Tom McLure

John Thomas McLure (December 20, 1888 – March 24, 1931) was an American college football and baseball player who served in the First World War.[1]

Auburn University

McClure was a prominent quarterback for Mike Donahue's Auburn Tigers of Auburn University.

1908

In 1908, a year in which he was captain,[2][3] he was selected All-Southern;[4][5] Vanderbilt coach Dan McGugin describes his play: "McClure was not particularly fast, but a spirited leader, an excellent general and a sure tackler."[4] LSU won the SIAA championship, but amidst fears of many players being ineligible under SIAA rules most sportswriters did not include them for All-Southern selection.[4] LSU rival Tulane, which was also undefeated in conference play, accused many LSU players of professionalism.[6] Auburn is one team listed as an alternative southern champion, for LSU was its only loss.

Military service and later life

During World War I, McClure served as a captain in Company F, of the first regiment of engineers, in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF).[7] He declared that going over the top in France beats charging into an opposing eleven.[8][9] He was severely wounded in the Battle of Cantigny, having a portion of his face shot away and sustaining injury to his knee. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre for bravery.[7]

McClure later worked as a resident engineer for South Carolina's state highway department. He died on March 24, 1931, two miles south of Ehrhardt, South Carolina, where he was supervising work on highway No. 36.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Guide to the John Thomas McLure Papers".
  2. ^ Elizabeth D. Schafer (2004). Auburn Football. Arcadia. p. 48. ISBN 9780738516691.
  3. ^ "Auburn's Greatest Victory In Many Years". Orange and Blue. November 11, 1908. p. 204. Retrieved April 6, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ a b c Spalding's Football Guide. Shawnee Mission, Kansas, NCAA Publishing Service. 1909. p. 75.
  5. ^ "Contributions". The Kappa Alpha Journal. 24 (3): 293. 1907.
  6. ^ "From 'The LSU Football Vault': The 1908 Season". Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  7. ^ a b c "Captain McClure Laid To Rest". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. March 27, 1931. p. 9. Retrieved April 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  8. ^ "Going Over Top Is Better Than Football" (PDF). The Herald. February 21, 1918. p. 8.
  9. ^ "Letter from Penrose Vass Stout, stationed in France, to his mother, Zemmie Stout Lawton, in Hartsville, South Carolina".