Gil Dobie

Gil Dobie
Dobie in 1937
Biographical details
Born(1878-01-21)January 21, 1878
Hastings, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedDecember 23, 1948(1948-12-23) (aged 70)
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Playing career
1900–1902Minnesota
Position(s)End, quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1906–1907North Dakota Agricultural
1908–1916Washington
1917–1919Navy
1920–1935Cornell
1936–1938Boston College
Basketball
1906–1908North Dakota Agricultural
Head coaching record
Overall182–45–15 (football)
17–5 (basketball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
3 national (1921–1923)
1 PCC (1916)
Awards
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1948)
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1951 (profile)

Robert Gilmour "Gloomy Gil" Dobie (January 21, 1878 – December 23, 1948) was an American football player and coach.[1][2] Over a period of 33 years, he served as the head football coach at North Dakota Agricultural College (now North Dakota State University) (1906–1907), the University of Washington (1908–1916),[3] the United States Naval Academy (1917–1919), Cornell University (1920–1935), and Boston College (1936–1938), compiling a career college football record of 182–45–15 (.783).

Dobie's Cornell teams of 1921, 1922, and 1923 have been recognized as national champions. Dobie was also the head basketball coach at North Dakota Agricultural for two seasons from 1906 to 1908, tallying a mark of 17–5. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1951. Dobie reached 100 career wins in 108 games, which stood as the NCAA record for the fewest games needed to reach 100 wins from 1921 to 2014.

  1. ^ "Dobie, ex-coach at Washington, is dead at 70". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 24, 1948. p. 8.
  2. ^ "Gil Dobie, famed grid coach, dies". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. December 24, 1948. p. 10.
  3. ^ Borland, Lynn (November 20, 2010). "Legendary coach Gil Dobie's only loss at Washington: his legacy". Seattle Times. Retrieved December 3, 2017.