Walter Edwin McCornack (January 22, 1875 – June 30, 1939) was an American football player, coach, and lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Dartmouth College from 1901 to 1902 and at Northwestern University from 1903 to 1905, compiling a career college football coaching record of 41–8–5. McCornack's record at Northwestern was 26–5–4. His winning percentage of .800 is the highest in Northwestern Wildcats football program history.
 McCornack from the 1904 Syllabus | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 22, 1875 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 30, 1939 (aged 64) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1893, 1895–1896 | Dartmouth |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1897-1900 | Phillips Exeter Academy (NH) |
| 1901–1902 | Dartmouth |
| 1903–1905 | Northwestern |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 41–8–5 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Western (1903) | |
Early life and career
McCornack was born in Chicago, on January 22, 1875. He attended Chicago's Englewood High School before entering Dartmouth with the class of 1897. At Dartmouth, McCornack played football and baseball and was the captain of the football team in 1895 and 1896. McCornack graduated from Dartmouth in 1897 an earned an LLB from Northwestern in 1899.
McCornack worked as a lawyer for the Interstate Commerce Commission. McCornack died at his home in Chicago on June 30, 1939.[1][2]
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth (Independent) (1901–1902) | |||||||||
| 1901 | Dartmouth | 9–1 | |||||||
| 1902 | Dartmouth | 6–2–1 | |||||||
| Dartmouth: | 15–3–1 | ||||||||
| Northwestern Purple (Western Conference) (1903–1905) | |||||||||
| 1903 | Northwestern | 10–1–3 | 1–0–2 | T–1st | |||||
| 1904 | Northwestern | 8–2 | 1–2 | T–5th | |||||
| 1905 | Northwestern | 8–2–1 | 0–2 | T–7th | |||||
| Northwestern: | 26–5–4 | 2–4–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 41–8–5 | ||||||||