Eddie Cochems
Eddie Cochems, c. 1906 at Saint Louis
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| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
February 4, 1877 Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin |
| Died | April 9, 1953 (aged 76) Madison, Wisconsin |
| Playing career | |
| 1898–1901 | Wisconsin |
| Position(s) | Halfback, end |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1902–1903 | North Dakota State |
| 1904 | Wisconsin (assistant) |
| 1905 | Clemson |
| 1906–1908 | Saint Louis |
| 1914 | Maine |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 43–11–3 |
Edward Bulwer "Eddie" Cochems (/ˈkoʊkəmz/; February 4, 1877 – April 9, 1953) was an American football player and coach. He played football for the University of Wisconsin from 1898 to 1901 and was the head football coach at North Dakota State (1902–1903), Clemson (1905), Saint Louis University (1906–1908), and Maine (1914). During his three years at St. Louis, he was the first football coach to build an offense around the forward pass, which became a legal play in the 1906 college football season. Using the forward pass, Cochems' 1906 team compiled an undefeated 11–0 record, led the nation in scoring, and outscored opponents by a combined score of 407 to 11. He is considered by some to be the "father of the forward pass" in American football.
Cochems was born in 1877 at Sturgeon Bay, the county seat of Door County on Wisconsin's Door Peninsula. He was one of 11 children, and "the smallest of seven brothers." His older brother, Henry Cochems, preceded him at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a star football player and shotput thrower. Cochems also had a twin brother, Carl Cochems (1877–1954), who became a noted opera singer.
Cochems attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he competed for the Badgers in football, baseball and track. He was the captain of the 1901 Wisconsin baseball team, but he gained his greatest acclaim as a football player. Cochems began playing at the left end position, but was moved to the left halfback position for the 1900 and 1901 seasons. The Badgers football team posted a 35–4–1 record during his four seasons of play. Together with Norsky Larson and Keg Driver, Cochems reportedly made up "the most feared backfield trio in the middle west."
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