David Belford West (May 7, 1896 – September 11, 1973) was an American gridiron football player. Best known for playing college football for Colgate, he was twice a consensus All-America selection and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. He also played professionally for the Canton Bulldogs.
 West at Colgate University | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | May 7, 1896 Hamilton, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Died: | September 11, 1973 (aged 77) Cooperstown, New York, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Phillips Andover, Peddie School |
| College: | Colgate (1914–1916, 1919) |
| Position: | Tackle |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Biography edit
West prepared for college by attending Phillips Andover in Massachusetts and Peddie School in New Jersey.[2] He then attended Colgate University, located in his hometown of Hamilton, New York. He played four seasons of college football for Colgate as a tackle; 1914, 1915, 1916, and 1919.[3] West's college career was interrupted by World War I. He served in the United States Army as a lieutenant from August 1917 to May 1919.[4] He played football while in the military, and was a selection to the 1917 All-Service football team while at Fort Dix.[5]
At Colgate, West was also member of Delta Kappa Epsilon,[6] a member of the varsity basketball team, and a member of the varsity baseball team.[7] In football, he was a consensus selection to the All-America Team for 1916 and 1919, and served as team captain for the 1919 Colgate football team.[8] West was also a placekicker, and in 1919 made a 52-yard field goal against Syracuse.[3] West was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954[3] and to Colgate's athletic hall of honor in 1979.[9] Reflecting on West's college career in 1928, John Heisman wrote, "His co-ordination was complete, his courage supreme, his sportsmanship incontestable."[2]
West played professionally for one season—as a member of the 1921 Canton Bulldogs, he appeared in 10 games (nine starts) at left tackle; he also kicked one field goal and four extra points.[10] The Buffalo Evening News listed West in their selection of an all-star team,[11] which is now regarded as the 1921 All-Pro Team.[12]
Entering business, West did not play professionally after 1921.[6] Most of his business career was based in Buffalo, New York, with the city's Better Business Bureau starting in 1925, and then with a local machinery manufacturer from 1937 until his retirement in 1960.[6] West died in September 1973 while undergoing abdominal surgery in Cooperstown, New York; he was survived by his wife and a daughter.[13]
References edit
- ^ "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. April 1942. Retrieved June 27, 2023 – via fold3.com.
- ^ a b Heisman, John (November 16, 1928). "Heisman's Hundred in Hall of Football Fame: David Belford West". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 19. Retrieved June 27, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Belford West (1954)". footballfoundation.org. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "WWI Officer Card". New York State Archives. Retrieved June 27, 2023 – via fold3.com.
- ^ Walter Camp, ed. (1918). Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide. American Sports Publishing Company – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b c "D. B. West Is Dead; Area Industrialist, Grid All-America". The Buffalo Evening News. September 13, 1973. p. VI-64. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ The Salmagundi. Colgate University. 1921. p. 110. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via colgate.edu.
- ^ "2008 Colgate Football Media Guide" (PDF). Colgate University. 2008. p. 126. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 23, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ "D. Belford West". colgateathletics.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Belf West Stats". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Karpe's Comments". The Buffalo Evening News. November 28, 1921. p. 16. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "1921 APFA All-Pros". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Ex-All-America Tackle Belford West Dies At 77". The Bradenton Herald. Bradenton, Florida. AP. September 12, 1973. p. 2-D. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via newspapers.com.