Harry Baum
Harry William Baum (November 23, 1874 – March 3, 1950) was an American college football player, coach, and construction engineer. He played halfback for the University of Illinois from 1893 to 1895 and graduated in 1895 with a civil engineering degree. After college he did pneumatic foundation work in St. Louis.
Baum was Tulane's first paid football coach in 1896. His salary came from gate receipts and dues from Tulane's Athletic Association. He led Tulane to a 3–2 record. In the game against LSU, Tulane led 2–0, but Baum tried to substitute a player not enrolled at the university. LSU protested and Tulane forfeited, giving LSU a 6–0 win. After the season, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association banned Tulane from fielding an intercollegiate team in 1897, so Baum left New Orleans.
He returned to Illinois to coach as an assistant under George Huff in 1897.
In 1920, Baum started an engineering contracting business. He worked on the state capitol buildings in Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, and Boise, Idaho, and on the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Baum died on March 3, 1950, in Los Angeles County, California, at age 75.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:33 (CET).