Harris G. Cope


Harris Goodwin Cope was an American football and baseball player and football coach. Cope was a member of the National Football Rules Committee in 1914–15.

Playing years

Cope first played at Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut.

Sewanee

Football

In his first year of varsity football, Cope was a substitute quarterback on the undefeated "Iron Men" of the 1899 Sewanee Tigers football team. He was the captain and the starting quarter for Sewanee's 1901 team.

Baseball

He played third baseman on the Sewanee baseball team.

Coaching years

Cope coached at Sewanee: University of the South and Howard College. He worked for a short time as a business man in Cartersville before returning to Sewanee to coach in 1909.

Sewanee

Cope has the third-most wins of any Sewanee coach, behind Shirley Majors' 93 and John Windham's 45; and has the highest winning percentage of any Sewanee coach who coached for more than 3 seasons. His continuity came after a period in which Sewanee had much talent but six coaches in seven years.

1909

In Cope's first year at head coach he led the Sewanee Tigers to a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship in 1909, beating previous season's champion LSU and handing Vanderbilt its first loss to a Southern team in six years.

Howard

Former Sewanee player Bob Taylor Dobbins assisted Cope at Howard.

Legacy

Cope's disciples include: