Chic Harley
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| Date of birth | September 15, 1894 |
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| Place of birth | Chicago, Illinois |
| Date of death | April 21, 1974 (aged 79) |
| Place of death | Columbus, Ohio |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Halfback, quarterback, end, kicker, punter, safety |
| College | Ohio State |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1921 | Chicago Staleys |
| Career stats | |
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Charles William "Chic" Harley (September 15, 1894 – April 21, 1974) was one of the outstanding American football players of the first half of the 20th century and the player who first brought The Ohio State University football program to national attention. Harley was Ohio State's first consensus first-team All-America selection and first three-time All-America selection. In 1951, he became a charter inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame.
In 1941, James Thurber described Harley's running skills for the New York City newspaper, PM, "If you never saw him run with a football, I can't describe it to you. It wasn't like Red Grange or Tom Harmon or anybody else. It was kind of a cross between music and cannon fire, and it brought your heart up under your ears."
Charles Harley was born in Chicago, Illinois, hence the source of the nickname Chic, but his family moved to Columbus, Ohio when he was 12 years old. There Harley attended East High School. The family was to return to Chicago just before Harley's senior year, but the Columbus East principal convinced the family to let Harley stay for his final year. In his career at East High School, Harley's team lost only one game, his last. So many people wanted to see Harley play that many times football games at East High's now-named "Harley Field" outdrew Ohio State football games.
Harley was recruited to attend Ohio State by the university's chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, the fraternity he joined upon his arrival on campus. Harley began his career with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1916. He led the team to a 7–0 record and their first Big Ten Conference championship. The team scored 258 points in seven games and giving up only 29. The key games of the season were a 7–6 victory over the University of Illinois and a 14–13 victory over the University of Wisconsin–Madison, teams that were at the time the conference's dominant powers. In both games, the margin of victory was a point after touchdown kicked by Harley. Following the season, Harley was named as a consensus first-team All-America selection, including a spot on Walter Camp's authoritative list.
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