Charles Dudley Daly (October 31, 1880 – February 12, 1959)[1] was an American football player and coach and United States Army officer.

[10] On the eve of the 1900 Harvard-Yale football game, Daly received word that he had been appointed to the United States Military Academy.

[13] In 1906, Daly resigned from the Army and returned to Boston, where he entered the bond brokerage business and served as an assistant football coach at Harvard.

According to Fitzgerald, Daly was dismissed because he had neglected to sign paperwork approving a pension for John J. Carney, a former member of the department, before the man died.

The grossest administration would have been very acceptable provided the political machine could have milked the department for the countless favors it lives on".

[14] Daly opposed special pensions "as a matter of principle" and contended that Carney, who had not yet completed his probationary period, had not died as a result of anything related to his duties with the fire department (Carney contended that his illness was caused by getting soaked while putting out a fire and not being able to change into dry clothes for several hours).

The bill passed shortly before the 62nd United States Congress died and was signed by President William Howard Taft on March 4, 1913.

A few months after the American entry into World War I in April 1917, Daly was attached to 338th Field Artillery, 88th Division, at Camp Dodge.

[20] He was demoted to Regular Army grade captain Field Artillery on August 20, 1919, and detailed to the U.S. Military Academy as instructor.

[23] In 1925, Daly returned to Harvard as an instructor at the school's department of military sciences and assistant football coach.

[26][13] On February 8, 1932, Daly suffered a heart attack at his desk at the United States Department of War in Washington.

Known as the "Godfather of West Point Football", he was coach to Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Joseph Stilwell, Matthew Ridgway, James Van Fleet, George S. Patton and other American military luminaries of the 20th century.

[13] His memorial service was held at the Post Chapel at the Presidio of Monterey and he was interred at the West Point Cemetery.