Patrick Edward "Bunny" Larkin (March 17, 1882 – August 18, 1948) was an American physician, college football coach, and baseball manager. He served as a co-head coach alongside William Lang for the Maryland Agricultural College (now the University of Maryland) in 1909. Larkin was also an assistant football coach at Cornell University, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, and Georgetown University. He worked for many years as a team physician for the Washington Senators baseball team.
Early life Larkin was born on March 17, 1882, in Ithaca, New York, where he received his early education. He played as a quarterback for Ithaca High School.Sullivan To Captain High School Eleven, Ithaca Daily News, January 5, 1915. Larkin played baseball as a catcher for the Haverling team.Personal Mention, Steuben Farmers' Advocate, October 22, 1902. He enrolled at Cornell University for his undergraduate education in 1902, and played on the football team. The Elmira Morning Telegram wrote, "He was a fast, tricky end, who knew all of the possibilities of the position."
Larkin attended the Georgetown University School of Medicine, from which he graduated in 1908. He earned a varsity letter on the Georgetown football team in 1904.All-Time Roster (PDF), 2007 Georgetown Football Media Guide, p. 86, 2007. After college, Larkin held an internship with the Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C.Bulletin, Volumes 2–4, Georgetown University Medical Center, 1948.
Coaching career Upon the expiration of his college athletic eligibility, Larkin coached football as an assistant at Cornell.All For Cornell, The Auburn Citizen, November 17, 1905. In 1907, he served as an assistant at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School under head coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, and helped coach the line and played on the practice team at Georgetown.Georgetown Brightened By Showing, The Washington Times, November 12, 1907.Georgetown Ends Practice, The Washington Herald, November 15, 1907. Bill Stern later described Larkin's coaching as "a gem of brevity and logic".Bill Stern, Bill Stern's Favorite Football Stories, p. 9, Doubleday, 1948. One season at Carlisle, Larkin explained to his players the game: "Boys, football is like this: When white man has ball, knock down white man. When Indian has ball, knock down white man."Mac Davis, Great Sports Humor, p. 96, Penguin Group USA, 1982, . At Carlisle, he "drilled Warner's Indians to look after Chicago's forward passes and fake plays".Would Thwart Steffens, The Day, November 11, 1908.
He turned down the opportunity to coach at Georgetown for the 1908 season despite strong support from the school's alumni and students.Bunny Larkin Not Georgetown Coach; Expects to Go to Cornell or Carlisle., The Washington Times, December 21, 1907. He instead coached the ends at Cornell as the "head field coach". In October, he spent a week confined with blood poisoning before returning to the sidelines.Coach Larkin Again With Cornell, The New York Times, October 12, 1908. In 1906 and 1907, Larkin also managed the DuBois, Pennsylvania based DuBois Miners baseball club of the Interstate League, having played baseball in the minor leagues beginning in 1904.Alan Howard Levy, Joe McCarthy: Architect of The Yankee Dynasty, p. 157, McFarland, 2005, .
Larkin worked for many years as the club physician for the Washington Senators baseball team.Bucky Harris' Finger Not Broken X-Ray Shows, Titusville Herald, November 6, 1925. He was also the team physician for the Georgetown football program.Morris Allison Bealle, The Georgetown Hoyas: The Story of a Rambunctious Football Team, p. 61, Columbia Publishing Co., 1947. In 1909, while also working for the Senators, Larkin assisted Bill Lang as co-head coach at the Maryland Agricultural College (now the University of Maryland). The team finished the season with a 2–5 record.Morris Allison Bealle, King of American Football: The Story of Football at Maryland Agricultural College, Maryland State College and the University of Maryland: 1890–1952, pp. 64–66, Columbia Publishing Co., Washington, D.C., 1952.
In 1911, Larkin coached the ends at Carlisle,Bunny Larkin Coaching Indians; Former Cornell End Helps Glenn Warner To Train Carlisle Backs, Elmira Morning Telegram, 1911. and then assisted Ray Van Orman in coaching the ends at Cornell.Cornell Works In Mud, The New York Times, November 6, 1911. During the 1913 season, Warner, a long-time friend, lent his assistant and former Carlisle star Albert Exendine to coach the Georgetown football team in its final games as a favor to Larkin.Some Have Forgotten, The Georgetown Voice, September 27, 2007. Exendine served as head coach at Georgetown for nine more seasons.Albert A. "Al" Exendine Records by Year , College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved October 12, 2011. Larkin suffered a brief illness and died on August 18, 1948.
Head coaching record College football
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