Sam Pendleton McBirney (August 8, 1877 – January 20, 1936) was an American football coach and banker. He was the head football coach for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team in 1908 and from 1914 to 1916. His undefeated 1916 team outscored opponents 566 to 40 to become the highest scoring college football team during the 1916 college football season. He has been called "one of the fathers of football in Oklahoma." McBirney was also a founder and vice president of Tulsa's Bank of Commerce from 1904 until his death in 1936.
Early years
McBirney was born in Chetopa, Kansas, in 1877. He was the fourth child of Reverend Hugh McBirney and Susan Mark McBirney, who immigrated from County Tipperary, Ireland in approximately 1875. Rev. McBirney served for 30 years at a Methodist Episcopal Church in southern Kansas.
Baseball and football player
McBirney was an athlete who won a wide reputation as a baseball player. After playing for baseball teams in Columbus and Coffeyville in southeastern Kansas, McBirney moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1897 as the head of an independent baseball team. McBirney's older brother, James H. McBirney (1870–1944), also played as a pitcher for the Tulsa baseball team. One author has written that the McBirney brothers were brought to Tulsa as "ringers" for the city's baseball team.
While living in Tulsa, McBirney was also introduced to American football. McBirney played on a local football team that was described by an Oklahoma newspaper as "a rough-and-ready semi-pro team that met anybody, anywhere."
Banking career
In the late 1890s, the McBirney brothers began working as bookkeepers for the Tulsa Banking Company. In 1904, after the Tulsa Banking Company was reorganized with majority control by individuals from outside Tulsa, Sam and James McBirney, along with two other investors, formed the Bank of Commerce (later known as the National Bank of Commerce) in Tulsa. McBirney served as a cashier and later as vice president of the bank. His older brother served as the president of the bank. The bank grew into the largest bank in Tulsa, and according to the Tulsa Historical Society, "became a cornerstone in the future growth of Tulsa."
Football coach
1908 season
In 1907, Henry Kendall College (which later became the University of Tulsa) relocated from Muskogee, Oklahoma, to Tulsa. In 1908, McBirney volunteered to take time away from his duties at the bank to coach the school's football team. McBirney's 1908 football team played no intercollegiate games and played four of its five games against local high schools and the fifth game against the Outrigger Canoe Club from Hawaii. Though outscoring opponents 80 to 43, the 1908 team won 2 games and lost 3.
University of New Mexico
McBirney was hired as the head football coach at the University of New Mexico in September 1909. After six weeks in Albuquerque, McBirnie returned to Tulsa. Hamilton H. Conwell and Hugh J. Collins assuming the coaching responsibilities for the final game of the season against New Mexico A&M.
1910 season
In 1910, he returned to Kendall and coached the team to a 2–1–1 record.
Tulsa High School
After the 1908 season, McBirney returned to his work at the bank. He developed a love of football and began coaching the Tulsa High School football team. His 1913 Tulsa High School team completed an undefeated season, won a mythical Oklahoma state championship, and defeated Henry Kendall College 27 to 6.
1914 and 1915 seasons
In 1914, local businessmen urged McBirney to take over as the football coach at Kendall College. At the time, the college had an enrollment of approximately 100 students and had played only one intercollegiate football game between 1900 and 1912 (the bulk of its games were played against high school teams).
McBirney agreed to take over as Kendall's football coach, and over the next three years, he built the Kendall football team into one of the best teams in the country. In 1914, the first season of true intercollegiate football at Tulsa, McBirney scheduled games against the state's top schools, including Oklahoma and Oklahoma A&M. The 1914 team finished with a record of 6-2, outscored opponents 261 to 48, and played respectably against both Oklahoma State (a 13-6 loss) and Oklahoma (a 26-7 loss).