Tommy Code Explained

Tommy Code
Birth Date:13 April 1873
Birth Place:California, U.S.
Death Place:San Francisco, California, U.S.
Player Years1:1892–1895
Player Team1:Stanford
Player Positions:Quarterback
Coach Years1:1896
Coach Team1:Oregon Agricultural
Overall Record:1–2

Thomas Kimball "Tommy" Code (April 13, 1873 – January 28, 1956) was an American college football player at Stanford University who also was a football coach at Oregon State University, then known as Oregon Agricultural College.

Career

Code grew up in San Francisco, California where he attended Lowell High School.[1] He went on to play college football at Stanford where he was the quarterback in the first Big Game against Cal.[2] [3] [4]

In 1896, the 23-year old Code became the fourth head coach of Oregon Agricultural College (today's Oregon State University) in the program's first four seasons. According to a local news account, Code arrived in Corvallis to coach the team on Monday, September 28.[5] Code would only coach the Aggies for a period of two weeks, after which he was sent home to California as what was deemed an "unnecessary expense," with OAC professors Fulton and Brady Burnett taking over the actual coaching duties.[6] During the 1896 season, the Aggies compiled a record of 1–2.[7] [8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 19th Century Lowellites: The Early History of Lowell High School. Lowell Alumni Association. September 10, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110405142211/http://www.lowellalumni.org/history_19century.shtml. April 5, 2011.
  2. Web site: Stanford Football Media Guide. September 10, 2010. 186.
  3. News: Back in Time. Hymans. Jacques. October 14, 1988. September 10, 2010. The Lowell. 20.
  4. News: Hoover Sees Classmates of Stanford. https://web.archive.org/web/20121103194829/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/807599922.html?dids=807599922:807599922&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+16,+1928&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Hoover+Sees+Classmates+Of+Stanford. dead. November 3, 2012. November 16, 1928. Hartford Courant. September 10, 2010.
  5. https://www.newspapers.com/article/corvallis-gazette-times-coach-code-form/125724487/ "Among the Students,"
  6. https://www.newspapers.com/article/corvallis-gazette-times-on-the-gridiron/125663721/ "On the Gridiron,"
  7. Web site: Oregon State Football Media Guide. September 10, 2010. 90.
  8. News: The Sunday Oregonian. October 30, 1927. 73. 19 Coaches Listed on Aggies Record.