The idea that Indians might be able to
coach a football team was novel in 1904, but there are several reasons why so many Carlisle players were hired as coaches when there were plenty of others who wanted those jobs. In the early days of the game, coaches
were disallowed from communicating, either directly or indirectly, with players on the field. Team captains called all the plays, made the important decisions and couldn’t look to their coaches for advice. Many of the re- sponsibilities of modern-day coaches rested on the captains’ shoulders. Because Carlisle had far fewer assistant coaches than the large schools, their captains played major roles in running daily practices. Carlisle’s captains and more experienced players were, in many ways, coaches in training. Warner’s coaching prowess was an-
LEFT: Gus Welch and Victor Kelley, 1915 Carlisle Indian School coaches. ABOVE: Gus Welch punting.
other reason why Carlisle produced so many coaches. He coached the Indians from 1899 to 1914, except for a three-year break from 1904 to 1906. Warner led the football team to its greatest seasons, employing former players as assistants, from 1907 through 1913. Better known as a tactician than a teacher,
The Bachelors Club, from left to right: Fritz Hendricks, Pete Hauser, James Garlow, Emil Hauser (Wauseka), William Newashe, William Garlow, Louis DuPuis and Harry Wheeler.
Warner had the underappreciated ability to turn recruits with raw athletic talent into world-class athletes. Warner developed what Walter Camp called the Carlisle System to take greatest advantage of the Indians’ strengths, speed and deception, and to minimize their common weakness, physical size. He designed the single- and double-wing formations spe- cifically for them. Warner forged coaches in his foundry, teaching players more than just the fundamentals of the game. In addition to teaching young men who
hadn’t seen a football before how to play the game, Warner selected the best com- bination of players for a given situation. Many of his best players were shifted to play unfamiliar positions when the situation dictated. His players, captains and assistant coaches watched him arrange his players to field the most effective team and surely learned from observing him. Warner saw that his Indian pupils learned
Gus Welch cartoon from The Evening Star,1937.
better by demonstration than by being told how to do something. When James Phillips, a large guard, wasn’t moving the defender out of the ball carrier’s way, Warner took off his coat and lined up opposite him and told Phillips to charge as hard as he could. Phil- lips charged twice and failed twice. Warner’s criticism became more and more caustic. On the third try, Phillips hit Warner as hard as he could. When Warner regained his senses he said, “Now, that was what I meant.”
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 45
IMAGE COURTESY OF TOM BENJEY
PHOTO COURTESY CECILIA BALENTI-MODDELMOG PHOTO COURTESY OFTHE WARDECKER COLLECTION
COURTESY U. S. ARMY MILITARY HISTORY INSTITUTE
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