Branch Bocock
American college football coach, college basketball coach, college baseball coach
About Branch Bocock
Lived 1884 – 1946 (aged 62). Branch Bocock was an American basketball coach and american football player.
James Branch Bocock (March 10, 1884 – May 25, 1946) was an American college football, college basketball, and college baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Georgia, Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VPI)—now known as Virginia Tech (1909–1910, 1912–1915), the University of North Carolina (1911), Louisiana State University (1920–1921), the University of South Carolina (1925–1926), and The College of William & Mary (1928–1930, 1936–1938), compiling a career college football head coaching record of 98–55–9. Bocock was also the head basketball coach at VPI (1909–1911, 1913–1915), LSU (1920–1921), and South Carolina (1924–1927), tallying a career college basketball head coaching mark of 109–33, and the head baseball coach at VPI (1910–1911, 1914), LSU (1922–1923), and South Carolina (1925–1927), amassing a career college baseball head coaching record of 70–54–2.
Early years Bocock was a quarterback for the Georgetown Hoyas.
Coaching career Although official records give Bocock credit only for coaching the Georgia Bulldogs football team in 1908, he also coached the last three games of Georgia's 1907 season. In 1907, Georgia head football coach Bull Whitney was caught in a controversy over the revelation that there were at least four paid professionals on the Georgia and Georgia Tech teams during the game played that year. As a result, Georgia removed all known ringers from its team and Whitney was forced to resign, handing the coaching duties over to Bocock for the last three games. Georgia was 2–1 in those three games.
At VPI, Bocock was the team's first true professional coach and the first head football coach to receive a full-time salary.
Later life Bocock died at the age of 62 on May 25, 1946, at his home near Blackstone, Virginia.
Head coaching record Football
Basketball
Baseball
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Branch Bocock's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Branch Bocock's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Branch Bocock?
American college football coach, college basketball coach, college baseball coach (1884-1946)
When was Branch Bocock born?
Branch Bocock was born on 10 March 1884 in Shenandoah.
When did Branch Bocock die?
Branch Bocock died on 25 May 1946 in Blackstone.
What was Branch Bocock's occupation?
Branch Bocock was a basketball coach and american football player.
What nationality was Branch Bocock?
Branch Bocock was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Branch Bocock. https://biography.guide/branch-bocock/
MLA: "Branch Bocock." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/branch-bocock/.
Chicago: "Branch Bocock." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/branch-bocock/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:28 UTC