The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-08-30

OdtdiiduSu, Ot, VCSSAOh SoOIc last fall after leading the Flo a successful season, is dead at sought to rebuild his war-sha
 Believed recovering after a re- cent successful operation for strangulated hernia, Cavanaugh suffered a relapse in the form of a cerebral hemorrhage and bronchial pneumonia Thursday and since then his life had, been despaired of. He was in a coma more than a full day before his death late yesterday afternoon.
 The Rev Louis J. Gallagher, s. J., president of Boston college, where Cavanaugh coached for many years, will celebrate, the solemn funeral mass at Sacred Heart Catholic church, Newton, at 10 a. m. Friday. The Cavanaughs had lived in Newton until a few months ago. Burial will be at St Johns cemetery, worcester, Tn which city the coach was born. Complete funeral arrangements had not been made today but 1t was believed certain some of the men who played under Cavanaugh would be among the bearers.
 At the bedside when death came were Mrs Florence Elizabeth Cav- anaugh and all their nine children, Ann, Philip, William, Rosemary. John, Francis, Jr, Paul, Sarah, and David. There, too, was Star, the majors 12-year-old airedale, which had parked and howled intermit- tently for two days. Father T. A. Ouinlan, pastor of the Church of the Nativity at Scituate Harbor, had administered the last rites yesterday.
 Cavanaugh, whose black derby and grim demeanor were a tradi- tion on eastern football fields, had been in failing health several years. He suffered war wounds at Argonne Forest October 23, 1918-less than three weeks before the Armistice when shrapnel exploded near the mouth of dugout in which he squatted. The wounds, which in- cluded a skull fracture, broken nose, and shattered cheek. almost caused blindness during his coach ing term at Fordham. For months he was compelled to lie in dark ened hospital room.
 '"The Iron Major," as "Cav" had been dubbed because of his gruel- ling training methods and blunt tongue, had coached at eight schools and colleges, including Fordham, Dartmouth, Boston col lege and Holy Cross, during nearly 35 years as an outstanding football coach. Straight football, with less than average open play. was basic in the Cavanaugh system and the major always preferred the big man whose body could stand the strain of repeated thrusts at the enemy line. Some took this as proof that Cavanaugh lacked the creativeness of the ideal coach, but in reality the major was never at a loss for f1ashy end sweeps or tricky forward plays with which to equip his teams. But for his part he pre- ferred to send out hardy, well- conditioned eleven that could beat it's opponents at mans play.
 Liked Eagle Teams
 Although he raised the Ford ham eleven from second-raters to a nationally-known team and de- veloped powerful teams both at Dartmouth and Holy Cross, Cavan- augh always considered the Boston college teams of '19 and 20 his masterpieces. Virtually unknown at the time, these two Eagle elev- ems went to Yale in the role of early-season set-ups, only to score successive 5-3 and 21-13 victories. Ins 1920 his Boston college team was eastern champion and the 1926, his last at the Newton school, also was undefeated, a victory over Navy being its greatest feat.
 Famous players developed by Cavanaugh, many of whom attain ed all-American recognition, were legion, some of the best remember ed being Tony Siano and Jim Mur- phy of Fordham. Fat Spears and Bill Cunningham of Dartmouth, Herb Treat, Ben Roderick, Jimmy Fitzpatrick, Luke Urban, Con O'Brien, Chuck Darling, !. Jack Heaphy and Al Weston of Boston college. It was Fitzpatrick who, in the Boston college-Yale game of '19, drop-kicked) 47-yard field goal to give the Eagles their 5-3 win.
 Cavanaugh was born at Worces- ter, Mass, April 2S, 1876. and att tended the public schools of that SteJ' VilH n4tAi6o LIOHI JOU6 db d newsboy and lamplighter, he en- tered Dartmouth college in 1895 and as an end on the Green foot ball team received, all-American recognition three years running. He left Dartmouth in 1899, subse- quently to enter Boston university Law school, where he received his degree in 1903.
 COaching Career
 For a time Cavanaugh divided his efforts between the law and coaching, finally deciding to give all his attention to the latter ca- reer. In 1899 his University of Cincinnati team won the southern championship. From 1900 through 1902 he coached the Denver (Colo) A. c. He was coach of Worcester high school in 1903 and the same year was named head coach at Holy Cross. From 1907 through 1910 he coached the Worcester Academy eleven.
 Cavanaugh got his first shot at '"big time" coaching in 1911 when he was signed as head coach of Dartmouth. despite the pickering of those who pointed out that Cav" had left Dartmouth as a student without graduating. He re- mainedi coach of the Hanover eleven until 1916. when he agreed to return to Holy Cross. But the war intervened and Cavanaugh en- listed as g private from Worcester in Battery "E' of the 102nd Field Artillery in 1917. Before going overseas he was commissioned a lieutenant, and on November q. 1918, 20 months after joining the army, was commissioned a major. He received citations for bravery both from the United States and France.