Branch Bocock

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Branch Bocock

| image = Branch Bocock UNC.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Bocock pictured in Yackety Yack 1912, North Carolina yearbook

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1884|3|10}}

| birth_place = Shenandoah, Virginia, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1946|5|25|1884|3|10}}

| death_place = near Blackstone, Virginia, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Football

| player_years2 = 1903–1906

| player_team2 = Georgetown

| player_positions=Quarterback

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1908

| coach_team2 = Georgia

| coach_years3 = 1909–1910

| coach_team3 = VPI

| coach_years4 = 1911

| coach_team4 = North Carolina

| coach_years5 = 1912–1915

| coach_team5 = VPI

| coach_years6 = 1920–1921

| coach_team6 = LSU

| coach_years7 = 1925–1926

| coach_team7 = South Carolina

| coach_years8 = 1928–1930

| coach_team8 = William & Mary

| coach_years9 = 1936–1938

| coach_team9 = William & Mary

| coach_sport10 = Basketball

| coach_years11 = 1909–1911

| coach_team11 = VPI

| coach_years12 = 1913–1915

| coach_team12 = VPI

| coach_years13 = 1920–1921

| coach_team13 = LSU

| coach_years14 = 1924–1927

| coach_team14 = South Carolina

| coach_sport15 = Baseball

| coach_years16 = 1910–1911

| coach_team16 = VPI

| coach_years17 = 1914

| coach_team17 = VPI

| coach_years18 = 1922–1923

| coach_team18 = LSU

| coach_years19 = 1925–1927

| coach_team19 = South Carolina

| admin_years1 = 1909

| admin_team1 = VPI

| admin_years2 = 1925–1926

| admin_team2 = South Carolina

| overall_record = 98–55–9 (football)
109–33 (basketball)
70–54–4 (baseball)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships = Football
2 Virginia Conference (1929–1930)

Basketball
1 SoCon regular season (1927)

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

James Branch Bocock (March 10, 1884 – May 25, 1946) was an American college football, college basketball, and college baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Georgia (1908), Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VPI)—now known as Virginia Tech (1909–1910, 1912–1915), the University of North Carolina (1911), Louisiana State University (1920–1921), the University of South Carolina (1925–1926), and The College of William & Mary (1928–1930, 1936–1938), compiling a career college football head coaching record of 98–55–9. Bocock was also the head basketball coach at VPI (1909–1911, 1913–1915), LSU (1920–1921), and South Carolina (1924–1927), tallying a career college basketball head coaching mark of 109–33, and the head baseball coach at VPI (1910–1911, 1914), LSU (1922–1923), and South Carolina (1925–1927), amassing a career college baseball head coaching record of 70–54–2.

Early years

Bocock was a quarterback for the Georgetown Hoyas.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19060213&id=7vwaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q0gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2787,2439281&hl=en|work=The Pittsburgh Press|date=February 13, 1906|title=Georgetown's Captain}}

Coaching career

Although official records give Bocock credit only for coaching the Georgia Bulldogs football team in 1908, he also coached the last three games of Georgia's 1907 season. In 1907, Georgia head football coach Bull Whitney was caught in a controversy over the revelation that there were at least four paid professionals on the Georgia and Georgia Tech teams during the game played that year. As a result, Georgia removed all known ringers from its team and Whitney was forced to resign, handing the coaching duties over to Bocock for the last three games. Georgia was 2–1 in those three games.

At VPI, Bocock was the team's first true professional coach and the first head football coach to receive a full-time salary.{{cite web |url=http://www.hokiesports.com/football/history.html |title=The first 117 seasons of football at Virginia Tech |publisher=hopkiesports.com |access-date=November 6, 2011 |archive-date=June 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610113109/http://www.hokiesports.com/football/history.html |url-status=dead }}

Later life

Bocock died at the age of 62 on May 25, 1946, at his home near Blackstone, Virginia.{{cite news |author= |title=Branch Bocock, Ex-WM Coach, Dies Suddenly |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-virginian-pilot-obituary-for-branch/161142405/ |newspaper=The Virginian-Pilot |location=Norfolk, Virginia |agency=Associated Press |date=May 25, 1946 |page=13 |access-date=December 18, 2024 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

Head coaching record

=Football=

{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Georgia Bulldogs

| conf = Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association

| startyear = 1908

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1908

| name = Georgia

| overall = 5–2–1

| conference = 3–2–1

| confstanding = 6th

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Georgia

| overall = 5–2–1

| confrecord = 3–2–1

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = VPI

| conf = Independent

| startyear = 1909

| endyear = 1910

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1909

| name = VPI

| overall = 6–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1910

| name = VPI

| overall = 6–2

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = North Carolina Tar Heels

| conf = Independent

| startyear = 1911

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1911

| name = North Carolina

| overall = 6–1–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = North Carolina

| overall = 6–1–1

| confrecord =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = VPI Gobblers

