Laurie Bliss
Laurence Thornton "Laurie" Bliss (November 28, 1872 – November 12, 1942) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Military Academy in 1893 and at Lehigh University in 1895, compiling a career college football record of 7–11. Bliss played football at Yale University as a halfback alongside his brother, C. D. "Pop" Bliss, who went on to coach at Stanford University, Haverford College, and the University of Missouri. After graduation, he played with the amateur Chicago Athletic Association.[1]
 Bliss pictured in The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association football guide, 1893 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 28, 1872 New York, New York |
| Died | November 12, 1942 (aged 69) Wilmington, Delaware |
| Playing career | |
| 1890–1892 | Yale |
| 1893 | Chicago Athletic Association |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1893 | Army |
| 1895 | Lehigh |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 7–11 |
Coaching career
Army
Bliss took his first head coaching job at the United States Military Academy in 1893 and led the team to a 4–5 record. He was the third person appointed to the position of head football coach at West Point. The 1893 Army team lost to Navy and to Lehigh.[2]
Lehigh
Bliss was the fourth head football coach at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and he held that position for the 1895 season. His coaching record at Lehigh was 3–6.[3]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Cadets (Independent) (1893) | |||||||||
| 1893 | Army | 4–5 | |||||||
| Army: | 4–5 | ||||||||
| Lehigh (Independent) (1895) | |||||||||
| 1895 | Lehigh | 3–6 | |||||||
| Lehigh: | 3–6 | ||||||||
| Total: | 7–11 | ||||||||