George Pfann

George Pfann
George Pfann, November 1922
Biographical details
Born(1902-10-06)October 6, 1902
Marion, Ohio, U.S.
DiedDecember 17, 1996(1996-12-17) (aged 94)
Ithaca, New York, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1921–1923Cornell
Basketball
1921–1923Cornell
Lacrosse
1923–1924Cornell
Position(s)Quarterback (football)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1924–1925Cornell (assistant)
1931–1935Swarthmore
Basketball
1924–1926Cornell (freshmen)
Head coaching record
Overall8–26–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1957 (profile)

George R. Pfann (October 6, 1902 – December 17, 1996) was an American college football player and coach, decorated officer serving on George Patton's staff during World War II, and a member of the Cornell University Board of Trustees. He played college football at the quarterback position for the Cornell Big Red football teams and was selected as an All-American in both 1922 and 1923. He also served as Swarthmore's head football coach from 1931 to 1935.

Early years

Pfann was born in 1902 in Marion, Ohio.[1] His father died when he was a young boy. He was raised in Marion by his mother and grandparents in a large brick house at the corner of Washington and Delaware Avenue. His mother died as well, and he and his sister were raised by an uncle and aunt. Pfann and his sister inherited "a small fortune" from their mother. He attended Harding High School in Marion but transferred in his sophomore year to the Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee. He was selected as an all Southern scholastic quarterback while attending Columbia in 1917.[2][3]

Cornell

Pfann attended Cornell University and led three consecutive Cornell Big Red football teams to undefeated seasons: 1921 (8–0), 1922 (8–0), and 1923 (8–0). He was a triple-threat man who also excelled as a kicker and defensive player.[4] Pfann was also captain of the 1923 team and the consensus first-team quarterback on the 1923 All-America college football team.[5]

Pfann was also a star player on Cornell's lacrosse team and played for the school's basketball team.[1][4]

Pfann graduated from Cornell in 1924 and then enrolled in law school at Cornell. He served as an assistant football coach and freshman basketball coach while studying law at Cornell. He received a Rhodes Scholarship in 1926 and completed his legal studies at Brasenose College, Oxford.[1] He played rugby while at Oxford.[4]

Later years

From 1931 to 1935, Pfann was the head football coach at Swarthmore College, compiling a record of 8–26–1. He additionally worked as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1931 to 1937 before becoming a member of the law firm of Edwards & Smith in New York City.[6][7]

During World War II, Pfann served in the U.S. Army and was secretary of General George S. Patton's Seventh Army and later Third Army general staff.[6] He was promoted to the rank of major in July 1943 and to lieutenant colonel in December 1944.[6] He was among Patton's Third Army staff officers decorated with Soviet military awards when Third Army linked up with Red Army units at war's end. Pfann received the Order of the Patriotic War Second Class.[8]

After the war, Pfann returned to Ithaca where he worked on the legal staff of the Grange League Federation from 1945 to 1967.[1]

Pfann was inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame (now known as the College Football Hall of Fame) in 1957.[3][9][10] He was also inducted into Cornell's sports hall of fame in 1978 as a football and lacrosse player.[4]

In 1967, he went into private legal practice. He also served on Cornell's board of trustees for 21 years. He died in 1996 at the Reconstruction Home in Ithaca at age 94.[1]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Swarthmore Garnet Tide (Independent) (1931–1935)
1931 Swarthmore 1–6
1932 Swarthmore 2–5
1933 Swarthmore 2–4–1
1934 Swarthmore 2–5
1935 Swarthmore 1–6
Swarthmore: 8–26–1
Total: 8–26–1

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Margaret Claiborne (December 21, 1996). "Community remembers CU alumnus Pfann as role model". The Ithaca Journal. pp. 1A, 4A – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "His Home Town Folks Compare Pfann With "Red" Grange's Career". Ithaca Journal-News. December 21, 1925. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "George Pfann, Marion Native, Joins Gridiron Hall of Fame". The Marion Star. February 23, 1957. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d "George Pfann". Conrell Big Red. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 6. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Pfann to Join GLF's Legal Staff". The Ithaca Journal. July 7, 1945. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "The Cornell Daily Sun 18 October 1957 — The Cornell Daily Sun".
  8. ^ Empric, Bruce E. (2024), Uncommon Allies: U.S. Army Recipients of Soviet Military Decorations in World War II, Teufelsberg Press, p. 112, ISBN 979-8-3444-6807-5
  9. ^ "George Pfann Added To Hall of Fame". The Ithaca Journal. February 20, 1957. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Pfann to Be Honored At Yale Game". The Ithaca Journal. October 15, 1957. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.