Cleveland Abbott


Cleveland Leigh "Cleve" Abbott was an American football player, coach and educator. He was the head coach of the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers football team from 1923 to 1954.

Life

Abbott was born in Yankton, South Dakota in 1894, one of seven children to Albert Abbott and Mollie Brown Abbott. Abbott attended and graduated from high school 1908-1912 Watertown, South Dakota. He Attended and then received his bachelor's degree 1912 - 1916 from South Dakota State College in Brookings, South Dakota. He was an outstanding, multi-sport athlete at Watertown High School and SDSC . Hired by Booker T. Washington in 1913 to be the Tuskegee Institute football coach and dairy instructor upon 1916 SDSC graduation. He joined the US Army in 1917 at Camp Dodge and mustered out in 1919. After serving in Europe in World War I as an officer in the 366th Infantry Regiment, Abbott taught at the Kansas Vocational School in Topeka, Kansas. In 1923, Abbott accepted a position as Athletic Director, professor and coach at Tuskegee.
Abbott was the eighth head football coach for the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers located in Tuskegee, Alabama and he held that position for 32 seasons, from 1923 until 1954.
Abbott earned the respect of his peers through his team's performance and by participating in national committees for the selection of "all-American" players at the collegiate level.
First African American member of USA Track and Field Board about 1940. First African American member of the US Olympic Committee in 1946.
Coach of first African American Olympic Gold Medal winner Alice Coachman, 1948. Coach to second African American Olympic Gold Medal winner Mildred McDaniel, 1956.
Wife, Jessie Harriette Scott and daughter Jessie Ellen Abbott.
Abbott died in April 17 1955 in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Cleveland Abbott inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame September 2018.

Head coaching record

College