14 | ||||||||
| Total: | 61–12–14 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- "Harry Graves Has Winning Team". The Pratt Republican. Pratt, Kansas. November 14, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved October 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com
. - "Grid Mentors Change Posts". The Black Dispatch. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. September 4, 1924. p. 8. Retrieved October 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Locker Room Gossip". The Galion Inquirer. Galion, Ohio. Associated Negro Press. September 20, 1933. p. 4. Retrieved October 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Harry C. Graves, Coach At Wilberforce Resigns". Mansfield News-Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. May 10, 1934. p. 16. Retrieved October 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Harry Graves Dies After Suffering Heart Attack". The Entreprise. Lexington Park, Maryland. January 6, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via St. Mary's County Library.