Elmer Oliphant
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| Sport(s) | Football, basketball, track |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
July 9, 1892 Bloomfield, Indiana |
| Died | July 3, 1975 (aged 82) New Canaan, Connecticut |
| Alma mater |
Purdue University West Point |
| Playing career | |
| 1912–1913 | Purdue |
| 1916–1917 | Army |
| 1920 | Rochester Jeffersons |
| 1921 | Buffalo All-Americans |
| Position(s) | Fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| ? | Army (track) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1922–1924 | Union College |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
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College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1955 (profile) |
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Elmer Quillen "Catchy" or "Ollie" Oliphant (July 9, 1892 – July 3, 1975) was an American football, basketball and track player and coach. He is one of the great scorers in college football history, credited with a total of 435 points in his college career – 135 at Purdue and 300 at Army. Oliphant also went on to play in the National Football League (NFL).
He was born in Bloomfield, Indiana to Marion Elsworth Oliphant and Alice V. Quillen Oliphant in 1892. He began school in Bloomfield but the family moved to Washington, Indiana when he was eight or nine. Elmer Oliphant transferred to Linton High School from Washington High School during his junior year. His father’s gristmill partner had absconded with $62,000 in company funds. The family moved back to the Linton area and he worked part-time in the coal mines to help with family finances. Although the teams weren’t called “The Miners” when he graduated from Linton in 1910; he was a real Linton Miner.
He was nicknamed Catchy. That may be because he excelled as a catcher, outfielder and power hitter in baseball. It could also be because the dictionary has one meaning of catchy as “having the power to catch the attention.” Supposedly one time he was playing center field for the Linton team, called a time-out, hurried to the nearby cinder track and won the 100-yard dash. Then, he returned to his position in center field and the game continued. The Indiana Football Hall of Fame states that he was All-State End while at Linton High School. He scored a school record of 60 points as Linton defeated rival Sullivan by a whopping 128–0 score.
He was captain of the track team and led the team to the State Championship for 1909–1910. That trophy won May 21, 1910 and the Big Four Meet trophy won May 14, 1910 are still in the trophy case in the commons with Capt. Oliphant’s name engraved on them. Members of the team wore a diamond shape with a large “L” in the center on their shirts and that picture is also on display. This is still the only time Linton High School has had an Indiana State Championship.
The track and football field area at was called Oliphant Field from at least the date the school was occupied in 1922 (and perhaps as early as 1918) until 1980. He was selected as Indiana’s Finest Amateur Athlete by the Helms Foundation in 1958 and was selected for the FWAA Early-Day All-Time All-America Team in 1969. His picture once hung in the Linton-Stockton High School gym and from 1918 (or at least 1922) until 1980, In 2006, plaques were placed in the gym foyer representing those who are in the Indiana Football Hall of Fame from Linton, so his name is once again prominently displayed in the town of Linton, Indiana.
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