Quick Facts
Biography
Earl C. "Tuffy" Abell (May 29, 1892 – May 26, 1956) was an American football player and coach. He played college football as a tackle at Colgate University. He later returned to Colgate as an assistant coach in 1925, and took over the head coaching job in 1928. He spent the 1929 and 1930 football seasons as head coach of the University of Virginia Cavaliers football team. He attended Portage High School in Portage, Wisconsin. Abell was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as player in 1973.
Coaching career
Virginia Military Institute
Abell was the 13th head football coach for the Virginia Military Institute Keydets located in Lexington, Virginia and he held that position for the 1917 season. His career coaching record at VMI was 4 wins, 4 losses, and 1 ties. This ranks him 24th at VMI in total wins and 16th at VMI in winning percentage.
Colgate
Abell was the 22nd head football coach for the Colgate University Raiders located in the Village of Hamilton in Madison County, New York and he held that position for the 1928 season. His overall coaching record at Colgate was 6 wins, 3 losses, and 0 ties. This ranks him 17th at Colgate in terms of total wins and tenth at Colgate in terms of winning percentage.
Personal life
Born in Portage, Wisconsin, Abell attended Colgate University, where he became a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. Abell was married and had three children. He worked for the American Can Company upon retiring from coaching. He died of a heart attack on May 26, 1956.
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMI Keydets (Independent) (1917–1918) | |||||||||
| 1917 | VMI | 4–4–1 | |||||||
| 1918 | VMI | 3–3 | |||||||
| VMI: | 7–7–1 | ||||||||
| Sewanee Tigers (Independent) (1919–1920) | |||||||||
| 1919 | Sewanee | 3–6 | |||||||
| 1920 | Sewanee | 4–3–1 | |||||||
| Sewanee: | 7–9–1 | ||||||||
| Mississippi A&M Aggies (Southern Conference) (1923–1924) | |||||||||
| 1923 | Mississippi A&M | 5–2–2 | 2–1–2 | T–9th | |||||
| 1924 | Mississippi A&M | 5–4 | 3–2 | T–6th | |||||
| Mississippi A&M: | 10–6–2 | 5–3–2 | |||||||
| Colgate (Independent) (1928) | |||||||||
| 1928 | Colgate | 6–3 | |||||||
| Colgate: | 6–3 | ||||||||
| Virginia Cavaliers (Southern Conference) (1929–1930) | |||||||||
| 1929 | Virginia | 4–3–2 | 1–3–2 | 16th | |||||
| 1930 | Virginia | 4–6 | 2–5 | 17th | |||||
| Virginia: | 8–9–2 | 3–8–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 38–34–6 | ||||||||
Note: In the 1918 season, Abell served as a co-coach alongside Mose Goodman.
Basketball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMI Keydets (Independent) (1917–1919) | |||||||||
| 1917–18 | VMI | 6–6 | |||||||
| 1918–19 | VMI | 8–6 | |||||||
| VMI: | 14–12 | ||||||||
| Total: | 14–12 | ||||||||