Robert E. Brannan (November 12, 1891 – August 6, 1958) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was the first coach in Chicago Bears franchise history, running the team when they were known as the Decatur Staleys in 1919.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 12, 1891 Timken, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | August 6, 1958 (aged 66) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Ottawa University (1915) |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1912–1913 | Ottawa |
| Basketball | |
| 1912–1915 | Ottawa |
| Baseball | |
| 1910–1915 | Ottawa |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1915–1916 | Sioux Falls |
| 1918 | Millikin |
| 1919 | Decatur Staleys |
| 1920–1922 | Ottawa |
| Basketball | |
| 1918–1919 | Millikin |
| 1920–1922 | Ottawa |
| Baseball | |
| 1919 | Millikin |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 37–12 (college basketball) 3–2 (college baseball) |
Brannan was hired as athletic coach at Sioux Falls College—now known as the University of Sioux Falls in 1915.[1]
In 1920, Brannan became the ninth head football coach at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas, a position he held for three seasons until 1922. His coaching record at Ottawa was 4–19–1.[2] According to football legend Walter Camp, the only bright spot for the team in the 1922 season was a guard named Swineheart who "played consistently" for the season.[3] Brannan graduated from the Ottawa academy in 1911. He later graduated from Ottawa University in 1915, having earned fourteen letters in all university sports. Prior to coaching at Ottawa, he had coached at Sioux Falls, James Millikin University, and high schools near Decatur, Illinois.[4]
After coaching, Brannan worked for what later became Union Carbide, Co. until he retired in 1956. He died at a hospital at New York City in 1958.[5]
Head coaching record
editCollege football
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millikin Big Blue (Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1918) | |||||||||
| 1918 | Millikin | 4–1 | |||||||
| Millikin: | 4–1 | ||||||||
| Ottawa Braves (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) (1920–1922) | |||||||||
| 1920 | Ottawa | 1–6 | 1–6 | 12th | |||||
| 1921 | Ottawa | 3–5–1 | 2–5–1 | T–11th | |||||
| 1922 | Ottawa | 0–8 | 0–7 | 16th | |||||
| Ottawa: | 4–19–1 | 3–18–1 | |||||||
| Total: | |||||||||
Other
edit| Team | Year | Regular season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | ||
| Decatur Staleys | 1919 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | Named Central Illinois Champions |
| Total | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | ||
References
edit- ^ "Returns To Fold—Husted To Sioux Falls and Dr. Harland—Brennan Will Coach Athletics There". The Ottawa Campus. Ottawa, Kansas. September 1, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved April 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "2012 Football Media Guide" (PDF). Ottawa Braves. p. 7. Retrieved February 26, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association football guide "The official rules book and record book of college football" (edited by Walter Camp) Can Sports Publishing Company, 1922
- ^ "Robert Brannan O.U. '18 Is New Coach". The Ottawa Campus. Ottawa, Kansas. September 22, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved April 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Robert E. Brannan". Ottawa Herald. Ottawa, Kansas. August 7, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved April 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
 | This biographical article relating to a college football coach first appointed in the 1910s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |