Hugh Jennings - Cornell, 1904 Autograph.

[vintagesportscollector]

I am not a big autograph collector, but recently acquired this 1904 program that fits wonderfully within my early Cornell athletics collection. If I were to acquire any autograph to add it would be Hugh Jennings. (or Glenn S. ‘Pop’ Warner, which I already have).

This March 5th, 1904, Cornell Freshman Banquet program is remarkably designed with a faux-bamboo hard cover and contains autograph of Hugh Jennings, ’04, Cornell Varsity Baseball Coach from 1899 - 1906.

About 350 Freshmen attended the Banquet. Hugh Jennings was one of the ‘Toast’ speakers. The program contains three blank pages for the students to collect autographs. There are 49 autographs and the most notable is that of Hugh Jennings. It is signed “Hughey” and a nice early example of his autograph.

Jennings was Cornell’s first official head baseball coach, serving in that position from 1899 to 1904. As a Cornell Law student and Coach of the baseball team, Jennings was very actively engaged in the Cornell community, joining a fraternity (Phi Delta Theta), and as a member of societies and committees (Phi Delta Phi, Sphinx Head, Chancery, Round Table), and attended as many student banquets and smokers as he could, as a speaker or the ‘Toastmaster.” Coached Cornell baseball from 1899 to 1904 and was assistant coach in 1905 and 1906. He would frequently return to Ithaca in the Spring for many hears after 1906 to help coach the baseball team until he was due back with his Managerial duties with Detroit.

Hugh Jennings - https://www.iyellcornell.com/yell-blog#comp-lqboz4em1

iyellcornell.com

Thanks,
Joe

[Bpm0014]

Great piece! It’s a fairly rare autograph. I’ve never seen it signed Hughey. I have a 1910’s autographed Tigers bat signed Hughie...

[vintagesportscollector]

Thanks, that’s a great bat! In searching I also haven’t seen any other example signed “Hughey”. Interestingly he signed this just 10 days after famously jumping into an empty swimming pool. Despite being unconscious for an hour and spraining his left wrist (he was right-handed), accounts of his injuries were greatly exaggerated as he was back in class the next day and mostly recovered.

[EddieP]

Didn’t he spell his name “ Hughie”?

[vintagesportscollector]

Didn’t he spell his name “ Hughie”?

He apparently used both. On many of his baseball cards, including the T202, it is spelled “Hughey” and in the Cornell yearbook he used “Hughey” - but yes, Hughie is a more commonly used spelling. Interesting that he would change or switch back and forth.

[Republicaninmass]

Interesting is one word for it

[cfhofer]

Hey Joe,

Wanted to thank you again. Found this “Hughey” autograph in a recently acquired Cornell scrapbook after seeing your post. This particular signature was in a Cornell banquet program dated February 21, 1900.

I’ve been doing a little research since and it appears he didn’t switch his signature to “Hughie” until his time in Detroit. According to Hugh Jenning’s biography by Jack Smiles he was primarily referred to as “Hughey” by friends and in newspaper articles until around 1900. Was curious if anyone here has seen a “Hughie” Jennings signature pre-1906?

Mark