Hall of Fame
Position: Halfback
Years: 1922-1925
Place of Birth: Medford, MA
Date of Birth: Jul 25, 1900
Place of Death: St. Petersburg, FL
Date of Death: May 01, 1982
Jersey Number: 4
Height: 5-8
Weight: 180
High School: Medford, MA (Medford HS)Suffield, CT (Suffield HS)
Whenever Eastern football enthusiasts talk of clutch players, the name Ed "Cannonball" Tryon is certain to enter the conversation. The Colgate halfback of the early 1920s was a master at saving the Maroon from embarrassment. Take, for example, Colgate's famous match-up with Ohio State in 1923. It was Tryon's touchdown runs of 65 and 25 yards which spelled a 23-23 deadlock with the Buckeyes. And, in 1925, the Colgate captain stunned Princeton when he scored the only touchdown in a 7-0 upset of the Tigers. That same year, his short scoring burst gave the Maroon a 7-7 tie with Lafayette and insured Colgate of an unbeaten season. "He was the hardest working athlete I ever coached," proclaimed Dick Harlow after Tryon was named All-American in 1925. And work, he did! Tryon was the most dedicated player a coach could ever imagine, always early to practice and most-often the last man to leave the field. He drilled for hour upon hour concentrating on his kicking and passing. But it was as a ball-carrier that Ed Tryon was most feared. A slippery-hipped runner, he was a great open-field man, elusive and quick. Sportswriter Tryon lettered four years at Colgate, 1922-25, and gained All-America mention the last two. As a freshman in 1922 he scored five touchdowns in a 59-0 victory over Columbia.
