Eddie Cochems
The forgotten pioneer who turned the newly legalized forward pass from a desperation tactic into football's first aerial offense.
1877–1953 (age 76)·American football player and coach·Birthday: February 4·The Gilded Age
Biography
Long before the forward pass defined modern football, Eddie Cochems saw its potential. As the head coach at Saint Louis University in 1906, the same year the rule was legalized, he didn't just add the pass to his playbook—he built his entire system around it. While Eastern powers like Yale and Harvard viewed the pass with suspicion, Cochems drilled his 'St. Louis Football Boys' on spirals, timing, and downfield routes on the dusty fields of Missouri. His 1906 team went undefeated, outscoring opponents 407–11 and famously dismantling Iowa 39-0 with a relentless aerial attack. Though his name faded, his revolutionary concept—that a thrown ball could systematically attack a defense—laid the groundwork for the game's explosive future.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Eddie was born in 1877, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eddie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1877
Eddie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1877Born
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1882Started school
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1890Became a teenager
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1893Could drive
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1895Could vote
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Turned 21
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1907Turned 30
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1917Turned 40
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 50
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 60
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 70
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1953Died at 76
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
Key Achievements
- Coached the 1906 Saint Louis University football team to an undefeated 11-0 season, pioneering the strategic use of the forward pass.
- Is widely credited as the first coach to develop a comprehensive offensive system centered on the forward pass.
- His 1906 team famously defeated the University of Iowa 39-0, showcasing the devastating potential of the new passing game.
Did You Know?
He played halfback at the University of Wisconsin and was a teammate of the famous coach and innovator, Hugo Bezdek.
Cochems later worked as an official for the U.S. Immigration Service and as a parole officer.
He served as the head football coach at Clemson University for one season in 1905, before the forward pass was legal.
“The average pass, if properly thrown, travels faster than any man can run.”
