Bunny Corcoran
Arthur Andrew "Bunny" Corcoran (November 23, 1894 – July 27, 1958) was a professional football and baseball player. He was a tailback with the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Akron Pros and the Buffalo All-Americans of the National Football League (NFL) and the Frankford Yellow Jackets and the Canton Bulldogs of the Ohio League. In 1915, he appeared in one Major League Baseball game for the Philadelphia Athletics.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 23, 1894 Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | July 27, 1958 (aged 63) Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Georgetown Fordham |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1919–1920 | Canton Bulldogs |
| 1921 | Cleveland Indians |
| 1921–1922 | Akron Pros |
| 1923 | Buffalo All-Americans |
| 1923 | Frankford Yellow Jackets |
| 1924 | Providence Steamrollers |
| Position(s) | End/Tailback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1920 | NYU (Ends) |
| 1923 | Fordham (Ends) |
| 1926–1932 | Holy Cross (Ends) |
| 1932 | Holy Cross (Interim HC) |
| 1939–1942 | Virginia (Ends) |
| Baseball | |
| 1943 | Virginia |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 0–1–2 (football) 6–5–1 (baseball) |
| Bunny Corcoran | |
|---|---|
| Third Base | |
Batted: Unknown Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 9, 1915, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 9, 1915, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Plate appearances | 4 |
| Batting average | .000 |
| Games played | 1 |
Early life edit
Corcoran was born in Boston and played baseball and football at Princeton Preparatory School[n 1] and Georgetown University.[2] He received the nickname Bunny in high school due to his speed.[3]
Playing career edit
Baseball edit
In 1915, Corcoran had a solid year for the Queen Quality team in Massachusetts. On September 9, 1915, Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack gave Corcoran a tryout.[4] He put him in the lineup for that day's game at Fenway Park and Corcoran went 0–4 with two strikeouts.[5]
Corcoran played for Fordham in 1917 and 1919 and received a tryout with the Detroit Tigers after a strong year with the Portland Blue Sox of the New England League.[6][7] Corcoran never again appeared in an major league game, but continued to play minor league baseball until 1921.[8]
Football edit
Corcoran played kicker for the 1914 Georgetown Blue and Gray football team and tried out for end the following season.[9] He took over as starter for the team's October 2, 1915 game against Navy.[10] He scored a touchdown in Georgetown's 28–0 victory over the North Carolina A&M Aggies and another in the Hoyas' 61–0 win against South Carolina.[11][12]
Corcoran transferred to Fordham University and played end for the 1916 Fordham Maroon football team.[13] He enlisted in the United States Navy the following year and was a member of the 1917 Newport Naval Reserves football team.[14]
In 1919, Corcoran played for the Canton Bulldogs, an Ohio League football team managed by Jim Thorpe.[15] In 1920, the Bulldogs moved to the new American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League). In 1921 he followed Thorpe to the Cleveland Indians, where he scored his only NFL touchdown. He played for the Akron Pros in 1921 and 1922, the Buffalo All-Americans in 1922, and the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1923.[1][16] In 1924, he was a member of the Providence Steamrollers, then an independent club.[17]
Coaching edit
Corcoran began his coaching career when he assisted his former Fordham coach Frank Gargan for the first few weeks of the NYU Violets' 1920 football season.[18] In 1923, he and Gargan both returned to Fordham.[19]
In 1926, Corcoran became the ends coach at the College of the Holy Cross. During the Crusaders' November 5, 1932 loss to Brown, head coach John McEwan got into an argument with trainer Bart Sullivan which led to McEwan's indefinite suspension. Corcoran finished the season as interim head coach.[20] He was not retained by McEwan's successor, Eddie Anderson.[21]
In 1939, Corcoran became the ends coach at the University of Virginia.[22] In 1943, he coached the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team while Gus Tebell was serving in the United States Navy.[23]
Later life edit
Corcoran spent many years as a playground supervisor for the city of Boston and was the director of the Hearst sandlot baseball program in Boston for fourteen years.[2] Bill Monbouquette, Harry Agganis, Tom Gastall, and Frank Leja were among the players that came through the Hearst program under Corcoran.[3]
Corcoran came down with pneumonia in the winter of 1957–58. By April 1958, his heart began to weaken.[3] He died on July 27, 1958 at Quigley Memorial Hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts.[2] He was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.[3]
Head coaching record edit
Football edit
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Cross Crusaders (Independent) (1932) | |||||||||
| 1932 | Holy Cross | 0–1–2[n 2] | |||||||
| Holy Cross: | 0–1–2 | ||||||||
| Total: | 0–1–2 | ||||||||
Baseball edit
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Cavaliers (Independent) (1943) | |||||||||
| 1943 | Virginia | 6–5–1 | |||||||
| Virginia: | 6–5–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 6–5–1 | ||||||||
| National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
Notes edit
- ^ Some sources give Corcoran’s high school as St. John's Preparatory School[1][2][3]
- ^ John McEwan served as Holy Cross's head coach for the first seven games of the 1932 season before he was suspended. Corcoran was appointed interim head coach for the final three games. Holy Cross finished the year with an overall record of 6–2–2.[24]
References edit
- ^ a b "Bunny Corcoran". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Arthur Corcoran: Prominent Grid Coach, Pro Baseball Player". The Boston Globe. July 28, 1958.
- ^ a b c d e McSweeny, Bill (July 29, 1958). "Legend of Corcoran to Live Forever". Boston Daily Record. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Two Winthrop Boys Given Trial By The Athletics". The Boston Globe. September 10, 1916.
- ^ "Philadelphia Athletics vs Boston Red Sox Box Score: September 9, 1915". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC.
- ^ "Drill Ford Fordham Nine". The Sun. March 4, 1919. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Georgetown Star With Tigers Here". The Washington Times. August 6, 1919. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Art Corcoran". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Maryland Aggies Give Georgetown First Work Day". The Washington Times. September 22, 1915. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Dougher, Louis A. (October 2, 1915). "Georgetown Hopes To Give Navy Good Game". The Washington Times. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Peet, William (November 14, 1915). "North Carolina Tar Heels No March For Georgetown's Powerful Team". The Washington Herald. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Peet, William (November 21, 1915). "South Carolina Badly Outclassed; Georgetown Triumphs by 61 to 0". The Washington Herald. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Gallaudet Beaten". The Washington Times. November 26, 1916. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Serb, Chris (2019). War Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-5381-2485-7. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Sanes, Sidney (September 25, 1919). "College Sport Talk". The Gazette Times. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Philadelphia Pros Bid Highest To Sign Corcoran". The Washington Times. September 5, 1923. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Marines Easy Victims, 49-0". Evening Tribune. November 17, 1924. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Gargan Signs To Coach N.Y.U. Football Team". New York Tribune. December 21, 1919. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Fordham Out Today". The Washington Times. September 11, 1923. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Capt. McEwan First College Grid Coach to be Suspended". The Norwalk Hour. November 10, 1932. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Holy Cross Eleven to Play Colgate". The Boston Globe. April 12, 1933.
- ^ "End Coach..." The Cavalier Daily. September 24, 1941. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Bunny Corcoran New Va. Baseball Coach". Prescott Evening Courier. April 2, 1943. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Holy Cross Grid Coach Suspended". The Cincinnati Post. Cincinnati, Ohio. United Press. November 10, 1932. p. 18. Retrieved March 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference