Vaulx Carter
 Carter while a cadet at the United States Naval Academy, 1882 | |
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
August 14, 1863 Tennessee |
| Died | Unknown |
| Playing career | |
| 1882 | Navy |
| Position(s) | Back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1882 | Navy |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1–0 |
|
Statistics | |
Vaulx Carter (August 14, 1863 – unknown) was an American college football coach who holds the distinction as being the Navy Midshipmen football program's first head coach. He led Navy to a 1–0 record in 1882, the only season he coached the team. He functioned as a player as well, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1884. He resigned from the Navy in 1886, and later became a treasurer for a company in New Jersey.
Early life and college
Childhood and Navy
Vaulx Carter was born in August 14, 1863, in western Tennessee, the sixteenth of seventeen children to Samuel Jefferson Carter. His mother was Anne Vaulx, the elder Carter's second wife.[1] He was raised there for the early part of his life, but was orphaned along with two of his siblings after his father died in March of 1873 and his mother died the next year. They remained orphans until February 1875, when they were adopted by a family member and spent the rest of their childhood in Pennsylvania.[1][2] On September 22, 1880, he was accepted into the United States Naval Academy for training to become a U.S. naval officer.[3][4] In his second year at the school, Carter excelled in English and drawing, but had poor discipline and received 109 demerits; using a point evaluation system, the Naval Academy gave Carter fifty-three out of a possible seventy-six points for his conduct during the year.[5] Between his second and third years, Cater sailed on the U.S.S. Constitution as a part of the Academy's summer cruise.[6] His conduct worsened that year, and he only excelled in drawing. At the end of the year, Carter received ninety-nine of a possible one-hundred fifty-two points.[7]
1882 football season
In 1879, football began as a sport at the Academy. Student William John Maxwell organized a team made up of fellow students, without any support of faculty. He organized a game with the Baltimore Athletic Club, which ended in a scoreless tie.[8][9] Maxwell graduated in 1880, and the football program ended in his absence. In 1882, Carter re-initiated and organized a new football team. He took a position as the team coach, the first in school history; he also functioned as a back when playing.[10] He scheduled a single game for the season, which was played on Thanksgiving Day against the Baltimore-based Clifton Football Club. The Clifton team was made up of players from Johns Hopkins University, who were unable to play for their school due to the administrator's negative views towards the sport.[11][9] Carter designed a maroon and white uniform for the squad and a strip of leather which was nailed to the bottom of their shoes to prevent slipping.[12]
It snowed heavily before the game, to the point where players for both teams had to clear layers of snow off of the field, making large piles of snow along the sides of the playing ground.The first half of the game went scoreless; the Baltimore American reported that "the visitors pushed Navy every place but over the goal line in the first half".[12] During play, the ball was kicked over the seawall a number of times, once going so far out it had to be retrieved by boat before play could continue.[12][13] The American described the second half in detail:[13]
- After ten minutes interval the ball was again put in play, this time being kicked off by the Cliftons. The rest period had apparently stiffened the Cliftons, for the Academy making a vigorous spurt got the ball thru them, and Street, following it up well, scored a touchdown for the Academy.[12]
- The try at goal failed, but the ball, instead of going to the Cliftons behind the line, fell into the field and into the hands of one of the Academy team. By a quick decisive run, he again got the ball over the Cliftons goal line and scored a touchdown.[14]
The Naval Academy won the contest 8-0, which made it the Academy's first ever football victory, and was the first match in which they recorded points.[15] It would remain the school's only victory until the 1884 season, and would remain as the last shutout for the school until 1886, when a squad defeated Johns Hopkins 6-0.[16] Carter's single win gives him the second fewest in Navy football history, behind interim coach Rick Lantz. However, his undefeated record and perfect win percentage remain the highest ever for the academy.[17]
Swarthmore
Carter was scheduled to graduate from the Naval Academy in 1884, but was forced to resign in 1883.[18] While performing his duties as a naval cadet, Carter became caught in a gale and fell. He received permanent injuries from the accident, which caused his resignation on June 14, 1883.[19][20] Carter entered the United States navy as an officer the same year. He served from then until September 25, 1886, when he officially resigned from the Navy.[4] Sometime between 1890 and 1893, Carter was hired as the treasurer and assignee for the Cowles Engineering Company. The organization was created in 1890 under official laws of the state of New Jersey, under the leadership of William Cowles. It served branches of the U.S. Government and the city of New York.[21] The company went into bankruptcy and failed three years later, owing its creditors over $30,000 (equivalent to $790,100 respectively in 2016[22]).[23] The year of Carter's death is unknown.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffsteam | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy Midshipmen (Independent) (1882) | |||||||||
| 1882 | Navy | 1–0 | |||||||
| Navy: | 1–0 | ||||||||
| Total: | 1–0 | ||||||||
References
- Notes
- Footnotes
- 1 2 American Genealogical Research Institute (1972), pp. 299-301
- ↑ Nashville Union and American (1875), p. 4
- ↑ Government Printing Office (1883), p. 99
- 1 2 Callahan (1969), p. 654
- ↑ Government Printing Office (1881), pp. 20, 48
- ↑ Government Printing Office (1882), p. 41
- ↑ Government Printing Office (1882), pp. 24, 54
- ↑ Navy Yearly Results 1879
- 1 2 Patterson (2000), p. 21
- ↑ Patterson (2000), pp. 21–22
- ↑ Kroll (2002), p. 14
- 1 2 3 4 Bealle (1951), p. 9
- 1 2 Patterson (2000), p. 22
- ↑ Bealle (1951), p. 10
- ↑ Baltimore American (1882)
- ↑ Naval Academy Athletic Association (2005), p. 154
- ↑ Navy Coaching Records
- ↑ Naval Academy Athletic Association (2005), p. 169
- ↑ The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1888), p. 14
- ↑ Government Printing Office (1884), p. 35
- ↑ Egbert (1893), p. 72
- ↑ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ↑ New-York Daily Tribune (1893), p. 3
- Bibliography
- Callahan, Edward William (1969). List of officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps, from 1775 to 1900. New York City: Haskell House. ISBN 0838303277.
- American Genealogy Research Institute (1972). "The Carter Family: The Sixth Generation". History of the Carter Family. Washington, D.C.: American Genealogy Research Institute. OCLC 298517.
- Egbert, Walter P. (September 16, 1893). "Trade Notes–The Cowles Engineering Company". The Engineer: Devoted to Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mechanics, and the Allied Arts (Walter P. Egbert & Sons) XXVI (6): 72. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
- Naval Academy Athletic Association (2005). "Navy: Football History" (PDF). 2005 Navy Football. United States Naval Academy. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
- Patterson, Ted (2000). Football in Baltimore: History and Memorabilia. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-6424-0.
- Staff (2013). "Navy Coaching Records". Navy Midshipmen–History. College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Staff (2013). "Navy Yearly Results–1879: 0–0–1". Navy History–Yearly Results. College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Staff (2013). "Navy Yearly Results–1880–1884". Navy History–Yearly Results. College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Staff (2013). "Vauix Carter Records by Year". All-Time Coaching Records. College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- Staff writer (November 29, 1882). "(untitled)". Baltimore American (Charles C. Fulton & Co.). OCLC 9244279.
- Staff writer (February 14, 1875). "The Courts: Decisions By the Supreme Bench". Nashville Union & American. p. 4. ISSN 2166-6105. OCLC 12190398. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- Staff writer (October 11, 1893). "Cowles Engineering Company Fails". New-York Daily Tribune (Horace Greely). p. 3. ISSN 2158-2661. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
External links
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