| Willard H. Gildersleeve | |
|---|---|
| Gildersleeve as Meriden H.S. coach in 1913
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| Sport(s) | Football |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | September 17, 1886 |
| Place of birth | Gildersleeve, Connecticut |
| Died | July 1976 (aged 89) |
| Place of death | Wayne, New Jersey |
| Playing career | |
| Wesleyan | |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1909 1910 1911 1913–1916 1917 |
New Hampshire Massachusetts Westminster Meriden H.S. Hyannis H.S. |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 6–14–3 |
| Statistics | |
| College Football Data Warehouse | |
Willard Harvey Gildersleeve (September 17, 1886 – July 1976) was an American college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of New Hampshire, University of Massachusetts, and Westminster College.[1]
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Gildersleeve was born on September 17, 1886 in Gildersleeve, Connecticut.[2] He graduated from Middletown High School in 1903, and attended college at Wesleyan University, where he played baseball and football.[3] The Meriden Daily Record called him a "star" athlete at Wesleyan.[4] He graduated with a B.S. in 1908.[3] He then undertook postgraduate studies at Harvard University Summer School of physical training from 1909 to 1910.[3] Gildersleeve served as the "physical director" at St. Lawrence University during that same time.[3][5]
He coached at New Hampshire in 1909 and amassed a 3–4 record.[6] Gildersleeve coached UMass in 1910 and amassed a 1–6–2 record.[6] He then coached Westminster in 1911 and amassed a 2–4–1 record.[1] On October 7, 1911, he was arrested after a brawl erupted during the game against Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Gazette Times criticized the law enforcement response in the incident:
"The arrest of Gildersleeve appeared ridiculous, in that he was the only one of the crowd taken by the police. He is a small man and two big policmen grabbed him and took him across the field in full view of the crowd. The police acted as though Gildersleeve was a desperate criminal. This act failed to make a hit with the crowd, who were inclined to poke fun at the police for their brave act."[7]
In 1913, Meriden High School hired Gildersleeve as a teacher and head football coach.[4] He also coached baseball at the school.[8] In 1917, he coached baseball at Hyannis High School, and in his one season tenure, guided the team to the Cape Cod High School Championship.[9]
Gildersleeve married Gertrude Isabell née Sugden in 1909, and as of 1921, the couple had two children, a son and a daughter.[2] He wrote extensively on genealogy,[10] and in 1914, authored a book on his own family titled Gildersleeves of Gildersleeve, Conn. and the Descendants of Philip Gildersleeve. In the foreword he noted, "Ignorance of one's family is inexcusable and a source of future trouble. The family is the key of all progress, of all permanent success."[11]
He died in July 1976 at the age of 89 in Wayne, New Jersey.[10] He is interred at the Portland Burial Ground in Portland, Connecticut.[10]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Rank# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire (Independent) (1909) | |||||||||
| 1909 | New Hampshire | 3–4 | |||||||
| Massachusetts (Independent) (1910) | |||||||||
| 1910 | Massachusetts | 1–6–2 | |||||||
| Westminster (Independent) (1911) | |||||||||
| 1911 | Westminster | 2–4–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 6–14–3 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
| †Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches' Poll. | |||||||||
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