Winchester Osgood

Bio

Winchester Dana Osgood played halfback four years for Cornell, 1888-89 and 1891-92, and two for Pennsylvania, 1893-94. Cornell had a 28-8 record in his playing time, Pennsylvania went 24-3. In 1893, Penn lost to Yale 14-6 but Osgood was acclaimed because he scored a touchdown for Penn. It was the first touchdown scored against Yale in three years. In 1894, Penn went 12-0 and was national champion. At Cornell, Osgood received a medal as the school's best all-around athlete. He ran the 440 and put the shot for the track team, was an accomplished gymnast, boxer, wrestler, tennis player, and set a record of 5:28 for the two-mile bicycle race. He was the son of Henry Osgood, an Army captain. When Cuba began its fight for independence from Spain, Osgood volunteered for the Cuban forces. He was commissioned a major in artillery and was killed in combat in 1896. This was two years before the U.S. entered the conflict in what was known as the Spanish American War. Osgood stood 5-9, weighed 173, and was an elusive runner. Pudge Heffelfinger, the old Yale star who became a writer, gave this description of Osgood: "It was downright uncanny to watch him run, opponents missed him by inches. His body undulated like a snake's. He was the Red Grange of the pioneer era."

Career Highlights

• 1892 Second Team All-America