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W. Branch Rickey coached football at Allegheny both in 1904 and 1905. His two-year record was 8-13. The 1904 record of 5-5 included losses to Penn State and Syracuse. The 1905 record was 3-8.
A 1904 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Rickey, a catcher, played minor league baseball in the summers of 1903, 1904, and 1905. He also played semi-pro football in the fall of 1903 before he suffered a broken leg. Rickey played in the major leagues with Cincinnati in 1904 and the St. Louis Browns from 1905.
At Ohio Wesleyan he was student-coach of the baseball team and in his senior year the Bishops won the Ohio championship. At Allegheny, Rickey coached the football team while he taught English and history for two years. In 1906 he became the athletic director at Ohio Wesleyan. Also, Rickey was notably instrumental in professional baseball throughout his life. He is credited with signing Jackie Robinson, first African American to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Rickey has also been inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
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