Walter R. Okeson

Walter R. Okeson

Date of birth	October 3, 1875
Place of birth	Port Royal, Pennsylvania, United States
Date of death	November 4, 1943 (aged 68)
Place of death	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States
Career information
Position(s)	End
Career history
As coach
1897	Latrobe Athletic Association
1900	Lehigh
1901	Lehigh (assistant)
As player
1897	Latrobe Athletic Association
1898	Duquesne Country & A. C.
Career highlights and awards
College coaching record: 10-6 Professional coaching record: 10-2-1 All-Western Pennsylvania team (1897) W. Pennsylvania champion (1898) Played in first Pro Football All-Star Game (1898)

Walter Raleigh Okeson (October 3, 1875 – November 4, 1943)^[1] was the eighth head football coach for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and he held that position for the 1900 season. His overall coaching record at Lehigh was 5 wins, 6 losses, and 0 ties. This ranks him 17th at Lehigh in terms of total wins and 15th at Lehigh in terms of winning percentage.^[2]

Okeson was also an All-American end at Lehigh University. In 1897 he was a player-coach for the Latrobe Athletic Association and led the team to a 10-2-1 record. He was later named to the "All Western Pennsylvania Team" by The Pittsburg Times after the season. In 1898, he played for the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club. At the end of that season, Okeson played for Duquesne against the 1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team, formed by Latrobe manager Dave Berry.^[3][4][5] Duquesne would go on to win the game 16-0.

References

2. Lehigh Coaching Records
3. "The First All-Star Game" (PDF). Coffin Corner (Professional Football Researchers Association) 1 (1): 1–9. 1979.
4. Van Atta, Robert (1980). "Latrobe, PA: Cradle of Pro Football" (PDF). Coffin Corner (Professional Football Researchers Association) 2 (Annual): 1–21.
5. "Last Hurrah in Allegheny" (PDF). Professional Football Researchers Association. 1980: 1–3.