Doug Wycoff

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1903–1981)}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| image = Dougwycoff.jpg

| number = --

| position = Running back

| birth_date = {{birth date|1903|9|16}}

| birth_place = St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1981|10|27|1903|09|16}}

| death_place = Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lbs = 195

| high_school = Little Rock Central (AR)

| college = Georgia Tech

| pastteams = * Newark Bears ({{NFL Year|1926}})

New York Giants ({{NFL Year|1927}})
Staten Island Stapletons ({{NFL Year|1929}}–{{NFL Year|1930}})
New York Giants ({{NFL Year|1931}})
Staten Island Stapletons ({{NFL Year|1932}})
Boston Redskins ({{NFL Year|1934}})
Boston Shamrocks ({{NFL Year|1936}})

| pastcoaching = * Staten Island Stapletons ({{NFL Year|1929}}–{{NFL Year|1930}})

| highlights = * All-American (1924)

3× All-Southern (1923, 1924, 1925)
Tech All-Era Team (William Alexander Era)
Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

| statlabel1 = Rushing yards

| statvalue1 = 780

| statlabel2 = Average

| statvalue2 = 3.2

| statlabel3 = Total TDs

| statvalue3 = 13

| pfr = WycoDo20

| pfrcoach = WycoDo0

| caption = Wycoff c. 1925

}}

Stephen Douglas Wycoff (September 16, 1903 – October 27, 1981) was an American football running back for the New York Giants, Staten Island Stapletons, and Boston Redskins in the National Football League (NFL), the Newark Bears in the first American Football League (AFL), and the Boston Shamrocks in the second American Football League (AFL). He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he was a running back and senior captain.

Georgia Tech

Wycoff prepped in Little Rock, Arkansas, and came to Tech as a package deal with Ike Williams.{{Cite web|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv11/CFHSNv11n3g.pdf|title=CONTENTdm|access-date=May 6, 2016|archive-date=June 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602035025/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv11/CFHSNv11n3g.pdf|url-status=dead}} He was the school's first letterman in four sports.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/SC/1925.html|title=History of the Early Southern Conference Atlanta Basketball Tournament}}

=Football=

File:Doug Wycoff.jpg

Wycoff was a prominent fullback for Bill Alexander's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 1923 to 1925. He was elected captain of the 1925 team, having been "the outstanding back of the South for the past two years."{{cite news|url=http://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin/stanford?a=d&d=stanford19251027-01.2.55#|title=1925 Football Captains|date=October 27, 1925|volume=68|work=The Stanford Daily}} Coach Alexander recalled "The work of Douglas Wycoff against Notre Dame two years in succession was brilliant in the extreme, as was his plunging against Penn. State when we defeated them twice."{{cite journal|journal=Kansas City Star|year=1926|title=Forty-Five Yards for Georgia Tech|author=W. A. Alexander|author-link=William Alexander (coach)|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv07/CFHSNv07n4i.pdf|access-date=February 13, 2015|archive-date=February 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213170521/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv07/CFHSNv07n4i.pdf|url-status=dead}} He was a consensus All-Southern choice each year he played. Lawrence Perry selected Wycoff first-team All-American in 1924.{{cite news|author=Lawrence Perry|title=Lawrence Perry's All-American Teams Announced|work=Oakland Tribune|date=1923-12-14}}

Morgan Blake, sports writer for the Atlanta Journal, said of an all-time All-Southern list:{{Closed access}} {{Cite news|url = http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=V58T58POMTQxMDMwMzM5NC43MTM5MDE6MToxMzoxMzIuMTk4LjUwLjEz&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=7&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=7&p_docnum=10&p_docref=v2:1223BCE5B718A166@EANX-128FF32B80887657@2426737-128A4A7BEB9ED906@9-129012CAE1D1156F@|title = Famous Footballers|date = January 30, 1932|work = Times-Picayune}} "It seems to us that one name is left out in this collection, who may have been the best all-around player the South has had.

"We have reference to Doug Wycoff of Tech who, for three straight years, was practically the unanimous all-Southern football choice, despite the fact that Georgia Tech had very lean years during his period of play at this institution. If Wycoff had been flanked by such a pair of halfbacks as Red Barron and Buck Flowers, or Thomason and Mizell while he was with the Jackets, he would have been an all-American. As it was he had to carry all of the offensive load and on the defense he was a wheelhorse. He was a great punter and passer. If Wycoff was not the best all-around player the South had produced then he was very close to the peak."

Professional football

=Newark Bears=

Wycoff played professional football with the 1926 Newark Bears in the first American Football League (AFL), with several other former Georgia Tech players including Jimmy Brewster, Vaughan Connelly, and Ike Williams.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution-hawk-eye-ing-sp/143547494/ |title=Hawk-Eye-ing Sports |first=Dick |last=Hawkins |newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution |page=4B |date=December 12, 1926 |accessdate=March 17, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}} Wycoff scored the Bears only points in their short existence, having a touchdown run and kicking the extra point to tie the Chicago Bulls in both teams’ opening game of the season.[http://aflhistory.net/linescores/pdf/1926a.pdf 1926 American Football League from Elias Sports Bureau and Pro Football Research Association Linescore Committee] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605131116/http://aflhistory.net/linescores/pdf/1926a.pdf |date=June 5, 2015 }}

=Miami Seahawks=

He was one time part owner of the Miami Seahawks.

Wrestling

Wycoff also wrestled. He once beat former Florida Gators fullback Bill Middlekauff in a match, the main event at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium for Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Henry Weber.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19360224&id=DfZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WFUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5625,2024802|work=The Evening Independent|date=February 24, 1936|title=Football Rivals To Meet on Mat}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19360311&id=G_ZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WFUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3539,4643028|title=Wyckoff Meets Dick Powell In Mat Headliner|date=March 11, 1936|work=The Evening Independent}}