Eugene Mayer

Eugene Noble "Buck" Mayer (c. 1892 - October 21, 1918) was an All-American football player for the University of Virginia. He was the first football player from a Southern school to be recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.

A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Mayer played halfback for the Virginia Cavaliers from 1912 to 1915. Mayer also competed for Virginia in track and field. He threw the 16-pound shot put 42 feet, 3 inches, ran the 100-yard dash in 10.1 seconds, and had a career best of 22 feet, 9 inches in the broad jump. In 1915, Mayer was selected as a first-team All-American by International News Service sports editor Frank G. Menke and Eastern football expert Parke H. Davis. He was the first player from a Southern school to be a consensus first-team All-American. He led Virginia to an 8-1 record in 1915, scoring five touchdowns in a 74-0 win over Richmond. During Mayer's four years at the University of Virginia, the football team compiled a record of 39-6. He set school records for most points scored in a game (36), most touchdowns in a season (21 in 1914), most career touchdowns (48), and career points scored (312).

In addition to athletics, Mayers was an excellent student who earned at Rhodes scholarship. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1916 with a law degree.

After graduating, Mayer began practicing law in Charleston, West Virginia. In 1918, during World War I, Mayer enlisted in a machine gun company. He died of pneumonia at Camp Johnston in Jacksonville, Florida, in October 1918. He was 26 years old at the time of his death, and was survived by his wife and one child.

Mayer was posthumously inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.