Horace Greely Prettyman
| Horace Greely Prettyman | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Horace Prettyman cropped from 1890 University of Michigan team photograph
|
|
| Born | November 8, 1857 Stryker, Ohio |
| Died | March 27, 1945 (aged 87) Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Years active | 1882–1890 |
| Known for | College football player |
Horace Greely Prettyman (November 8, 1857 – March 27, 1945) was an American football player in the early years of the sport. Prettyman won a record eight varsity letters at the University of Michigan, playing for the school's football team from 1882 to 1886 and 1888 to 1890. He was the team's captain in 1884, 1885, and 1886, and scored the first touchdown in the first game played at Michigan's first home football field in Ann Arbor. Prettyman later became a successful businessman and civic leader, operating a boarding house, a laundry service, a power company and the Ann Arbor Press, and holding office as an Ann Arbor city councilman, postmaster and Washtenaw County, Michigan supervisor.
Prettyman was born in Stryker, Ohio, and raised in Bryan, Ohio. He was the son of Lewis Prettyman, a farmer, and Hannah (Kintigh) Prettyman.
Prettyman attended Ann Arbor High School and subsequently enrolled in the University of Michigan in 1882 at age 24 and excelled as an athlete. In addition to football, Prettyman also won competitions in the hammer throw, boxing and wrestling. In 1882, Prettyman was a "rusher" for the Michigan football team. However, the team played no intercollegiate games.
In 1883, Michigan resumed a schedule of intercollegiate football, and Prettyman played "forward" for the team. The team played its first ever home game at the Ann Arbor Fairgrounds in March 1883, a 40-5 win over the Detroit Independents. Prettyman scored the first touchdown at the Fairgrounds at the 14-minute mark of the "first inning" and went on to score a second touchdown before the end of the inning. The team played its remaining games as part of an Eastern trip in November 1883. The trip consisted of four road games in eight days at Wesleyan and Yale in Connecticut, Harvard in Massachusetts, and Stevens Institute in Hoboken, New Jersey. The trip cost $3,000 and was arranged "to both represent and advertise the college among the Eastern cities and universities." Prettyman was placed in charge of the trip, and The Michigan Argonaut praised his management: "All the boys are most hearty in their commendation of Prettyman's excellent management of the financial interests of the trip and his success is seen by the fact that every expense of the trip has been paid to the last cent."
...
Wikipedia