He was the son of theologian and historian
Philip Schaff. He prepared for college at
Phillips Academy, Andover, the gymnasium at Kornthal, Germany, and at
Rugby School in England. Schaff graduated from
Yale in 1873 (A.B.) and from
Union Theological Seminary in 1876. In 1877, he was ordained in the Presbyterian ministry. He served as a pastor in
Hastings, Nebraska from 1877-1881. He then led a congregation in
Kansas City, Missouri from 1881 to 1889. After traveling in the Holy Land, Schaff was called to
Jacksonville, Illinois where he was a pastor from 1890 to 1897. He then became Professor of Church History at
Lane Theological Seminary in
Cincinnati, Ohio until 1903. Schaff then taught church history at Western Theological Seminary, an antecedent of
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, until 1927. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary named an annual lecture after Schaff for his service to the seminary. In 1927, Schaff began a term as Lecturer in American Church History at Union Theological Seminary. In 1910, Schaff earned a Ph.D. from the
University of Geneva in
Switzerland. He was a delegate to the Pan-Presbyterian Council at
Aberdeen, Scotland in 1913. Schaff wrote extensively in the area of church history and co-edited the
Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia. He completed the unfinished work of his father,
Philip, who had begun the History of the Christian Church before his death. The young Schaff also wrote two books on the life of
John Hus. David Schley Schaff played an early role in the introduction of and development of football in the United States. A graduate of the Rugby School in England, he was familiar with the game of football. In 1872, while a student at Yale, he helped organize and served as the President of the Yale Football Association and was the Captain of Yale's first intercollegiate football team, though he was unable to play in their first game because of injury. ==Works==