| Wins against Kentucky - 2 | Losses against Kentucky - 2 |
Alma Mater: Virginia
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
Date Born: December 17, 1863
Date Died: December 24, 1930
Overall Record: 254-95 [24 Seasons]

Obituary - The News Leader (Staunton, VA) (December 26, 1930)

VETERAN VIRGINIA COACH TO BE BURIED TOMORROW

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Dec. 26. - Henry H. (Pop) Lannigan, one of the most noted athletic trainers in the East, died Wednesday morning at the University hospital, after an illness extending over two years. For many months he was under treatment at the United State Naval hospital at Portsmouth, Va., but for the past two months had been at his home at the university. One week ago he was transferred to University hospital.

The funeral will be held from St. Paul's Episcopal church at the university at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon, the services to be conducted by the pastor, the Rev. Noble C. Powell. Interment will be in the University cemetery.

Henry Hayden Lannigan was born in Pembrokshire, Wales, the son of William Lannigan, reader at Dublin College and was 65 years of age. He came to this country in his early teens and entered upon his long athletic career at the Springfield training school at Springfield, Mass. For several years he was athletic director in the Y.M.C.A.'s at Norfolk and Portsmouth, Va.

"Pop" as he was familiarly known by the students, came to Virginia in 1904 from Cornell University, where he had served as athletic director for fourteen years. The genial Irishman at once made a big hit. Indeed, Virginia's supremacy in track athletics date from the arrival of Lannigan. In his first few years he developed a number of the best-known track stars in the country, among them James A. Rector, the Arkansas flash, and Forrest Stanton, the California phenomenon.

Trained Rector

Jimmy Rector, it will be recalled defeated every man he faced in this country, and in the 100-meter race at the Olympic games in London lost by six inches to Reginald Walker, the South African, after seven false starts had been made.

In the same meet, Rector tied the 100-meter record seven times in preliminary heats. The same year, in the Southern Intercollegiates, held in Charlottesville, Rector covered the 100-yard dash in 9 2-5 seconds, and the following week, in a dual meet with Yale, ran the hundred in 9 3-5 seconds. The 9 2-5 record was about to be allowed Rector by President Sullivan of the A.A.U. but the latter was taken ill and died.

Forrest Stanton was probably the best all-around athlete who ever attended the University of Virginia, for he starred on the gridiron and diamond as well as the cinder path. On the track he defeated such men as Texas Ramsdell of the University of Pennsylvania, in the 220 and 440-yard dashes.

Versatile

Stanton's versatility was illustrated in his last year at Virginia. He was on the Northern trip with the baseball squad when Trainer Lannigan in Baltimore with Virginia's track team, suddenly found out that he needed the Californian to run in the quarter-mile event. Staunton caught in the Yale game Friday afternoon and taking a sleeper that night at New Haven, reached Baltimore in time to annex the single event needed to give Virginia the meet with John Hopkins.

Trainer Lannigan's ability was acknowledged throughout the East and South, and his services were eagerly sought by leading institutions of both sections. All of these offers were turned down, however, and he remained in harness at Virginia until forced to retire two year ago on account of ill health.

For many years Lannigan acted as trainer for all the athletic teams at Virginia. He coached basketball, track and wrestling and assisted in coaching the baseball and football squads. He also looked after the boxing and fencing teams and coached swimming when the new gymnasium was opened.

Mr. Lannigan married Miss Helen White of Bakersfield, Vt. She survived with two daughters, Mrs. Erkkine Caldwell of the university and Miss Virginia Lannigan of New York City. He also leaves four brothers and one sister.

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