William Ross Fiscus (April 2, 1870 – November 6, 1950) was an early professional American football player and coach. He was one of the first pro players on record.
 Fiscus on 1900 Duquesne C&AC football team | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 2, 1870 Armstrong Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 6, 1950 (aged 80) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1891–1894 | Allegheny A. A. |
| 1892–1895 | Washington & Jefferson |
| 1896 | Greensburg A. A. |
| 1900 | Duquesne C. & A. C. |
| Position(s) | Guard, tackle, halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1897–1899 | Geneva |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 3–13–2 |
Playing career
editFiscus played for the Allegheny Athletic Association professional football team as a lineman in 1891 and 1892, but by 1893 he had successfully earned the role as halfback.[1] Fiscus continued to play several more years for Allegheny, even dropping out of college to do so.[2] This would have put him alongside the first recorded professional football player Pudge Heffelfinger, who also played for Allegheny. In 1896, he played alongside his brother, Lawson, for the Greensburg Athletic Association.
Coaching career
editFiscus was the second head football coach at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and he held that position for three seasons, from 1897 until 1899. His coaching record at Geneva was 6–9–2.[3]
Later life
editFiscus died November 6, 1950, at his home in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[4]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva Covenanters (Independent) (1897–1899) | |||||||||
| 1897 | Geneva | 3–4–1 | |||||||
| 1898 | Geneva | 0–6–1 | |||||||
| 1899 | Geneva | 0–3 | |||||||
| Geneva: | 3–13–2 | ||||||||
| Total: | 3–13–2 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ Pro Football Researchers Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine "The Weekly Wage Professionalism Expands in Pittsburgh: 1893"
- ^ Pro Football Researchers Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine "The A's Have It: The 3A's Triumph: 1894"
- ^ Geneva College coaching records
- ^ "William Ross Fiscus". Indiana Gazette. Indiana, Pennsylvania. November 7, 1950. p. 2. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
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