John Thomas Scannell (January 27, 1872 – October 2, 1951) was an American player and coach of college football, and also a physician. He was the first head coach of the football team now known as the New Hampshire Wildcats.

John Scannell
Scannell in The New Hampshire College Monthly of March 1903
Biographical details
Born(1872-01-27)January 27, 1872
Newmarket, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedOctober 2, 1951(1951-10-02) (aged 79)
Rialto, California, U.S.
Alma materPhillips Exeter Academy
Colby College
Baltimore Medical College
Playing career
1894–1895Exeter
1896–1898Colby
1899–1901Baltimore
Position(s)Tackle, guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1902–1903New Hampshire
Head coaching record
Overall4–9–2

Biography

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Scannell at Exeter in 1894 (top) and at Colby in 1896

Scannell was from Newmarket, New Hampshire, and was an 1896 graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy.[1] He then attended Colby College in Maine, before earning his medical degree in 1902 from Baltimore Medical College.[1][2]

Scannell played football at Exeter, Colby and Baltimore, serving as captain on each of those teams.[3][4][5] He was also captain of the Exeter baseball team.[3]

Scannell played right tackle for Exeter, including a game against New Hampshire in 1895 during which he scored a touchdown and three conversion kicks.[6] He captained the Exeter squads of 1894 and 1895.[3] At Colby, he played right guard on the teams of 1896,[7] 1897,[8] and 1898,[9] serving as captain in the lattermost season.[4] In 1896, during the first-ever meeting of the Colby and New Hampshire programs,[10] he again scored a touchdown against New Hampshire.[11] He returned to playing right tackle for the Baltimore teams of 1899,[12] 1900,[13] and 1901,[14] serving as captain during his final season with the program.[5]

In 1902, Scannell became the first head coach of the New Hampshire football team at New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts in Durham, New Hampshire.[15] The college would become the University of New Hampshire in 1923 and would adopt the Wildcats nickname in 1926. As head coach for the 1902 and 1903 seasons, Scannell compiled a 4–9–2 record.[15]

Scannell died in Rialto, California, in October 1951; he had lived in California for 29 years.[16] He was an elder in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.[17][18] His wife, Myrtle, had died in 1938.[19] They had two children; a son, John R., who was killed in action in Italy in December 1943,[20] and a daughter, Mary.[19][20]

Head coaching record

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
New Hampshire (Independent) (1902–1903)
1902 New Hampshire 2–3–1
1903 New Hampshire 2–6–1
New Hampshire: 4–9–2
Total: 4–9–2

References

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  1. ^ a b General Catalogue of the Officers and Students of The Phillips Exeter Academy 1783–1903. Phillips Exeter Academy. 1903. p. 164. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ "Ninety-two to be Doctors". The Baltimore Sun. April 22, 1902. p. 8. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com. J. T. Scannell, New Hampshire
  3. ^ a b c "John T. Scannell Honored". The Boston Globe. December 12, 1895. p. 2. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b The Colby Oracle. Colby College. 1899. p. 97. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via colby.edu. Season of 1898: J. T. Scannell, 1900, Captain
  5. ^ a b "Meds and Yale Today". The Baltimore Sun. October 11, 1901. p. 6. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "N. H. C. v. P. E. A." The New Hampshire College Monthly. Vol. 3, no. 3. November 1895. pp. 31–32. Retrieved February 23, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  7. ^ The Colby Oracle. Colby College. 1897. p. 77. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via colby.edu.
  8. ^ The Colby Oracle. Colby College. 1898. p. 101. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via colby.edu.
  9. ^ The Colby Oracle. Colby College. 1899. p. 98. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via colby.edu.
  10. ^ "New Hampshire vs Colby (ME)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ "N. H. C. v. Colby University". The New Hampshire College Monthly. Vol. 4, no. 2. November 1896. p. 29. Retrieved February 24, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
  12. ^ "The Baltimore Medical College Wins Again". The Baltimore Sun. October 26, 1899. p. 6. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Tigers Play Rank Football Winning 11-0". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 13, 1900. p. 10. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Yale, 5; Baltimore, 0". Chicago Tribune. October 12, 1901. p. 6. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "2017 New Hampshire Media Guide". University of New Hampshire. 2017. p. 66. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  16. ^ "John T. Scannell". The San Bernardino Sun. October 3, 1951. p. 9. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Zion's League Will Attend Its District Conclave at Beach". The San Bernardino Sun. November 11, 1939. p. 6. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Miss Scannell, George Nesser Wed in Church". The San Bernardino Sun. December 17, 1943. p. 14. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b "Myrtle Scannell". The San Bernardino Sun. December 26, 1938. p. 11. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b "John Scannell Death Reported To His Family". The San Bernardino Sun. January 25, 1944. p. 9. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.