Tiny Thornhill

Tiny Thornhill
Thornhill in 1934
Biographical details
Born(1893-04-14)April 14, 1893
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
DiedJune 30, 1956(1956-06-30) (aged 63)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Playing career
1913–1916Pittsburgh
1917–1919Massillon Tigers
1920Cleveland Tigers
1920Buffalo All-Americans
PositionsTackle, guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1917Pittsburgh (assistant)
1921Centre (line)
1922–1932Stanford (line)
1933–1939Stanford
Head coaching record
Overall35–25–7
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards

Claude Earl "Tiny" Thornhill (April 14, 1893 – June 30, 1956) was an All-American college football player at Pittsburgh and the head football coach at Stanford from 1933 to 1939.

Early life and college career

Claude E. Thornhill was born in 1893 in Richmond, Virginia. At the age of six, the family moved to West Virginia. He then contracted scarlet fever and was confined to a wheelchair for 17 months. He was told by doctors that he was paralyzed in both legs and would not be able to walk for years. He moved with his family to Beaver, Pennsylvania, at a young age.[1][2]

Thornhill played college football at the University of Pittsburgh under legendary coach Glenn "Pop" Warner. An All-American guard and tackle, Thornhill was given the ironic nickname "Tiny" due to his imposing size.[3] Following his graduation from Pitt, Tiny became an assistant coach to Pop Warner but left midway through the season to play pro football with the Massillon Tigers, with teammates that included Knute Rockne, Jock Sutherland, Gus Dorais, Bob Higgins, and Bob Peck.[4] He also played in the first-ever National Football League season in 1920 for the Cleveland Tigers and Buffalo All-Americans.[5][6]

Coaching career

After leaving pro football, Thornhill returned to Pitt as an assistant coach to Warner. In 1922, Warner accepted the head coaching position at Stanford, but as he had two years to finish his contract at Pitt, sent Thornhill and Andrew Kerr ahead to coach Stanford in preparation of his arrival in 1924.[7]

Thornhill served as offensive line coach under Warner until 1933, when Warner left Stanford to take the head coaching job at Temple University and Thornhill was named head coach. In his first three years, members of the class of 1936—nicknamed the Vow Boys due to their promise never to lose to USC—played in the Rose Bowl Game each season. Thornhill was the first Stanford coach to lead his team to postseason play in his first three seasons, a feat not matched until David Shaw's 2011 to 2013 teams. Stanford lost the first two Rose Bowl appearances, but won the 1936 Rose Bowl over SMU, 7–0.

After the first three seasons, Thornhill's teams went steadily downhill, culminating in a 1–7–1 season in 1939, after which Thornhill was fired and replaced by Clark Shaughnessy.

Thornhill died in Berkeley, California, in 1956 of a heart ailment.[8] He was buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery.[9] He was inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs AP#
Stanford Indians (Pacific Coast Conference) (1933–1939)
1933 Stanford 8–2–14–1T–1stL Rose
1934 Stanford 9–1–15–01stL Rose4
1935 Stanford 8–14–1T–1stW Rose
1936 Stanford 2–5–22–3–26th
1937 Stanford 4–3–24–2–12nd
1938 Stanford 3–62–58th
1939 Stanford 1–7–10–6–19th
Stanford: 35–25–721–18–4
Total:35–25–7
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

  1. ↑ "Thornhill's Grid Career Began in 1908". San Francisco Examiner. November 22, 1935. p. 4K. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  2. ↑ "A Tale of Perseverance". The Grand Rapids Press. December 26, 1933. p. 12. Retrieved July 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  3. ↑ Effrat, Louis (November 25, 1937). "30 Determined Stanford Athletes Arrive for Battle With Columbia". New York Times.
  4. ↑ "Profile". Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Claude Thornhill". databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Pitt Football's All-Time First Team All-Americans". PittsburghPanthers.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Pop Warner". Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Tiny Thornhill, Coach, 63, Dead". The New York Times. July 1, 1956.
  9. ↑ "Tribe Greats Pay Thornhill Homage". Oakland Tribune. July 2, 1956. p. 32E. Retrieved February 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
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