Bulger Lowe

American football player (1895–1939)

American football player

George Lowe

No. 7, 18, 5, 14

Position:

Tackle, end

Personal information

Born:

(1895-06-21)June 21, 1895
Arlington, Massachusetts, U.S.

Died:

February 18, 1939(1939-02-18) (aged 43)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Height:

5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)

Weight:

180 lb (82 kg)

Career information

High school:

Arlington
(Arlington, Massachusetts)
Phillips Exeter
(Exeter, New Hampshire)

College:

Lafayette, Fordham

Career history

As a player:

Canton Bulldogs (1920)
Cleveland Indians (1921)
Providence Steam Roller (1925)
Frankford Yellow Jackets (1925–1926)
Boston Bulldogs (1926)
Providence Steam Roller (1927)

As a coach:

Boston College (1928) (line coach)
Dartmouth (1929) (line coach)

Career highlights and awards

First-team All-Pro (1921)

Career NFL statistics

Touchdowns:	1

George Henry "Bulger" Lowe Jr. (June 21, 1895 – February 18, 1939)^[1] was an American football player, coach, and official. He played professionally as a tackle and end for five seasons with the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, Providence Steam Roller, and Frankford Yellow Jackets of the National Football League (NFL) and the Boston Bulldogs of the first American Football League (AFL).^[2]

In 1909, Lowe started his football career as a 14-year-old, playing guard for Arlington High School.^[3] He attended Fordham University and was a captain of the 1917 Fordham Maroon football team.^[4]^: 150

Lowe served with the United States Army Ambulance Service in France in World War I. He was wounded and hospitalized in France.^[5]

Lowe was the first player from Fordham to play professional football, when in 1920 he was drafted to play for Frankford.^[4]^: 12

Lowe officiated college football games during the 1930s. He died on February 18, 1939, following five weeks of illness.^[6]

The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston established The George H. "Bulger" Lowe Award in 1939 to recognise New England's best offensive and defensive players in the NCAA Bowl and Championship divisions.^[7] The award is the third oldest collegiate football award in the United States, following the Heisman and Maxwell trophies.^[7]^[8] The award is sometimes referred to as "New England's Heisman Trophy".^[3]^[7]

References

^ "Funeral of Lowe Will be Wednesday". Arlington Historical Society. February 19, 1939. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
^ "Bulger Lowe NFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. February 2, 1939. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Blevins, David (2012). College football awards : all national and conference winners through 2010 (Journal of Sport History ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786448678. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "2019 Fordham Football Media Guide" (PDF). Fordham University. 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
^ "Ram Newspaper - 11/16/1918". The Ram Newspaper. Fordham University. November 16, 1918. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
^ "Football Loses One of Its Best Officials, Bulger Lowe". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. Associated Press. February 20, 1939. p. 8. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ ^a ^b ^c "Obukwelu Tabbed George "Bulger" Lowe Winner as Top Defensive Player in New England". Harvard University. Harvard Crimson. December 6, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
^ "Bowdoin's Dave Diamond Honored by Gridiron Club of Greater Boston". New England Small College Athletic Conference. December 30, 2005. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007.