George Washington Woodruff

Playing career and education

Woodruff graduated from Yale University in 1889, where he was a member of Skull and Bones, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where he earned his LL.B. law degree in 1895. His football teammates at Yale included Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pudge Heffelfinger, and Pa Corbin.

Coaching career

At Penn, Woodruff coached Truxtun Hare, Carl Sheldon Williams, John H. Outland, his brother Wylie G. Woodruff, and Charles Gelbert. In his ten years of coaching at Penn, Woodruff compiled a 124–15–2 record while his teams scored 1777 points and only gave up 88. He also coached one year each at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

Political career

After coaching, Woodruff practiced law and was active in politics as a Republican. His political posts included Finance Clerk in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Attorney General, federal judge for the territory of Hawaii, chief law officer of the United States Forest Service under friend and fellow Yale alumni Gifford Pinchot, and acting Secretary of the Interior under President Theodore Roosevelt.

Family and death

Woodruff was married in 1898, to Maude Donald McBride, of Philadelphia, who died in 1918. He was married a second time, in 1921, to Elfreda Foster, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Woodruff died on March 23, 1934, in Harrisburg, after suffering from pleurisy.

Head coaching record

Football

Note: Before 1936, national champions were determined by historical research and retroactive ratings and polls. 1894 Poll Results = Penn: Parke H. Davis, Princeton: Houlgate, Yale: Billingsley, Helms, National Championship Foundation, Parke H. Davis 1895 Poll Results = Penn: Billingsley, Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation, Parke H. Davis, Yale: Parke H. Davis 1897 Poll Results = Penn: Billingsley, Helms, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation, Parke H. Davis, Yale: Parke H. Davis George Woodruff's last game as a coach was the 1905 Carlisle-Army game after which he went to Washington for a government job. Ralph Kinney completed Carlisle's season, going 3–2 over the five games played after Woodruff's departure.

References

References

1. Who's Who In America, 1908
2. (October 15, 1934). "Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University Deceased during the Year 1933-1934". Yale University.
3. "Penn Biographies: George W. Woodruff (1864 -1934)". University of Pennsylvania University Archives and Records Center.
4. . (May 20, 1918). ["Died; Woodruff"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-obituary-for-m/146952519/). *[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]*.
5. . (March 24, 1934). ["George Woodruff Dies In 70th Year"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-obituary-for-george-washingt/146865413/). *[[Brooklyn Times-Union]]*.