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Bunny Corcoran

(Redirected from Art Corcoran)

Arthur Andrew "Bunny" Corcoran (November 23, 1894 – July 27, 1958) was a professional football and baseball player. He was a tailback with the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Akron Pros and the Buffalo All-Americans of the National Football League (NFL) and the Frankford Yellow Jackets and the Canton Bulldogs of the Ohio League. In 1915, he appeared in one Major League Baseball game for the Philadelphia Athletics.

Bunny Corcoran
Biographical details
Born(1894-11-23)November 23, 1894
Roxbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 27, 1958(1958-07-27) (aged 63)
Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materGeorgetown
Fordham
Playing career
Football
1919–1920Canton Bulldogs
1921Cleveland Indians
1921–1922Akron Pros
1923Buffalo All-Americans
1923Frankford Yellow Jackets
1924Providence Steamrollers
Position(s)End/Tailback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1920NYU (Ends)
1923Fordham (Ends)
1926–1932Holy Cross (Ends)
1932Holy Cross (Interim HC)
1939–1942Virginia (Ends)
Baseball
1943Virginia
Head coaching record
Overall0–1–2 (football)
6–5–1 (baseball)
Bunny Corcoran
Third Base
Batted: Unknown
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 9, 1915, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Last MLB appearance
September 9, 1915, for the Philadelphia Athletics
MLB statistics
Plate appearances4
Batting average.000
Games played1

Early life

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Corcoran was born in Boston and played baseball and football at Princeton Preparatory School[n 1] and Georgetown University.[2] He received the nickname Bunny in high school due to his speed.[3]

Playing career

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Baseball

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In 1915, Corcoran had a solid year for the Queen Quality team in Massachusetts. On September 9, 1915, Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack gave Corcoran a tryout.[4] He put him in the lineup for that day's game at Fenway Park and Corcoran went 0–4 with two strikeouts.[5]

Corcoran played for Fordham in 1917 and 1919 and received a tryout with the Detroit Tigers after a strong year with the Portland Blue Sox of the New England League.[6][7] Corcoran never again appeared in a major league game, but continued to play minor league baseball until 1921.[8]

Football

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Corcoran played kicker for the 1914 Georgetown Blue and Gray football team and tried out for end the following season.[9] He took over as starter for the team's October 2, 1915 game against Navy.[10] He scored a touchdown in Georgetown's 28–0 victory over the North Carolina A&M Aggies and another in the Hoyas' 61–0 win against South Carolina.[11][12]

Corcoran transferred to Fordham University and played end for the 1916 Fordham Maroon football team.[13] He enlisted in the United States Navy the following year and was a member of the 1917 Newport Naval Reserves football team.[14]

In 1919, Corcoran played for the Canton Bulldogs, an Ohio League football team managed by Jim Thorpe.[15] In 1920, the Bulldogs moved to the new American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League). In 1921 he followed Thorpe to the Cleveland Indians, where he scored his only NFL touchdown. He played for the Akron Pros in 1921 and 1922, the Buffalo All-Americans in 1922, and the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1923.[1][16] In 1924, he was a member of the Providence Steamrollers, then an independent club.[17]

Coaching

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Corcoran began his coaching career when he assisted his former Fordham coach Frank Gargan for the first few weeks of the NYU Violets' 1920 football season.[18] In 1923, he and Gargan both returned to Fordham.[19]

In 1926, Corcoran became the ends coach at the College of the Holy Cross. During the Crusaders' November 5, 1932 loss to Brown, head coach John McEwan got into an argument with trainer Bart Sullivan which led to McEwan's indefinite suspension. Corcoran finished the season as interim head coach.[20] He was not retained by McEwan's successor, Eddie Anderson.[21]

In 1939, Corcoran became the ends coach at the University of Virginia.[22] In 1943, he coached the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team while Gus Tebell was serving in the United States Navy.[23]

Later life

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Corcoran spent many years as a playground supervisor for the city of Boston and was the director of the Hearst sandlot baseball program in Boston for fourteen years.[2] Bill Monbouquette, Harry Agganis, Tom Gastall, and Frank Leja were among the players that came through the Hearst program under Corcoran.[3]

Corcoran came down with pneumonia in the winter of 1957–58. By April 1958, his heart began to weaken.[3] He died on July 27, 1958 at Quigley Memorial Hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts.[2] He was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.[3]

Head coaching record

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Football

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Holy Cross Crusaders (Independent) (1932)
1932 Holy Cross 0–1–2[n 2]
Holy Cross: 0–1–2
Total: 0–1–2

Baseball

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Virginia Cavaliers (Independent) (1943)
1943 Virginia 6–5–1
Virginia: 6–5–1
Total: 6–5–1

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Notes

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  1. ^ Some sources give Corcoran’s high school as St. John's Preparatory School[1][2][3]
  2. ^ John McEwan served as Holy Cross's head coach for the first seven games of the 1932 season before he was suspended. Corcoran was appointed interim head coach for the final three games. Holy Cross finished the year with an overall record of 6–2–2.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Bunny Corcoran". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Arthur Corcoran: Prominent Grid Coach, Pro Baseball Player". The Boston Globe. July 28, 1958.
  3. ^ a b c d e McSweeny, Bill (July 29, 1958). "Legend of Corcoran to Live Forever". Boston Daily Record. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "Two Winthrop Boys Given Trial By The Athletics". The Boston Globe. September 10, 1916.
  5. ^ "Philadelphia Athletics vs Boston Red Sox Box Score: September 9, 1915". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC.
  6. ^ "Drill Ford Fordham Nine". The Sun. March 4, 1919. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  7. ^ "Georgetown Star With Tigers Here". The Washington Times. August 6, 1919. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  8. ^ "Art Corcoran". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  9. ^ "Maryland Aggies Give Georgetown First Work Day". The Washington Times. September 22, 1915. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Dougher, Louis A. (October 2, 1915). "Georgetown Hopes To Give Navy Good Game". The Washington Times. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  11. ^ Peet, William (November 14, 1915). "North Carolina Tar Heels No March For Georgetown's Powerful Team". The Washington Herald. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Peet, William (November 21, 1915). "South Carolina Badly Outclassed; Georgetown Triumphs by 61 to 0". The Washington Herald. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  13. ^ "Gallaudet Beaten". The Washington Times. November 26, 1916. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Serb, Chris (2019). War Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-5381-2485-7. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Sanes, Sidney (September 25, 1919). "College Sport Talk". The Gazette Times. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  16. ^ "Philadelphia Pros Bid Highest To Sign Corcoran". The Washington Times. September 5, 1923. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  17. ^ "Marines Easy Victims, 49-0". Evening Tribune. November 17, 1924. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  18. ^ "Gargan Signs To Coach N.Y.U. Football Team". New York Tribune. December 21, 1919. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  19. ^ "Fordham Out Today". The Washington Times. September 11, 1923. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  20. ^ "Capt. McEwan First College Grid Coach to be Suspended". The Norwalk Hour. November 10, 1932. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  21. ^ "Holy Cross Eleven to Play Colgate". The Boston Globe. April 12, 1933.
  22. ^ "End Coach..." The Cavalier Daily. September 24, 1941. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  23. ^ "Bunny Corcoran New Va. Baseball Coach". Prescott Evening Courier. April 2, 1943. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  24. ^ "Holy Cross Grid Coach Suspended". The Cincinnati Post. Cincinnati, Ohio. United Press. November 10, 1932. p. 18. Retrieved March 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com  .
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