Daly, Charles D.
Football
b. Oct. 31, 1880, Roxbury, MA
d. Feb. 12, 1959
Daly holds the distinction of being the only man to play for a Harvard team that beat Yale and an Army team that beat Navy, and he was an All-American quarterback at both schools. The 5-foot-9, 154-pound Daly was a versatile player who could run, kick, and play defense with the best in the game.
He entered Harvard in 1897 and became a starter as a sophomore. He was named an All-American three years in a row, 1898, 1899, and 1900. While he started at quarterback, Harvard won 32 consecutive games. An injured knee forced him out of his last game, against Yale, and Harvard lost 28-0.
In 1901, Daly was appointed to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. There was no limit on eligibility at that time, and Daly became Army's starting quarterback. Once again, he was named to most All-American teams. He scored all of Army's points in an 11-5 win over Navy by running back a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, kicking the conversion, and adding a 35-yard field goal.
There was much public criticism of his continuing to play, so Daly quit in 1902. He was persuaded to rejoin the team late in the season to get ready for the Navy game, in which he led Army to a 22-8 victory. Despite the fact that he appeared in only a few games, he was named third string on Walter Camp's All-American team.
Daly coached Army from 1913 through 1916, producing unbeaten teams in 1914 and 1916. After serving in World War I, he returned to the school for four more seasons and left coaching after having another unbeaten team in 1922. His overall record was 58 wins, 13 losses, and 3 ties.