Crawford was born in 1870 at Colebrook, New Hampshire. He was the son of Francis B. Crawford, a starch manufacturer and state legislator, and Susan J. (Randall) Crawford. He attended preparatory school at St. Johnsbury Academy in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. He enrolled at Yale University, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1891. Sources are at odds over whether or not Crawford played football for the Yale Bulldogs football team. According to the University of Nebraska web site, Crawford was "a member of the dominant Yale teams of the mid-1880s." The Michigan Daily also reported that Crawford played football at Yale "for several years." However, the University of Michigan web site notes that "Yale archivists found no evidence that he played varsity football" and concludes that Crawford "m