John Van Cleve

Professional football career

Van Cleve became one of the earliest known people paid to play football when he, Ollie Rafferty, and Peter Wright signed contracts with the Allegheny Athletic Association for $50 per game for the entire 1893 season. Only Pudge Heffelfinger and Sport Donnelly are known to have been professionals earlier.

Van Cleve again played for Allegheny in 1894. During a game against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, Allegheny's quarterback, A. S. Valentine, was thrown out of the game after coming to the aid of Van Cleve during a fight against Pittsburgh's Joe Trees. After several appeals, Valentine left the field reportedly "crying like a baby". During the 1895 season, Allegheny did not field a team after learning the club was under investigation by the Amateur Athletic Union for secretly paying its players. As a result, Van Cleve played for the upstart Duquesne Country and Athletic Club.

Van Cleve played end for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club in 1896. He began the following season coaching and captaining a team from Sewickley, Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Post reported that he would not rejoin the Pittsburgh Athletic Club in 1897, noting manager Bob Hamilton's statement that no paid player would be on the team; however, after a new manager took over for Hamilton during the season, Van Cleve was brought back.

College career

Prior to his professional career, Van Cleve played college football at Lehigh University, where he studied electrical engineering. On October 15, 1892, Van Cleve scored Lehigh's only touchdown in a loss against the Orange Athletic Club. He would play for Lehigh five days later during a 50–0 loss to the Princeton Tigers. Van Cleve also played lacrosse and was a member of Lehigh's 1893 national championship team. He was president of the school's "Starvation Club".

Van Cleve served as the head football coach at Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost—later renamed Duquesne University—in 1898. He also played for the team as an end. The Pittsburgh Post described him as the lightest man on a team that averaged 173 pounds; he had been listed four years earlier at and 145 lb.

Head coaching record

Notes

References

Additional sources

References

1. (September 22, 1895). "Football Gossip". The Pittsburg Press.
2. (May 1914). "Alumni and Students of Lehigh University". Lehigh University.
3. (November 1, 1899). "Football". The Pittsburg Press.
4. (October 9, 1900). "First Mid-Week Football Game at Expo Park". The Pittsburg Press.
5. (January 17, 1914). "John M. VanCleve". The Herald.
6. "Nov 12 Birth of pro football".
7. PFRA Research. "The A's Have It: The 3A's Triumph: 1894". Professional Football Researchers Association.
8. PFRA Research. "Ten Dollars and Cakes: The "Not Quite" First Pro: 1895". Professional Football Researchers Association.
9. PFRA Research. "Last Hurrah in Allegheny: The 3A's Exit in a Blaze of Glory: 1896". Professional Football Researchers Association.
10. (September 12, 1897). "Football at Sewickley". The Pittsburg Press.
11. (November 11, 1897). "Some Solid Work". Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette.
12. (October 30, 1897). "Football Notes". The Pittsburg Post.
13. (November 16, 1897). "Good Players on Both Sides". The Pittsburg Post.
14. (1892). "Orange Defeats Lehigh". New York Times.
15. (1892). "Princeton's Big Score". New York Times.
16. (1895). "The Epitome '95". Lehigh University.
17. (1894). "The Epitome '94". Lehigh University.
18. (October 1, 1898). "Amateur Sports". The Pittsburg Press.
19. (October 2, 1898). "Made A Good Start". The Pittsburg Press.
20. (October 11, 1898). "To-Morrow's Big Football Game". The Pittsburg Post.
21. (October 27, 1894). "Ready for Play". Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph.