Nicholas Bawlf

Coach Bawlf led the Big Red for a remarkable (and likely never to be surpassed) 27 seasons from 1920-21 through 1946-47.  He also coached soccer during that period, and lacrosse from 1920 through 1939 -- a combined total of 74 seasons of coaching!

From Bob Kane's book, Good Sports, A History of Cornell Athletics

(W)in or lose, Nicky had the admiration and respect of his players.  He was a 'holler guy,' but he was inherently too kind to be a strict disciplinarian.  The word 'picturesque' was aptly used to describe him as an athlete, as a coach, and as a person.

His soccer teams routinely vied for national honors, and his 1934 soccer team won the national championship.

In another quotation from Kane's excellent book, Dave Cutting, a freshman captain (!) of the 1941-42 team, describes the early days:

It was primitive hockey during my time and, compared to the luxurious conditions today at Lynah Rink, laughable.  Ice on Beebe Lake was never a certainty.  There were ten-inch-wide wooden sideboards around the perimeter of the rink.  We piled snow closely outside to cushion the falls when we were body checked along the boards.  There were usually wide cracks in the ice surface.  Thaws melted the ice every so often, and the boards would float away and we would have to retrieve them and nail them back together to await the next freeze.  There were times when the horse pulling the snowplow would break through the ice.

Coach Bawlf's hockey teams' records:

His lifetime mark was 45-75-4, putting him sixth in wins among Cornell coaches.