James Van Cleve

James Van Cleve

Career information
Position(s)	End, halfback
College	Lehigh
Career history
As coach
1898	Duquesne
As player
1893–1894	Allegheny Athletic Association
1895	Duquesne Country and Athletic Club
1896	Allegheny Athletic Association
Career highlights and awards
W. Pennsylvania Champion (1894) 4th-ever pro football player

James M. Van Cleve was an American football player and coach. He was the fourth ever known person to be paid to play the sport. Only Pudge Heffelfinger, Sport Donnelly and Peter Wright were professionals before him. Van Cleve's contract was with the Allegheny Athletic Association for $50 per game for the entire 1893 season.

In 1894, during a game against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Allegheny's quarterback, A. S. Valentine, was thrown out of the game after coming to the aid of Van Cleve during a fight against Pittsburgh's Joe Trees. After several appeals, Valentine left the field reportedly "crying like a baby" by the local media. During the 1895 season, Allegheny did not field a team after learning the club was under investigation by the Amateur Athletic Union for secretly paying its players. As a result, Van Cleve played for the upstart Duquesne Country and Athletic Club. He would return to Allegeheny for their last season in 1896.

College career

Prior to his professional career, Van Cleve played college football at Lehigh University. On October 15, 1892, Van Cleve scored Lehigh's only touchdown in a loss against the Orange Athletic Club. He would play for Lehigh five days later during a 50-0 loss to the Princeton Tigers.

Van Cleve would later become football coach at Holy Ghost College, later renamed Duquesne University.

External links

• James Van Cleve at the College Football Data Warehouse