John Van Cleve

John[lower-alpha 1] Moore Van Cleve (September 26, 1871 – January 9, 1914)[8] was an American football player and coach. He became one of the earliest known people paid to play the sport when he, Ollie Rafferty, and Peter Wright signed contracts with the Allegheny Athletic Association for $50 per game for the entire 1893 season. Only Pudge Heffelfinger and Sport Donnelly are known to have been professionals earlier.[1]

John Van Cleve
Van Cleve at Lehigh
Born:(1871-09-26)September 26, 1871
South Amboy, New Jersey, U.S.
Died:January 9, 1914(1914-01-09) (aged 42)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)End, halfback
Career history
As coach
1898Duquesne
As player
1892Lehigh
1893–1894Allegheny Athletic Association
1895Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
1896–1897Pittsburgh Athletic Club
Career highlights and awards

In 1894, during a game against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Allegheny's quarterback, A. S. Valentine, was thrown out of the game after coming to the aid of Van Cleve during a fight against Pittsburgh's Joe Trees. After several appeals, Valentine left the field reportedly "crying like a baby" by the local media. During the 1895 season, Allegheny did not field a team after learning the club was under investigation by the Amateur Athletic Union for secretly paying its players. As a result, Van Cleve played for the upstart Duquesne Country and Athletic Club.

Van Cleve played end for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club in 1896.[9] He began the following season coaching and captaining a team from Sewickley, Pennsylvania.[2][3] The Pittsburgh Post reported that he would not rejoin the Pittsburgh Athletic Club in 1897 because of PAC manager Bob Hamilton's refusal to field paid players,[10] but after a new manager took over for Hamilton during the season, Van Cleve was brought back.[3][11]

College career

Prior to his professional career, Van Cleve played college football at Lehigh University. On October 15, 1892, Van Cleve scored Lehigh's only touchdown in a loss against the Orange Athletic Club. He would play for Lehigh five days later during a 50–0 loss to the Princeton Tigers.

Van Cleve served as the head football coach at Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost—later renamed Duquesne University—in 1898.

Head coaching record
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Pittsburgh College (Independent) (1898)
1898 Pittsburgh College 6–4–1
Pittsburgh College: 6–4–1
Total:6–4–1

Notes
  1. Some modern writings refer to him as James Van Cleve,[1] at odds with contemporary sources giving his first name as John.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

References
  1. "Nov 12 Birth of pro football". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  2. "Football at Sewickley". The Pittsburg Press. September 12, 1897. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Some Solid Work". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette. November 11, 1897. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Football Gossip". The Pittsburg Press. September 22, 1895. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Alumni and Students of Lehigh University. South Bethlehem, PA: Lehigh University. May 1914. p. 190.
  6. "Football". The Pittsburg Press. November 1, 1899. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "First Mid-Week Football Game at Expo Park". The Pittsburg Press. October 9, 1900. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "John M. VanCleve". Obituary. The Herald. Sewickley, PA. January 17, 1914. p. 3.
  9. PFRA Research. "Last Hurrah in Allegheny: The 3A's Exit in a Blaze of Glory: 1896" (PDF). Professional Football Researchers Association. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  10. "Football Notes". The Pittsburg Post. October 30, 1897. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Good Players on Both Sides". The Pittsburg Post. November 16, 1897. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.

Additional sources
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