| conf = South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association

| startyear = 1912

| endyear = 1915

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1912

| name = VPI

| overall = 5–4

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1913

| name = VPI

| overall = 7–1–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1914

| name = VPI

| overall = 6–2–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1915

| name = VPI

| overall = 4–4

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = VPI

| overall = 34–14–2

| confrecord =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = LSU Tigers

| conf = Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association

| startyear = 1920

| endyear = 1921

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1920

| name = LSU

| overall = 5–3–1

| conference = 1–3

| confstanding =

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1921

| name = LSU

| overall = 6–1–1

| conference = 2–1–1

| confstanding =

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = LSU

| overall = 11–4–2

| confrecord = 3–4–1

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = South Carolina Gamecocks

| conf = Southern Conference

| startyear = 1925

| endyear = 1926

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1925

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 7–3

| conference = 2–2

| confstanding = T–10th

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1926

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 6–4

| conference = 4–2

| confstanding = T–4th

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 13–7

| confrecord = 6–4

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = William & Mary Indians

| conf = Virginia Conference

| startyear = 1928

| endyear = 1930

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1928

| name = William & Mary

| overall = 6–3–2

| conference = 5–1

| confstanding = 2nd

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1929

| name = William & Mary

| overall = 8–2

| conference = 5–0

| confstanding = 1st

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1930

| name = William & Mary

| overall = 7–2–1

| conference = 5–0

| confstanding = 1st

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = William & Mary Indians

| conf = Southern Conference

| startyear = 1936

| endyear = 1938

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1936

| name = William & Mary

| overall = 1–8

| conference = 0–5

| confstanding = 16th

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1937

| name = William & Mary

| overall = 4–5

| conference = 1–3

| confstanding = 13th

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1938

| name = William & Mary

| overall = 3–7

| conference = 0–4

| confstanding = 15th

| bowl =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = William & Mary

| overall = 29–27–3

| confrecord = 16–13

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 98–55–9

| bowls = no

| poll = no

| polltype =

}}

{{cite web |author= |title=NCAA Statistics; Coach; Branch Bocock; Football |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/people/12491?sport_code=MFB |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=December 18, 2024 }}

=Basketball=

{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason= | poll = }}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = VPI

| conference = Independent

| startyear = 1909

| endyear = 1911

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| season = 1909–10

| name = VPI

| overall = 11–0

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| season = 1910–11

| name = VPI

| overall = 11–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = VPI Gobblers

| conference = Independent

| startyear = 1913

| endyear = 1916

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| season = 1913–14

| name = VPI

| overall = 14–5

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| season = 1914–15

| name = VPI

| overall = 9–4

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| season = 1915–16

| name = VPI

| overall = 12–3

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = VPI

| overall = 57–13 ({{Winning percentage|57|13}})

| confrecord =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = LSU Tigers

| conference = Southern Conference

| startyear = 1920

| endyear = 1921

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| season = 1920–21

| name = LSU

| overall = 19–4

| conference = 5–2

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = LSU

| overall = 19–4 ({{Winning percentage|19|4}})

| confrecord = 5–2 ({{Winning percentage|5|2}})

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = South Carolina Gamecocks

| conference = Southern Conference

| startyear = 1924

| endyear = 1927

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| season = 1924–25

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 10–7

| conference = 4–2

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| season = 1925–26

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 9–5

| conference = 4–2

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| season = 1926–27

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 14–4

| conference = 9–1

| confstanding = 1st

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 33–16 ({{Winning percentage|33|16}})

| confrecord = 17–5 ({{Winning percentage|17|5}})

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record End

| overall = 109–33 ({{Winning percentage|109|33}})

}}

{{cite web |author= |title=NCAA Statistics; Coach; Branch Bocock; Men's Basketball |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/people/12491?sport_code=MBB |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=December 18, 2024 }}

=Baseball=

{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason= | poll = }}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = VPI

| conference = Southern Conference

| startyear = 1910

| endyear = 1911

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

| championship =

| season = 1910

| name = VPI

| overall =

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

| championship =

| season = 1911

| name = VPI

| overall =

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = VPI Gobblers

| conference= Southern Conference

| startyear = 1914

| endyear = single

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

| championship =

| season = 1914

| name = VPI

| overall = 15–4–1

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

| name = VPI

| overall = 38–18–2 ({{Winning percentage|38|18|2}})

| confrecord =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = LSU Tigers

| conference = Southern Conference

| startyear = 1922

| endyear = 1923

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

| championship =

| season = 1922

| name = LSU

| overall = 7–6

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

| championship =

| season = 1923

| name = LSU

| overall = 8–9–2

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

| name = LSU

| overall = 15–15–2 ({{Winning percentage|15|15|2}})

| confrecord =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = South Carolina Gamecocks

| conference = Southern Conference

| startyear = 1925

| endyear = 1927

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

| championship =

| season = 1925

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 4–9

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

| championship =

| season = 1926

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 6–4

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB yearly record entry

| championship =

| season = 1927

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 7–8

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB yearly record subtotal

| name = South Carolina

| overall = 17–21 ({{Winning percentage|17|21|0}})

| confrecord =

}}

{{CBB yearly record end

| overall = 70–54–4 ({{Winning percentage|70|54|4}})

| legend = no

}}

{{cite web |author= |title=NCAA Statistics; Coach; Branch Bocock; Baseball |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/people/12491?sport_code=MBA |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=December 18, 2024 }}

Branch Bocock

Early years

Coaching career

Later life

Head coaching record

=Football=

=Basketball=

=Baseball=

See also

References

Further reading