Member Biography

Gilmore Dobie was born January 21, 1879, in Hastings, Minnesota. He played end and quarterback for the University of Minnesota football team 1900-02, then served as assistant coach at his alma mater while obtaining a law degree. His first job as a head coach was at North Dakota State 1906-07. The school played seven games and won all of them. Dobie was at Washington 1908-16 and never lost a game. His nine year record was 58-0-3 and included a 39-game winning streak. He coached Navy 1917-19 with a 17-3 mark, then was at Cornell 1920-35 with a record of 82-36-7. The 1921, 1922, 1923 Cornell teams were undefeated, part of a 26- game winning streak. His star players at Cornell were Eddie Kaw and George Pfann, All-America halfbacks. Dobie finished coaching at Boston College 1936-38 on a 16-6-5 record. In all, he coached 33 years and had 14 undefeated seasons. His career total, 180-45-15, gave him a winning percentage of .781. He was given to pessimistic predictions about his teams, and his nickname was "Gloomy Gil." He was president of the American Football Coaches Association in 1917. Dobie died Dec. 23, 1948. He was a charter member of the College Football Hall of Fame, elected in the first class in 1951.