Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary | April 1, 1884
Died | September 19, 1952 68) Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | (aged
Playing career | |
Football | |
1904–1905 | Chicago |
Position(s) | Fullback |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Football | |
1906 | Oregon |
1907 | Chicago (assistant) |
1908–1912 | Arkansas |
1913–1916 | Oregon |
1918–1929 | Penn State |
1937–1938 | Cleveland Rams |
1949 | Delaware Valley |
Basketball | |
1906–1907 | Oregon |
1913–1917 | Oregon |
1919 | Penn State (interim HC) |
Baseball | |
1908–1913 | Arkansas |
1914–1917 | Oregon |
1917–1919 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
1920–1930 | Penn State |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
1918–1936 | Penn State |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 127–58–16 (college football) 1–13 (NFL) 28–37 (college basketball) 166–187 (MLB) 222–123–1 (college baseball) |
Bowls | 2–1 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Awards | |
| |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1954 (profile) |
Hugo Francis Bezdek (April 1, 1884 – September 19, 1952) was a Czech American athlete who played American football and was a coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He was the head football coach at the University of Oregon (1906, 1913–1917), the University of Arkansas (1908–1912), Pennsylvania State University (1918–1929), and Delaware Valley College (1949). Bezdek also coached the Mare Island Marines in the 1918 Rose Bowl and the Cleveland Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in 1937 and part of the 1938 season. In addition, Bezdek coached basketball at Oregon (1906–1907, 1913–1917) and Penn State (1919), coached baseball at Arkansas (1909–1913), Oregon (1914–1917) and Penn State (1920–1930), and served as the manager of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates (1917–1919). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.
Coach Bezdek is the only Coach to bring three different teams to the Rose Bowl Game; University of Oregon, Mare Island Marines and Pennsylvania State University. Bezdek was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on December 31, 2022.
Hugo Bezděk was born near Prague, Bohemia (now part of the present-day Czech Republic). His forefathers had been school-teachers, strong men and athletes. His family emigrated to America in 1891 when he was 6 years old. They lived in Cleveland's Slavic community. His father James (Vaclav), worked at as a butcher in Cleveland. From here, young Hugo launched his athletic career. He enjoyed playing sports typical of the day. While he favored football, he also boxed, wrestled and played baseball. [1]
After playing as a fullback at the University of Chicago, Bezdek began his football coaching career at the University of Oregon in 1906, but left after a year to become head coach at the University of Arkansas. Arkansas' athletic teams were known as the Cardinals until after the 1909 season. Near the end of that year, Coach Bezdek called his team "a wild band of Razorback hogs" at an impromptu press conference following his team's victory over LSU. The name was a hit with the Arkansas students, and they voted to change the school's mascot from Cardinals to Razorbacks the following school term. Razorbacks has been Arkansas' mascot since that time. The 1909 team finished 7-0 and were considered the "Champions of the South". After five years at Arkansas, he returned to Oregon for six seasons.
While coaching in Oregon, Bezdek also served as a scout for Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, who hired him as their manager in the middle of the 1917 season. He managed the Pirates through 1919, compiling a 166–187 record.
While managing the Pirates, Bezdek continued his football coaching career, moving from Oregon to Pennsylvania State University in 1919. He was head coach there until 1929, amassing a 65–30–11 record that included two undefeated seasons and an appearance in the 1923 Rose Bowl. Bezdek was noted for changing the Nittany Lions' style of play. [2]
Bezdek also served as Penn State's athletic director from 1918 to 1936, was interim basketball coach in 1919, garnering an 11–2 record, and director of the School of Physical Education and Athletics from 1930 to 1937.
