Gil Dobie

Robert Gilmour "Gloomy Gil" Dobie (January 21, 1878 – December 23, 1948)[1] was an American football player and coach.[2][3] 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),[4] 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).

Gil Dobie
Biographical details
Born(1878-01-21)January 21, 1878
Hastings, Minnesota
DiedDecember 23, 1948(1948-12-23) (aged 70)
Hartford, Connecticut
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 Pacific Coast Conference (1916)
Awards
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1948)
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1951 (profile)

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.

Early life and playing career

Dobie was born in Hastings, Minnesota. He played football as an end and quarterback at the University of Minnesota.[4]

Coaching career

Dobie achieved his greatest success at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he had a remarkable 58–0–3 record as a head coach.[4][3] During his tenure, Washington had a forty-game winning streak, which is the second longest in NCAA Division I-A/FBS history.[5] His coaching career at Washington also comprised virtually all of Washington's 64-game unbeaten streak — still a college football record.[6][5]

Dobie then became the 16th head coach for the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen and held that position for three seasons, from 1917 to 1919. His coaching record at the Navy was 18–3. This ranks him 14th at the Navy in total wins and first at Navy in winning percentage (.857), as of the end of the 2007 season.[7]

After coaching at Navy, Dobie won three national championships with Cornell, in 1921, 1922, and 1923 with Eddie Kaw and George Pfann.[8] After his first season, he signed a five-year contract.[9] During his first championship season at Cornell, he collected his 100th career win, doing so in 108 games—an NCAA record that stood until 2014, when Lance Leipold reached the mark in his 106th game at Division III Wisconsin–Whitewater.[10] Dobie remains the fastest coach to 100 wins in major-college history. His career coaching record was 182 wins, 45 losses, and 15 ties, a .780 percentage. Of the 33 years he coached, he had 14 undefeated seasons.

At Boston College at least, the best play of the Dobie system was a smash-through tackle.[11] Dobie was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 as a charter member.

Dobie is buried at Lake View Cemetery in Ithaca, New York.

Head coaching record

Football
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
North Dakota Agricultural Aggies (Independent) (1906–1907)
1906 North Dakota Agricultural 5–0
1907 North Dakota Agricultural 3–0
North Dakota Agricultural: 8–0
Washington (Independent) (1908–1915)
1908 Washington 6–0–1
1909 Washington 7–0
1910 Washington 6–0
1911 Washington 7–0
1912 Washington 6–0
1913 Washington 7–0
1914 Washington 6–0–1
1915 Washington 7–0
Washington (Pacific Coast Conference) (1916)
1916 Washington 6–0–13–01st
Washington: 58–0–33–0
Navy Midshipmen (Independent) (1917–1919)
1917 Navy 7–1
1918 Navy 4–1
1919 Navy 7–1
Navy: 18–3
Cornell Big Red (Independent) (1920–1935)
1920 Cornell 6–2
1921 Cornell 8–0
1922 Cornell 8–0
1923 Cornell 8–0
1924 Cornell 4–4
1925 Cornell 6–2
1926 Cornell 6–1–1
1927 Cornell 3–3–2
1928 Cornell 3–3–2
1929 Cornell 6–2
1930 Cornell 6–2
1931 Cornell 7–1
1932 Cornell 5–2–1
1933 Cornell 4–3
1934 Cornell 2–5
1935 Cornell 0–6–1
Cornell: 82–36–7
Boston College Eagles (Independent) (1936–1938)
1936 Boston College 6–1–2
1937 Boston College 4–4–1
1938 Boston College 6–1–2
Boston College: 16–6–5
Total:182–45–15
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References
  1. Solsvik Jr., Nils M. (November 19, 2007). "Gilmour "Gloomy Gil" Dobie". College Football Coach. Find a Grave. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  2. "Dobie, ex-coach at Washington, is dead at 70". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 24, 1948. p. 8.
  3. "Gil Dobie, famed grid coach, dies". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. December 24, 1948. p. 10.
  4. Borland, Lynn (November 20, 2010). "Legendary coach Gil Dobie's only loss at Washington: his legacy". Seattle Times. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  5. "2014 NCAA Football Record Book" (PDF). NCAA. p. 117. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  6. Navy Midshipmen football coaching records Archived December 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Woodward, Stanley (April 2007). Paper Tiger: An Old Sportswriter's Reminiscences of People, Newspapers, War, and Work. ISBN 0803259611.
  8. http://www.fultonhistory.com/Process%20small/Newspapers/Rochester%20NY%20Democrat%20Chronicle/Rochester%20NY%20Democrat%20Chronicle%201948/Rochester%20NY%20Democrat%20Chronicle%201948%20-%202145.PDF
  9. "Lance Leipold fastest to 100 wins". ESPN.com. October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  10. http://newspapers.bc.edu/cgi-bin/bostonsh?a=d&d=bcheights19360501.2.24
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