Art Poe

Arthur Poe
Born	Template:Birth date
Died	April 15, 1951(1951-04-15) (aged 72)
Occupation(s)	American football player, businessman
Known for	College football player at Princeton, College Football Hall of Fame inductee

Arthur Poe (born March 22, 1879 – died April 15, 1951) was a distinguished American football athlete and businessman. He was among six prominent Poe brothers, who were second cousins twice removed from the writer Edgar Allan Poe, all of whom played football at Princeton during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Helms Athletic Foundation posthumously recognized him as the national college football player of the year for 1899, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

College career

During his time at Princeton University, Poe earned a place on Walter Camp's All-American second team in 1898 and advanced to the first team in 1899. He was instrumental in securing victories against Yale in both 1898 and 1899. In the 1898 game, despite suffering from a knee injury, he intercepted a Yale player and sprinted 100 yards to score the only touchdown of the contest, an achievement famously dubbed "Poe's Run." Later in that same match, he nearly scored again on a 90-yard fumble return before it was ruled that he had been downed.

In the following year’s contest, with just half a minute left and both of Princeton’s kickers sidelined by injury, Poe stepped up to attempt a game-winning field goal despite having no prior kicking experience in competition. His successful kick clinched an 11–10 triumph over Yale, an event later described as "Football's Greatest Moment" by the Pittsburgh Press in 1914. Both this decisive field goal and his earlier celebrated run were immortalized in poetry by Princeton alumnus M'Cready Sykes.

Poe’s athletic prominence was particularly notable given his recovery from a severe leg injury sustained during his freshman year, which doctors initially feared would end his playing days. Standing at 5 feet 7 inches and weighing 146 pounds, he distinguished himself on defense with remarkable runs against teams such as Navy and Brown. Aside from football, he was recognized as Princeton’s leading wrestler and was voted most popular among his classmates. Fred Crolius, a Dartmouth standout who later played alongside Poe for the Homestead Library & Athletic Club, commended Poe’s toughness and resilience despite his small size and persistent knee problems, noting his fearless play with minimal protective equipment.

Professional career

In the years 1900 and 1901, Poe competed with the Homestead Library & Athletic Club, helping lead the team to claim mythical professional football championships during both seasons. In 1902, he joined former Homestead teammates in the inaugural National Football League as a member of the Pittsburgh Stars, contributing to their league championship victory that year.

Later life

After earning his degree from Princeton in 1900, Poe married Anne Emerson King in 1904. The couple settled in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he rose to become plant manager for Quaker Oats Company. His civic engagement included numerous leadership positions: director of the Red Cross; chairman of Liberty Loan campaigns; president of Princeton’s class of 1900 alumni; president of the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce; president of Coe College’s Board of Trustees; vice president of St. Luke's Hospital; member of the International YMCA Board; trustee for the University of Iowa School of Religion; chairman of the Diocese of Iowa Ways and Means Committee; trustee for Iowa Episcopate Funds; and vice president of Morris Plan Bank.

Upon his passing in 1951, Quaker Oats commemorated Poe’s legacy by establishing the non-denominational Poe Chapel on Coe College’s campus as a tribute to his memory.