George C. Adams
George C. Adams was the nephew of Charles Francis Adams Jr. His father, John Quincy Adams II, had like his brother Charles served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Following the war he served in various local political offices and on civil boards in Quincy, Massachusetts, the Adams family seat. As was traditional among the men of the Adams family, George was educated locally before being enrolled at Harvard in 1882. While George was attending prep school, at Adams Academy (which had risen from an original endowment from John Adams) he became enamored of the game of football, which was somewhat different from the game as played today.
Football as it had been played by Harvard used a different set of rules than those from other schools, including Yale and Princeton. Called the Boston rules, and referred to by the players and fans as “Fightum Football”, they led to a violent game. Some schools used rules which more closely resembled soccer (though tackling the ball handler was allowed) while others, including Harvard, played a game which was similar to rugby. The violence of the game, in which twenty-two men opposed each other, and among the fans led to schools intermittently banning and reinstating its play on campus or by students of the school off-campus.
In 1886 Harvard suspended its football program, a situation which George found unacceptable. George immediately began a campaign to reinstate the program, initiating a petition and soliciting support from fellow students and alumni. The status of his family name and his direct lineage to not one but two former Presidents of the United States undoubtedly helped him in his task. Equally as helpful was likely the presence of his father in the Harvard Corporation as well as the prestige of his uncle as the chairman of the state parks commission.
George was successful in getting the season reinstated, and subsequently played on the team throughout that year’s play. The team was ostensibly coached by Frank Mason, appointed by the team captain, during 1886, the following year coaching decisions were made by the team captains. George graduated in 1886, but remained at Harvard helping to manage and coach the football team. In 1890 George and fellow Harvard graduate and former player George Stewart were appointed to coach the Harvard football team and manage the program on a full time basis. This was the first organized coaching system to be installed at Harvard.
George remained a coach and manager at Harvard from 1890-92, and the Crimson compiled a record of 34 wins against but two losses during that time. George developed an interest in recreational yachting as well as building racing yachts in Boston. He also became a major investor in real estate in Boston and its environs. But he never lost interest in Harvard football, which developed into a national power and won several national championships in college football’s fledgling years. George C. Adams became a victim of tuberculosis, and concentrated on sailing to bolster his failing health, but he died of the disease at the Adams family seat in Quincy in 1900. Harvard was then the reigning national champion in football.