John Cranston (American football)
| Harvard Crimson | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard, Center |
| Class | Graduate |
| Career history | |
| College | Harvard (1889–1890) |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | November 18, 1865 |
| Place of birth | Sheridan, New York |
| Date of death | December 17, 1931 (aged 66) |
| Place of death | Waban, Massachusetts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
All-American, 1889 and 1890
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John Samuel Cranston (November 18, 1865 – December 17, 1931) was an American football player and coach. He played for Harvard University from 1888 to 1890. He was selected as an All-American in 1889 and 1890—the first years in which College Football All-America Teams were selected. He was also the first football player to wear protective "nose armor", which was invented by a Harvard teammate to protect his "weak nose". He later served as a football coach at Harvard from 1893 to 1903. During the 1905 football reform movement, Cranston was part of the reformist camp and proposed the abolition of professional coaches.
A native of Sheridan, New York, Cranston began his football career at Phillips Exeter Academy in 1887. As a freshman in November 1888, he began playing center after a knee injury to Harvard's starting center, Findlay. In 1889, a Pennsylvania newspaper described Cranston as "a capital center rusher and snapper back."The World of New York called Cranston one of Harvard's best men, and experienced player who was "as strong as a bull." Cranston was selected as a guard on the first College Football All-American Team selected by Caspar Whitney in 1889.
In 1890, a newspaper reported that "the former invincible Cranston" was not playing to the level he had in 1889 -- "The old men, instead of improving with age, are rather deteriorating in the quality of their play."The New York Tribune offered a more positive take on Cranston in November 1890:
"John Cranston, the Crimson's center rusher, is one of the oldest and strongest men on either team. He has played four years on the Harvard team, becoming center rusher in his freshman year. He played a right guard in the two following years, but returned to his old place, because there was no one else to fill the old place. Cranston is aggressive and active and always gives his opponent a great deal of work."
The Springfield Republican wrote that Cranston was not a great blocker and "is rather pugnacious and wastes time splitting heads; but he is a strong, heavy man, and will do his part very nearly as it ought to be done." At the end of the 1890 season, Cranston was again selected for on the College Football All-America Team, this time as the center. In 1891, The New York Times reported that Cranston had left Harvard:
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