F. Stanley Porter’s contributions to Washington College athletics during the early years of the century were significant. At a time when male enrollment was limited, it was expected that those with athletic ability would participate in as many sports as possible, to assure sufficient numbers to field a team. Stanley not only competed on the football and baseball teams, he excelled at both.
In baseball, Coach M. J. Thompson used him in the outfield and at first base. He was noted for his hitting, fielding, and base running.
He was equally versatile in football. A tenacious lineman, he played on both offense and defense, and also was used in the backfield. The Baltimore Sun recognized him as the outstanding contributor to the College’s first football victory over St. John’s College, Washington’s archrival. Playing at Oriole Park in Baltimore, St. John’s fell 11 to 0. “Captain Porter, fullback of the Washington College team, was the brilliant star of the game,” the paper reported. “It was his lead of 10 yards, followed by Brown’s beautiful run through a broken field, that enabled the Chestertown boys to score their touchdown.”
He also excelled in the classroom and around campus. He was class president and a member of the Glee Club, the Varsity Club, and the Mt. Vernon Literary Society. At his Commencement he won the President’s Medal for “The College Man” and the Buckley Cup for Proficiency in Athletics and Good Standing in Scholarship. A year before, he won the Oates Medal for Oratory, First Honor, the Madden Medal for academic progress, and the Simpers Medal for declamation.
After graduation, he spent one year as head of Washington College’s athletic department, coaching the varsity football team. He then obtained his law degree and practiced law in Baltimore City for the remainder of his life. He served as a member of Washington College’s Board of Visitors and Governors 1936 through 1943.
Washington College is very proud to induct F. Stanley Porter into its Athletic Hall of Fame on this first day of October, 1994.
