Harold Pogue
| Illinois Fighting Illini | |
|---|---|
| Position | Halfback, Quarterback |
| Career history | |
| College | Illinois (1914) |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | November 25, 1893 |
| Place of birth | Sullivan, Illinois |
| Date of death | October 23, 1969 |
| Place of death | Decatur, Illinois |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Harold Pogue (November 25, 1893 – October 23, 1969) was an American football player and businessman. He played quarterback and halfback for Robert Zuppke's University of Illinois football teams and was selected as a first-team All-American in 1914. He later served as a member of the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees for 17 years.
Pogue was born in Sullivan, Illinois, and enrolled at the University of Illinois in 1912. As a freshman, Pogue was slightly built, weighed 142 pounds, and wore thick glasses. He tried out for the freshman football team as a quarterback, but he was cut from the team because he was too small.
In the spring of 1913, Illinois' head football coach Robert Zuppke saw Pogue compete at a track meet and invited him to football practice in the fall. He was Zuppke's starting quarterback in 1913. In the second week of the 1913 season, Pogue scored three touchdowns against the University of Missouri, leading a Chicago newspaper to write, "Pogue's performance stamps him as one of the greatest quarterbacks in Illinois history." In his fifth game for the Illini, Pogue returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown against the University of Chicago at Stagg Field, but he suffered a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
In 1914, Pogue played at halfback and quarterback and helped lead Illinois to an undefeated season and Western Conference championship. He scored three touchdowns in Illinois' 37-0 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. In the 1914 game against Minnesota, scored two touchdowns and a 35-yard end run and a 75-yard interception return. In the final game of the 1914 season, Pogue returned two punts for touchdowns, including a 65-yard return. In all, Pogue scored eleven touchdowns in six games during the 1914 season.Chicago Tribune sports writer, and former All-American, Walter Eckersall, wrote that Pogue was "without doubt one of the most elusive runners since the days of Walter Steffen. He is fast and shifty, and can hit the line or run the ends with equal success. When used to receive forward passes Pogue probably is the most valuable man on his team."
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