Ranking the 25 best head coaches in college football history
By Zach Bigalke
15. Percy Haughton
Interestingly, Percy Haughton only played one season of college football during his matriculation at Harvard. He also played baseball at the school, and eventually went on to coach both sports at his alma mater. Haughton began his coaching career at Cornell, where he went 17-5 in two seasons leading the Big Red in 1899 and 1900. After that season, Haughton dropped off the map for nearly a decade before taking over as Harvard’s head coach in 1908.
In his first year leading his old school, Haughton led the Crimson to a 9-0-1 record that earned the school the national championship. The following year Harvard went 8-1, but returned to the top of the national picture in 1910 with another 9-0-1 season. The team regressed in 1911, but followed that up with back-to-back perfect 9-0 seasons and national titles in 1912 and 1913. Between 1911 and 1915, the Crimson posted a 33-game unbeaten streak under Haughton.
Haughton eventually left Harvard after 1916, resurfacing seven years later at Columbia. He coached the Lions to a 4-4-1 record in 1923, and had led Columbia to a 4-1 start to the 1924 season. Then, while coaching against Williams on Oct. 25, Haughton collapsed on the field and died two days later. It was a premature end to a celebrated career.