| L. Jay Caldwell | |
| Birth Date: | 19 June 1871 |
| Birth Place: | Ephratah, New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Colgate University (1897) Harvard University |
| Player Team1: | Colgate |
| Coach Years1: | 1893, 1895 |
| Coach Team1: | Colgate |
| Overall Record: | 7–2–2 |
L. Jay Caldwell (June 19, 1871 – 1950) was an American college football player and coach. He was the fourth head football coach at Colgate University and he held that position for two seasons, first in 1893 and then returning for 1895. His overall coaching record at Colgate was 7–2–2.[1]
Caldwell was born in Ephratah, New York in 1871.[2] He married May Thorne on July 20, 1904 in Jamaica, New York. Caldwell later taught mathematics at a high school in Amsterdam, New York. In 1913, he was teaching at an Orange, New Jersey high school. By the 1940 United States Census, Caldwell and his wife were retired and living in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. He died there in 1950.
Caldwell coached the university's first African-American football player in 1895. No records were kept of the player's name, but a photograph (left) does exist.[3]
thumb|right|1895 Colgate football team