Bert Waters
 |
|
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 9, 1871 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | October 9, 1930 (aged 59) Lewiston, Maine |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (1892) |
| Playing career | |
| 1892–1894 | Harvard |
| Position(s) | Guard, tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1896 | Harvard |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 7–4 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
|
All-American, 1892 All-American, 1894 |
|
Bertram Gordon "Bert" Waters (October 9, 1871 – October 9, 1930) was an American football player and coach. He played college football for Harvard University from 1892 to 1894 and was selected as an All-American in 1892 (as a guard) and again in 1894 (as a tackle). Waters served as the head football coach for Harvard in 1896.
A native of Boston, Waters attended the Boston Latin School before enrolling at Harvard. At Harvard, Waters played for the football team from 1891 to 1894. He played nearly every position on the football team, including tackle, guard and halfback. Waters was selected captain of the Harvard football team in 1893. He was also selected as an All-American at the guard position in 1892 and at the tackle position in 1894. In November 1893, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the 5-foot, 11-inch, 180-pound Waters was the strongest player on the Harvard team and, with the exception of Marshall Newell, the best-developed. Waters played in the 1894 Harvard-Yale football game that became known as "The Bloodbath in Hampden Park." Several players were seriously injured, and Waters was accused of jabbing a finger into Frank Butterworth's eye. Administrators were so shocked by the violence that the next two years' Harvard-Yale games were cancelled.
Waters also played a role in the racial integration of college football in 1893. Waters was captain of the 1893 team, but injured his knee in the middle of the season's final game against Yale. In honor of the contributions of William H. Lewis, an African-American and future College Football Hall of Famer, Waters appointed him as team captain for the game. This was the first time that an African-American served as captain of a major college football team.
Waters also rowed for the crew while a student at Harvard.
After his college playing career ended, Waters attended the Boston University School of Law, and also worked as a coach for Harvard's football team. He was Harvard's head coach for the 1896 season. In 1896, the Trenton Evening Times reported: "Bert Waters is pronounced to be the best foot ball coach Harvard has ever had. He plays no favorites and picks out the best players, regardless of social standing." After a disappointing 1896 season, Waters was replaced as head coach by Billy Brooks, but he remained on the Harvard coaching staff as an assistant coach. In 1897, The New York Times wrote:
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