View source for Leroy Mercer

{{Short description|American athlete and surgeon (1888–1957)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Leroy Mercer
| image = ELMErcer.png
| alt = 
| caption = Mercer pictured in ''Halcyon 1918'', Swarthmore yearbook
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1888|10|30}}
| birth_place = [[Kennett Square, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1957|7|3|1888|10|30}}<ref name="Olympedia">{{Olympedia|78782}}</ref>
| death_place = [[Swarthmore, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| alma_mater = 
| player_years1 = 1910–1912
| player_team1 = [[Penn Quakers football|Penn]]
| player_positions = [[Fullback (gridiron football)|Fullback]]
| coach_years1 = 1917–1930
| coach_team1 = [[Swarthmore Garnet Tide football|Swarthmore]]
| overall_record = 63–41–7
| bowl_record = 
| tournament_record = 
| championships = 
| awards = 
* 2× Consensus [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1910 College Football All-America Team|1910]], [[1912 College Football All-America Team|1912]])
* Third-team All-American ([[1911 College Football All-America Team|1911]])
* Penn Athletics Hall of Fame
| coaching_records = 
| CFBHOF_year = 1955
| CFBHOF_id = 1321
}}
'''Eugene Leroy Mercer''' (October 30, 1888 – July 3, 1957) was a respected surgeon but was best known for his [[college football]] career while attending the [[University of Pennsylvania]]. In 1910, he led Penn to the eastern championship and served as the Quakers' captain for the next two seasons. During his time at Penn, Mercer helped the Quakers to a 23–10 football record and received [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] honors in [[1910 College Football All-America Team|1910]], [[1911 College Football All-America Team|1911]] and [[1912 College Football All-America Team|1912]].

[[File:1912 Eugene_Mercer.JPG|thumb|left|220px|Mercer performing a long jump in the Olympics]]
In 1908, Mercer cleared {{convert|12|ft|m|adj=on}} in the [[pole vault]], setting a record which he then broke in 1909. He is credited with becoming the only [[high school]] athlete to clear that height with a now-outdated [[spruce]] pole. Mercer was named to the [[United States at the Summer Olympics|United States Olympic team]] for the [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Olympic Games]] and placed fifth in the [[long jump]] and sixth in the [[decathlon]]. He also competed in [[baseball at the 1912 Summer Olympics|baseball]], which was a [[demonstration sport]] at those Games.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418111421/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/me/roy-mercer-1.html Roy Mercer]. sports-reference.com</ref> Mercer then captained Penn's 1913 champion track team and received All-American honors for his long jump accomplishments, and he won the IC4A long jump titles in 1912 and 1913.

He received his [[Doctorate in Medicine]] in 1913 and launched a distinguished career as a physician and educator. He later worked at [[Swarthmore College]] as the school's [[athletic director]] and as a [[physical education]] professor. He also coached the school's [[lacrosse]] team in 1918 and 1919.

Mercer returned to Penn in 1930 to serve as the Director and Dean of the school's Physical Education Department. In 1955, he was elected to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].

==Head coaching record==
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Swarthmore Garnet Tide football|Swarthmore Quakers / Garnet Tide]]
 | conf      = Independent
 | startyear = 1917
 | endyear   = 1930
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1917 college football season|1917]]
 | name         = [[1917 Swarthmore Quakers football team|Swarthmore]]
 | overall      = 6–2
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1918 college football season|1918]]
 | name         = [[1918 Swarthmore Quakers football team|Swarthmore]]
 | overall      = 4–2
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1919 college football season|1919]]
 | name         = [[1919 Swarthmore Quakers football team|Swarthmore]]
 | overall      = 7–1
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1920 college football season|1920]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 4–3–1
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1921 college football season|1921]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 4–2–2
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1922 college football season|1922]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 3–5
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1923 college football season|1923]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 5–2–1
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1924 college football season|1924]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 4–3–1
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1925 college football season|1925]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 4–3
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1926 college football season|1926]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 5–3
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1927 college football season|1927]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 4–3–1
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1928 college football season|1928]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 6–2
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1929 college football season|1929]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 6–3
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1930 college football season|1930]]
 | name         = Swarthmore
 | overall      = 1–7–1
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Swarthmore 
 | overall    = 63–41–7
 | confrecord = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
 | overall  = 63–41–7
 | bowls    = no
 | poll     = no
 | polltype = 
 | legend   = no
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{College Football HoF|1321}}
*{{sports links}}
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{Swarthmore Garnet Tide football coach navbox}}
{{Penn Quakers athletic director navbox}}
{{1910 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, Leroy}}
[[Category:1888 births]]
[[Category:1957 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Chester County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Chester County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American football fullbacks]]
[[Category:American male decathletes]]
[[Category:American male long jumpers]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Baseball players at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Olympic baseball players for the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic decathletes]]
[[Category:Olympic track and field athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:Penn Quakers athletic directors]]
[[Category:Penn Quakers football players]]
[[Category:Swarthmore Garnet athletic directors]]
[[Category:Swarthmore Garnet Tide football coaches]]
[[Category:Swarthmore Garnet men's lacrosse coaches]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]


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{{US-decathlon-athletics-bio-stub}}
{{US-longjump-athletics-bio-stub}}