Branch Bocock

James Branch Bocock (March 10, 1884 – May 25, 1946) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach.[1] 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),[2] the University of South Carolina (1925–1926), and The College of William & Mary (1928–1930, 1936–1938), compiling a career college football record of 98–55–9. Bocock was also the head basketball coach at VPI (1909–1911, 1913–1915), LSU (1920–1921),[3] and South Carolina (1924–1927), tallying a career college basketball mark of 109–33, and the head baseball coach at VPI (1910–1911, 1914), LSU (1922–1923),[4] and South Carolina (1925–1927), amassing a career college baseball record of 70–54–2.

Branch Bocock
Bocock pictured in Yackety Yack 1912, North Carolina yearbook
Biographical details
Born(1884-03-10)March 10, 1884
Shenandoah, Virginia
DiedMay 25, 1946(1946-05-25) (aged 62)
Blackstone, Virginia
Playing career
Football
1903–1906Georgetown
Position(s)Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1908Georgia
1909–1910VPI
1911North Carolina
1912–1915VPI
1920–1921LSU
1925–1926South Carolina
1928–1930William & Mary
1936–1938William & Mary
Basketball
1909–1911VPI
1913–1915VPI
1920–1921LSU
1924–1927South Carolina
Baseball
1910–1911VPI
1914VPI
1922–1923LSU
1925–1927South Carolina
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1909VPI
1925–1926South Carolina
Head coaching record
Overall98–55–9 (football)
109–33 (basketball)
70–54–4 (baseball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Basketball
1 SoCon regular season (1927)

Early years

Bocock was a quarterback for the Georgetown Hoyas.[5]

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.[6]

Later life

Bocock died at the age of 62 on May 25, 1946 at his home in Blackstone, Virginia.[7]

Head coaching record

Football
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Georgia Bulldogs (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1908)
1908 Georgia 5–2–13–2–16th
Georgia: 5–2–13–2–1
VPI (Independent) (1909–1910)
1909 VPI 6–1
1910 VPI 6–2
North Carolina Tar Heels (Independent) (1911)
1911 North Carolina 6–1–1
North Carolina: 6–1–1
VPI Gobblers (South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1912–1915)
1912 VPI 5–4
1913 VPI 7–1–1
1914 VPI 6–2–1
1915 VPI 4–4
VPI: 34–14–2
LSU Tigers (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1920–1921)
1920 LSU 5–3–11–3
1921 LSU 6–1–12–1–1
LSU: 11–4–23–4–1
South Carolina Gamecocks (Southern Conference) (1925–1926)
1925 South Carolina 7–32–2T–10th
1926 South Carolina 6–44–2T–4th
South Carolina: 13–76–4
William & Mary Indians (Independent) (1928–1930)
1928 William & Mary 6–3–2
1929 William & Mary 8–2
1930 William & Mary 7–2–1
William & Mary Indians (Southern Conference) (1936–1938)
1936 William & Mary 1–80–516th
1937 William & Mary 4–51–3T–13th
1938 William & Mary 3–70–415th
William & Mary: 29–27–31–12
Total:98–55–9

Basketball
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
VPI (Independent) (1909–1911)
1909–10 VPI 11–0
1910–11 VPI 11–1
VPI Gobblers (Independent) (1913–1916)
1913–14 VPI 14–5
1914–15 VPI 9–4
1915–16 VPI 12–3
VPI: 57–13 (.814)
LSU Tigers (Southern Conference) (1920–1921)
1920–21 LSU 19–45–2
LSU: 19–4 (.826)5–2 (.714)
South Carolina Gamecocks (Southern Conference) (1924–1927)
1924–25 South Carolina 10–74–2
1925–26 South Carolina 9–54–2
1926–27 South Carolina 14–49–11st
South Carolina: 33–16 (.673)17–5 (.773)
Total:109–33 (.768)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Baseball
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
VPI (Southern Conference) (1910–1911)
1910 VPI
1911 VPI
VPI Gobblers (Southern Conference) (1914)
1914 VPI 15–4–1
VPI: 38–18–2 (.672)
LSU Tigers (Southern Conference) (1922–1923)
1922 LSU 7–6
1923 LSU 8–9–2
LSU: 15–15–2 (.500)
South Carolina Gamecocks (Southern Conference) (1925–1927)
1925 South Carolina 4–9
1926 South Carolina 6–4
1927 South Carolina 7–8
South Carolina: 17–21 (.447)
Total:70–54–4 (.563)
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See also

References
  1. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11844-55135-96?cc=1861144&wc=MMRW-Y9Z:38187655
  2. "LSU Year-by-Year Records" (PDF). lsusports.net. p. 107. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  3. "LSU Fighting Tigers Coaches". sports-reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  4. "Louisiana State University". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  5. "Georgetown's Captain". The Pittsburgh Press. February 13, 1906.
  6. "The first 117 seasons of football at Virginia Tech". hopkiesports.com. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  7. "Branch Bocock, Vet Grid Coach, Dies". Miami Daily News. Associated Press. May 25, 1946. Retrieved November 6, 2011.

Additional sources
  • Reed, Thomas Walter (1949). Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press. History of the University of Georgia; Chapter XVII: Athletics at the University from the Beginning Through 1947 imprint pages 3493
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