J. W. H. Pollard

John William Hobbs "Doc" Pollard (February 22, 1872 – May 2, 1957) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Union College in Schenectady, New York, from 1897 to 1899, at Lehigh University in 1901, at the University of Rochester from 1902 to 1904, at the University of Alabama from 1906 to 1909, and at Washington and Lee University from 1910 to 1911, compiling a career college football record of 56–43–8. Pollard also coached baseball at Alabama from 1907–1910 and at Washington and Lee, tallying a career college baseball mark of 86–31–1.

J. W. H. Pollard
Pollard pictured in The Calyx 1913, Washington and Lee yearbook
Biographical details
Born(1872-02-22)February 22, 1872
Brentwood, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedMay 2, 1957(1957-05-02) (aged 85)
Haverhill, Massachusetts, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1891–1892Dartmouth
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1897–1899Union (NY)
1901Lehigh
1902–1904Rochester (NY)
1906–1909Alabama
1910–1911Washington and Lee
Basketball
1901–1912Lehigh
1910–1913Washington and Lee
Baseball
1907–1910Alabama
1912–1913Washington and Lee
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1907–1910Alabama
Head coaching record
Overall56–43–8 (football)
95–55 (basketball)
86–31–1 (baseball)

Early life and education

Pollard was born on February 22, 1872, in Brentwood, New Hampshire. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1895 and earned an MD from the University of Vermont in 1901.[1]

Coaching career

Union

Pollard served as the head coach at Union College in Schenectady, New York, from 1897 to 1899.[2]

Lehigh

Pollard was the ninth head football coach for at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and he held that position for the 1901 season. His coaching record at Lehigh was 1–11.[3]

Alabama

Pollard was named the head football coach at the University of Alabama where he stayed from 1906 until the end of the 1909 season. He found more success at Alabama, where his teams accumulated a record of 21–4–5. Against Auburn in his first season, Pollard used a "military shift" never before seen in the south.[4]

His success at Alabama was not without failures. The first season Pollard coached the Crimson Tide, they achieved a record of 5–1. However, that one loss was a 78–0 thrashing by Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. 1907, Pollard's second season at Alabama, was similar. The team produced a record of 5–1–2. However, the one loss was a 54–4 pounding by Sewanee. By 1909, his team produced more consistent results. No team scored on the Crimson Tide until the last two games, and their only loss came in the last game of the season by a score of 12–6 against LSU at home.

Washington and Lee

Pollard coached at Washington and Lee University in 1911, finishing with a record of 4–2–2.

Death

Pollard died on May 2, 1957.[5]

Head coaching record

Football
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Union Garnet (Independent) (1897–1899)
1897 Union 4–4–1
1898 Union 8–1
1899 Union 1–5–1
Union: 13–10–1
Lehigh Brown and White (Independent) (1901)
1901 Lehigh 1–11
Lehigh: 1–11
Rochester Yellowjackets (Independent) (1902–1905)
1902 Rochester 3–6
1903 Rochester 4–4
1904 Rochester 6–3
Rochester: 13–13
Alabama Crimson Tide (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1906–1909)
1906 Alabama 5–14–1
1907 Alabama 5–1–23–1–2
1908 Alabama 6–1–12–1–1
1909 Alabama 5–1–24–1–2
Alabama: 21–4–513–4–5
Washington and Lee Generals (Independent) (1910–1911)
1910 Washington and Lee 4–3
1911 Washington and Lee 4–2–2
Washington and Lee: 8–5–2
Total:56–43–8

References
  1. Emerson, Charles Franklin (1911). General Catalogue of Dartmouth College and the Associated Schools 1769-1910. Concord, New Hampshire: Rumford Press. p. 390. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  2. Annual Catalogue of Union University. Union University. 1895. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  3. Lehigh Coaching Records Archived December 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Walsh, Christopher (2016-09-15). 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know & do Before They die. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781633196445.
  5. "Dr. Pollard Dies; Former Dart. Coach". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. Associated Press. May 3, 1957. p. 23. Retrieved March 13, 2018 – via Newspapers.com open access.
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