E . J . Stewart Edward James " Doc " Stewart ( January 26 , 1877 – November 18 , 1929 ) was an American football , basketball , and baseball player , coach , and college athletics administrator . He was also the founder , and player - coach of the Massillon Tigers professional football team . Early life . Stewart was the son of a Methodist minister and had played football and basketball at Mount Union College , located in Alliance , Ohio . He had attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University , located in Cleveland , where he played on the baseball team . Massillon Tigers - Canton Bulldogs rivalry . In the early 1900s , Stewart organized a pro football team in Massillon , Ohio called the Massillon Tigers . Ed , a young and ambitious editor of the city newspaper " The Evening Independent " , was named as the team ' s first coach . At this time , Massillon was involved in a rivalry with the cross - county , Canton Bulldogs . Both teams spent lavish amounts of money to bring in ringers from out of town . Prior to the 1906 season , a news story in " The Plain Dealer " alleged that the Bulldogs were financially broke and could not pay its players for that final game . Many Canton followers believed the story had originated in Massillon as a trick to discredit their team and make it tougher for Canton to recruit players for 1906 . Since Stewart had newspaper connections , he was believed by Canton to have planted the story . The Tigers had won every " Ohio League " championship from 1902 to 1906 . In 1906 , Stewart was promoted from coach to the Tigers ' manager . Sherburn Wightman , who was coached by Amos Alonzo Stagg , was named the team ' s new coach . Canton Bulldogs - Massillon Tigers Betting Scandal . In 1906 , Stewart was a figure in a betting scandal between the two clubs . The Canton Bulldogs - Massillon Tigers Betting Scandal was the first major scandal in professional football . It was more notably the first known case of professional gamblers attempting to fix a professional sport . It refers to an allegation made by a Massillon newspaper charging the Bulldogs ' coach , Blondy Wallace , and Tigers end , Walter East , with conspiring to fix a two game championship series between the two clubs . When the Tigers won the second and final game of the series and were named pro football ' s champions , Wallace was accused of throwing the game for Canton . However , through the " Massillon Independent " , Stewart charged that an actual attempt was made to bribe some of the Tiger players and that Wallace had been involved . Stewart never stated that either the first or second Canton - Massillon game was fixed . Instead his accusation was that an attempt had been made to bribe some Massillion players before the first game . According Stewart , Tiny Maxwell and Bob Shiring of Massillon had been solicited to throw the first game by East . Maxwell and Shiring then reported the offer to Wightman and the scandal ended before it began . East was then released by the Tigers . Only then was Wallace named by Stewart of being East ' s accomplice . The scandal was said to have ruined professional football in Ohio until the mid 1910s . However , some others argue that the expense of placing all - star teams on the field each week also put a damper on the sport . The Canton Morning News put a $ 20 , 000 price tag on the Massillon Tigers 1906 team , while many speculate that the Bulldogs roster probably cost even more . Stiil others contend that the games involving top teams such as Canton and Massilon were too one - sided and lacked excitement . Many towns in Ohio still fielded clubs over the next several years , however these new pros consisted more of sandlotters , with only the occasional ringer . A second incarnation of the Bulldogs would be established in 1911 and would later go on to win two championships in the National Football League . Collegiate coaching . Mount Union College . Stewart ' s first collegiate head coaching position was as the head football coach at Mount Union College . He coached one season there and posted a 9 – 2 record . Stewart was also the head coach of the Mount Union men ' s basketball team for one season . He coached the team for one season posting a record of 18 – 3 in the 1907 – 08 season . Purdue University . In 1909 , Stewart was hired as the head men ' s basketball coach at Purdue University just days before the season began . He led the team to a record of 8 – 4 , their first winning season in four years . Oregon State . From 1911 to 1916 , Stewart was the head coach of the men ' s basketball team at Oregon State , then known as Oregon Agricultural College . In his five seasons as the head basketball coach at OAC , Stewart posted a record of 67 – 33 . While at Oregon State , he also coached the Oregon State Beavers baseball team during the 1912 season . He coached the team to a 5 – 9 record . Pulling the triple threat for Oregon State , Stewart also coached the Oregon State Beavers football team from 1913 to 1915 . In football he compiled a 15 – 5 – 5 record . University of Nebraska . From 1916 to 1917 , Stewart was the head coach of the University of Nebraska football team . In his two seasons at the helm , he led the team to the Missouri Valley Conference title each year and posted a 11 – 4 record overall . After the conclusion of the 1917 football season , Stewart took over as head basketball coach and remained in that capacity from 1917 to 1919 . He coached the Cornhuskers to a 17 – 14 record over those two seasons . Clemson University . In the spring of 1921 , Stewart became the head baseball coach at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina . That spring was a busy one for Stewart as he also coached the track and field team and ran spring practice for football , all while coaching the baseball team . He coached the baseball team for just the 1921 season and the track program from 1921 to 1923 . In the fall of 1921 , Stewart coached his first season of football at Clemson . He remained there for two seasons , the 1921 and 1922 seasons , and compiled a 6 – 10 – 2 record . As soon as the football season of 1921 ended , Stewart jumped into his 4th head coaching role at Clemson at coached the basketball team . He coached the basketball from 1921 to 1923 . In his two seasons at the helm , he led Clemson to a 19 – 19 record . University of Texas . University of Texas Athletic Director L . Theo Bellmont hired Stewart from Clemson to lead both the Longhorn football and basketball programs in 1923 . A medical school graduate , a piano enthusiast , a former sportswriter , a one - time automobile dealership owner , and a veteran coach , E . J . Stewart quickly became a popular figure across diverse segments of the University population . His oratory eloquence landed him an open job offer from the head of the UT English Department , should he ever decide to quit coaching and desire other work . Some have speculated that Stewart ' s devotion to his varied non - athletic interests was the root cause of his football and basketball teams ' decline in performance over his tenure . He led the Longhorn football team to an 8 – 0 – 1 record during the 1923 season ; his following teams finished with records of 5 – 3 – 1 , 6 – 2 – 1 , and 5 – 4 . Stewart led the Longhorn basketball team to a perfect 23 – 0 mark and a Southwest Conference championship during the 1923 – 24 season , but his subsequent teams finished 17 – 8 , 12 – 10 , and 13 – 9 . This decline in his teams ' performance resulted in the popular Stewart ' s controversial dismissal following the 1926 – 27 season . University of Texas at El Paso . He ended his career at University of Texas at El Paso where he compiled a 5 – 6 – 3 record . On November 18 , 1929 , Stewart was shot and killed by a deer - hunting companion . He was interred at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland .