Jack Forsythe
Forsythe cropped from Florida's 1907 team picture.
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| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
August 4, 1882 Brevard, North Carolina |
| Died | April 3, 1957 (aged 74) Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Playing career | |
| 1901–1903 | Clemson |
| 1904 | Florida State College |
| 1906–1908 | Florida |
| Position(s) | Guard, fullback, end |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1904 | Florida State College |
| 1906–1908 | Florida |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 14–6–2 |
James Adger "Jack" Forsythe, Jr. (August 4, 1882 – April 3, 1957), nicknamed "Pee Wee" Forsythe, was an American college football player and coach. Forsythe has an important place in the history of college athletics in the U.S. state of Florida as the first head coach of the team now known as the University of Florida Gators. He had previously been the last football coach at Florida State College, now Florida State University, before it was reorganized as a school for women.
Forsythe was born in Brevard, North Carolina. He claimed to have been at the first instance of the "Big Thursday" Clemson–South Carolina rivalry in Columbia, South Carolina in 1896.
Forsythe was a standout football player at right guard for Clemson Agricultural College (now Clemson University) in Clemson, South Carolina, playing for three years under coach John Heisman, from 1901 to 1903. Heisman's Clemson Tigers football teams finished 3–1–1, 6–1 and 4–1–1 during those seasons, claiming southern championships in the latter two, and Forsythe started in each of those games. Moreover, he played every minute of those eighteen games, providing a remarkable example of athletic stamina and resilience. As was typical in the early 1900s, Forsythe played both offense and defense. Teammates on the line included Vet Sitton, Hope Sadler, and O. L. Derrick.
Forsythe became an assistant coach for the fledgling football team of Florida State College (now Florida State University) in 1903. Florida State College's head coach, W. W. Hughes, planned to use Forsythe as a fullback in a game against the University of Florida in Lake City (one of the predecessor institutions of the modern University of Florida, previously known as Florida Agricultural College), creating a controversy between the teams. For the 1904 season, the third and last for FSC's football team, Hughes transferred all coaching duties to Forsythe. The reason for this is unknown, but Hughes, who was also a Latin professor, may have taken on increased academic duties. Forsythe played on top of his coaching duties, and was probably paid. Under Forsythe, the FSC football team defeated the University of Florida at Lake City, and after defeating Stetson College (now Stetson University), FSC was declared "champion of Florida" by The Florida Times-Union newspaper of Jacksonville.
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