Caldwell, "Charlie" (Charles W.)
Football
b. Aug. 2, 1902, Bristol, TN
d. Nov. 1, 1957
Caldwell played center, fullback, linebacker, and wingback at Princeton from 1922 through 1924, but was better at baseball. A pitcher, he appeared in three games with the New York Yankees in 1925 before becoming an assistant coach at his alma mater.
He went to Williams College as head football coach in 1928 and had a 76-37-6 record in 17 seasons. The school dropped football in 1943 because of World War II and Caldwell became an assistant coach at Yale for two years, then returned to Princeton as head football coach in 1945.
Caldwell was a major proponent of the single wing's buck lateral series, in which a back runs toward the line to divert the defense and then laterals the ball to another back. Using that attack, Princeton went undefeated in 1950 and 1951, winning all 18 of its games, and had a 24-game winning streak.
Under Caldwell, Princeton won the Ivy League title in 1950, 1951, and 1955, and were "Big Three" champions six years in a row, from 1947 through 1952. Forced to retire because of ill health after the 1956 season, Caldwell died of cancer less than a year later. He had a 70-30-3 record in his 12 seasons at Princeton for an overall mark of 146 wins, 67 losses, and 9 ties.