John Moorehead
Encyclopedia
John K. Moorehead, Jr. was an American football
player for Yale
. He played alongside Walter Camp
, the inventor of the modern game, during the late 1870s. He was also a member, and club president, of the Allegheny Athletic Association
, an amateur football club which fielded the first recognized professional player William Heffelfinger
. When Allegheny formed a football team in 1890, he took over the position of center
. Meanwhile a fellow former Yale player, O. D. Thompson
, took over as the club's manager and played tackle.
In a 1904 issue of The Independent, Walter Camp listed the following "leading players of the game" for the period 1876-1879. He named Moorehead as the top forwards in the game for those years.
John was also the father of John A. Moorehead and Donald Moorehead, both of whom attended Yale. John A. Moorehead would play halfback
at Yale, graduate in 1904 and later coach football at the University of Pittsburgh
. In 1907, John disinherited his son John A. Moorehead for eloping with his mother's French
maid. Moorehead later reconciled with his son, after the funeral of his daughter, Miss Anne Katherine Moorhead, who was killed in the Bronx wreck on the New York Central Railroad
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player for Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He played alongside Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
, the inventor of the modern game, during the late 1870s. He was also a member, and club president, of the Allegheny Athletic Association
Allegheny Athletic Association
The Allegheny Athletic Association was an athletic club that fielded the first ever professional American football player and later the first fully professional football team. The organization was founded in 1890 as a regional athletic club in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, which is today the North...
, an amateur football club which fielded the first recognized professional player William Heffelfinger
William Heffelfinger
-External links:...
. When Allegheny formed a football team in 1890, he took over the position of center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
. Meanwhile a fellow former Yale player, O. D. Thompson
O. D. Thompson
Oliver David Thompson, Esq. was an early football player at Yale, who played alongside Walter Camp. After his time at Yale, Thompson played, and served as the manager, for the Allegheny Athletic Association. However Thompson is best known for paying Pudge Heffelfinger $500 to play for Allegheny...
, took over as the club's manager and played tackle.
In a 1904 issue of The Independent, Walter Camp listed the following "leading players of the game" for the period 1876-1879. He named Moorehead as the top forwards in the game for those years.
John was also the father of John A. Moorehead and Donald Moorehead, both of whom attended Yale. John A. Moorehead would play halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
at Yale, graduate in 1904 and later coach football at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. In 1907, John disinherited his son John A. Moorehead for eloping with his mother's French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
maid. Moorehead later reconciled with his son, after the funeral of his daughter, Miss Anne Katherine Moorhead, who was killed in the Bronx wreck on the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
.