George T. Barclay

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1910–1997)}}

{{other people||George Barclay (disambiguation){{!}}George Barclay}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = George T. Barclay

| image = George T. Barclay.png

| alt =

| caption = Barclay pictured in Yackety Yack 1956, North Carolina yearbook

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1910|5|24}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1997|10|6|1910|5|24}}

| death_place = Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Football

| player_years2 = 1932–1934

| player_team2 = North Carolina

| player_positions = Guard, linebacker

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1936

| coach_team2 = VMI (line)

| coach_years3 = 1937–1939

| coach_team3 = North Carolina (asst. freshmen)

| coach_years4 = 1940

| coach_team4 = Oberlin (line)

| coach_years5 = 1941–1942

| coach_team5 = Dartmouth (line)

| coach_years6 = 1943

| coach_team6 = Georgia Pre-Flight (assistant)

| coach_years7 = 1946

| coach_team7 = Dartmouth (line)

| coach_years8 = 1947–1948

| coach_team8 = Maryland (assistant)

| coach_years9 = 1949–1951

| coach_team9 = Washington and Lee

| coach_years10 = 1952

| coach_team10 = North Carolina (assistant)

| coach_years11 = 1953–1955

| coach_team11 = North Carolina

| coach_years12 = 1957–1966

| coach_team12 = North Carolina (assistant)

| coach_sport13 = Ice hockey

| coach_years14 = 1942–1943

| coach_team14 = Dartmouth

| overall_record = 28–30–2 (football)
14–0–1 (ice hockey)

| bowl_record = 0–1

| tournament_record =

| championships = Football
1 SoCon (1950)

| awards =

First-team All-American (1934)
Third-team All-American (1933)
First-team All-SoCon (1934)
North Carolina Tar Heels No. 99 retired

| coaching_records =

}}

George Thomas Barclay (May 24, 1910 – October 6, 1997) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Washington and Lee University from 1949 to 1951 and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1953 to 1955, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 28–30–2. Barclay was a standout guard and linebacker at North Carolina. He was a three-year starting player from 1932 to 1934. Barclay made the first team All-Southern Conference as a guard in 1933 and 1934 and was an All-American in 1934.

Early life and playing career

A native of Natrona, Pennsylvania, Barclay attended The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania.{{cite web |author= |title=1955 Football Blue Book |url=https://archive.org/details/universityofnort1955unse/page/4/mode/1up |publisher=University of North Carolina |date=1955 |page=4 |access-date=September 30, 2021 |via=Internet Archive }}

Coaching career

While serving as head coach at Washington and Lee University, Barclay took the Generals to their only postseason bowl appearance, leading the 1950 Washington and Lee Generals football team to the Gator Bowl, where they were beaten by Wyoming. He was named the Southern Conference and Virginia Coach of the Year. Barclay became an assistant coach at Carolina under Carl Snavely. Snavely was a proponent of the single-wing offense but thought Carolina's players were more suited to the split-T formation, and Barclay helped install it there. In 1953, he was hired as the head football coach. Barclay was dismissed from his alma mater in 1955, and replaced by Jim Tatum, who had been a teammate with him at Carolina.

Death and honors

Barclay died in the early morning hours of October 6, 1997, at his home in Asheville, North Carolina, following a heart attack.{{cite news |last=Elling |first=Steve |title=UNC Great Barclay dies at 87 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86280149/the-news-and-observer/ |newspaper=The News & Observer |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |date=October 7, 1997 |page=7C |access-date=September 30, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news |author= |title=Natrona Native, fist UNC All-America |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86280198/pittsburgh-post-gazette/ |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |location=TPittsburgh, Pennsylvania |agency=Associated Press |date=October 8, 1997 |page=B6 |access-date=September 30, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} The George Barclay Award for outstanding linebacker at North Carolina named in his honor. He was inducted to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.{{cite web|url=http://www.ncshof.org/inductees_detail.php?i_recid=70 |title=George Barclay |publisher=North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=November 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928200104/http://www.ncshof.org/inductees_detail.php?i_recid=70 |archive-date=September 28, 2011 }} Barclay Road in Chapel Hill, North Carolina is named after him.