Rufus Branch

{{short description|American football player, planter, and businessman (1890–1969)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}

{{Infobox college football player

|school=Tennessee Volunteers

|currentposition=Quarterback

|birth_date={{birth date|1890|7|21}}

|birth_place=Millington, Tennessee

|death_place=Joiner, Arkansas

|death_date={{death date and age|mf=y|1969|2|27|1890|7|21}}

|pastschools=Tennessee (1909–1912)

}}

Rufus Cromwell Branch (July 21, 1890 – February 27, 1969) was an American planter and businessman.{{Cite news |date=February 27, 1969 |title=Rufus Cromwell Branch |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24259960/the_courier_news/ |work=The Courier News |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers football team of the University of Tennessee as a quarterback. He was also a pitcher on the baseball team.{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/shieldanddiamon00alphgoog |title=Shield and Diamond of Pi Kappa Alpha |publisher=Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. |year=1908 |page=[https://archive.org/details/shieldanddiamon00alphgoog/page/n526 488] |via=Internet Archive}} He was credited with bringing John Barnhill to the University of Arkansas.{{Cite journal |title=Rufus Branch Receives Football Honors |url=http://www.pikearchive.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/PKA_SD_1966_SEP.pdf |journal=The Shield |page=31 |via=Pike Archive}}

In 1910, Branch threw a 35-yard pass to W. C. Johnson in the loss to Georgia.{{Cite book |last=Garbin |first=Patrick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LdDCq3ybJPwC&pg=PA12 |title=About Them Dawgs!: Georgia Football's Memorable Teams and Players |date=October 4, 2018 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810860407 |via=Google Books}} He was captain of the 1911 team.

Branch was also a World War I pilot.

Branch died at his home in Joiner, Arkansas known as the Black Cat Plantation.