Louis J. Salmon
Encyclopedia
Louis J. "Red" Salmon is considered to be the first outstanding fullback
for the University of Notre Dame
football
team. He was the first "Fighting Irish" player to win an All-American mention, and some sports historians argue that he served as the team's de facto coach during the 1902–1903 season. This honor, however, is often accorded to teammate James Farragher
. Both men are widely credited as acting head coaches in official histories of the "Fighting Irish" football team, and Salmon is recognized as head coach during the 1903–1904 season.
, Salmon made his mark in collegiate football in 1903, when (as a senior) he scored 105 points. His career record of 36 touchdowns remained a school standard until 1985. At six feet and three inches, and 230 pounds, Salmon was a force to be reckoned with on the gridiron. As one writer observed: "The alabaster-skinned Salmon has been described as both a slasher and a smasher, a colorful way of saying he would run right over you if he could not run around you". Moreover, in an era when a wet pigskin might weigh as much as 14 pounds, Salmon averaged 30 yards with his punts. In 1903, Salmon was named to Walter Camp
's third All-America team.
, the former sports hero rarely returned to campus and underplayed his outstanding athletic career. Nevertheless, he would be remembered as one of collegiate football's "greats". Louis "Red Salmon was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1971.
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
for the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
football
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...
team. He was the first "Fighting Irish" player to win an All-American mention, and some sports historians argue that he served as the team's de facto coach during the 1902–1903 season. This honor, however, is often accorded to teammate James Farragher
James Farragher
-Sources:* Sperber, Murray . Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football. New York: Henry Holt and Company.-External links:...
. Both men are widely credited as acting head coaches in official histories of the "Fighting Irish" football team, and Salmon is recognized as head coach during the 1903–1904 season.
Playing career
Born in Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, Salmon made his mark in collegiate football in 1903, when (as a senior) he scored 105 points. His career record of 36 touchdowns remained a school standard until 1985. At six feet and three inches, and 230 pounds, Salmon was a force to be reckoned with on the gridiron. As one writer observed: "The alabaster-skinned Salmon has been described as both a slasher and a smasher, a colorful way of saying he would run right over you if he could not run around you". Moreover, in an era when a wet pigskin might weigh as much as 14 pounds, Salmon averaged 30 yards with his punts. In 1903, Salmon was named to 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...
's third All-America team.
Coaching career and legacy
During the 1903–1904 season, Salmon served officially as head coach of the "Fighting Irish". He presided over a lackluster season of 5-4, and as one writer has commented, "The team needed Salmon on the field, not on the sidelines". After graduating with a degree in engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, the former sports hero rarely returned to campus and underplayed his outstanding athletic career. Nevertheless, he would be remembered as one of collegiate football's "greats". Louis "Red Salmon was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1971.
Sources
- Sperber, Murray (1993). Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 9780253215680.