In 1937, Bezdek was hired by the Cleveland Rams as their first head coach after the team joined the National Football League (NFL). His career with the Rams was brief, ending three games into the 1938 season with an abysmal 1–13 record. Nevertheless, Bezdek holds the distinction of being the only person to have served as both manager of a Major League Baseball team and head coach in the NFL. [3]
As a college football coach, Bezdek tallied a career record of 127–58–16. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oregon Webfoots (Independent)(1906) | |||||||||
1906 | Oregon | 5–0–1 | |||||||
Arkansas Cardinals/Razorbacks (Independent)(1908–1912) | |||||||||
1908 | Arkansas | 5–4 | |||||||
1909 | Arkansas | 7–0 | |||||||
1910 | Arkansas | 7–1 | |||||||
1911 | Arkansas | 6–2–1 | |||||||
1912 | Arkansas | 4–6 | |||||||
Arkansas: | 29–13–1 | ||||||||
Oregon Webfoots (Independent)(1913–1915) | |||||||||
1913 | Oregon | 3–3–1 | |||||||
1914 | Oregon | 4–2–1 | |||||||
1915 | Oregon | 7–2 | |||||||
Oregon Webfoots (Pacific Coast Conference)(1916–1917) | |||||||||
1916 | Oregon | 7–0–1 | 2–0–1 | 2nd | W Rose | ||||
1917 | Oregon | 4–3 | 1–2 | 4th | |||||
Oregon: | 30–10–4 | 3–2–1 | |||||||
Mare Island Marines (Independent)(1917) | |||||||||
1917 | Mare Island | 1–0 | W Rose | ||||||
Mare Island: | 1–0 | ||||||||
Penn State Nittany Lions (Independent)(1918–1929) | |||||||||
1918 | Penn State | 1–2–1 | |||||||
1919 | Penn State | 7–1 | |||||||
1920 | Penn State | 7–0–2 | |||||||
1921 | Penn State | 8–0–2 | |||||||
1922 | Penn State | 6–4–1 | L Rose | ||||||
1923 | Penn State | 6–2–1 | |||||||
1924 | Penn State | 6–3–1 | |||||||
1925 | Penn State | 4–4–1 | |||||||
1926 | Penn State | 5–4 | |||||||
1927 | Penn State | 6–2–1 | |||||||
1928 | Penn State | 3–5–1 | |||||||
1929 | Penn State | 6–3 | |||||||
Penn State: | 65–30–11 | ||||||||
Delaware Valley Aggies (Independent)(1949) | |||||||||
1949 | Delaware Valley | 2–5 | |||||||
Delaware Valley: | 2–5 | ||||||||
Total: | 127–58–16 |
Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
CLE | 1937 | 1 | 10 | 0 | .091 | 5th in NFL Western | – | – | – | – |
CLE | 1938 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 4th in NFL Western | – | – | – | – |
CLE Total | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | – | – | – | – | ||
NFL Total [4] | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | – | – | – | – | ||
Total | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | – | – | – | – |
John Franklin Broyles was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missouri in 1957 and at the University of Arkansas from 1958 to 1976, compiling a career coaching record of 149–62–6. Broyles was also the athletic director at Arkansas from 1974 to 2007. His mark of 144–58–5 in 19 seasons at the helm of the Arkansas Razorbacks football gives him the most wins and the most coached games of any head coach in program history. With Arkansas, Broyles won seven Southwest Conference titles and his 1964 team was named a national champion by a number of selectors including the Football Writers Association of America.
Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football. He served as the head football coach at the International YMCA Training School (1890–1891), the University of Chicago (1892–1932), and the College of the Pacific (1933–1946), compiling a career college football record of 314–199–35 (.605). His undefeated Chicago Maroons teams of 1905 and 1913 were recognized as national champions. He was also the head basketball coach for one season at Chicago (1920–1921), and the Maroons' head baseball coach for twenty seasons.
The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot in 1910 to the Arkansas Razorbacks after a hard-fought battle against LSU in which they were said to play like a "wild band of Razorback hogs" by former coach Hugo Bezdek. The Arkansas Razorbacks are the only major sports team in the U.S. with a porcine nickname, though the Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas play in Division II.
Alfred Earle "Greasy" Neale was an American football and baseball player and coach.
Gary Robin Pinkel is a former American college football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Toledo from 1991 to 2000 and the University of Missouri from 2001 to 2015, compiling career record of 191–110–3. Pinkel has the most wins of any head coach in the history of the Toledo Rockets football program and led the 1995 team to a Mid-American Conference championship. He also holds the record for most wins by a head coach of the Missouri Tigers football program.
Elmer Clinton "Gloomy Gus" Henderson was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Southern California (1919–1924), the University of Tulsa (1925–1935), and Occidental College (1940–1942), compiling a career college football record of 126–42–7. Henderson's career winning percentage of .865 at USC is the best of any Trojans football coach, and his 70 wins with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane remain a team record. In between his stints at Tulsa and Occidental, Henderson moved to the professional ranks, helming the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the American Football League in 1937 and the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in 1939. Henderson also coached basketball and baseball at USC, each for two seasons.
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Robert A. Higgins was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Pennsylvania State University, where he was a three-time All-America, and then with professionally with the Canton Bulldogs in 1920 and 1921. Higgins served as the head football coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Washington University in St. Louis (1925–1927), and Pennsylvania State University, compiling a career college football record of 123–83–16. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.
Francis Albert Schmidt was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at the University of Tulsa (1919–1921), the University of Arkansas (1922–1928), Texas Christian University (1929–1933), Ohio State University (1934–1940), and the University of Idaho (1941–1942), compiling a career record of 157–58–11 (.719).
The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. The Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference, which they joined in 1993 after playing as an Independent from 1892 to 1992.
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The program has one national championship awarded by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Helms Athletic Foundation (HAF) in 1964 and one national championship awarded by the Rothman Foundation for the Analysis of Competitions and Tournaments in 1977. The school does not claim the 1977 title. The program began in 1894 and has compiled an all-time record of 740–539–40, for a .576 winning percentage. The Razorbacks have won 13 conference championships and have had 58 players named honored as All-Americans.
Anthony Scott Poindexter is an American football coach and former safety, who is the current safeties coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He played college football at Virginia from 1995 to 1998 for head coach George Welsh, and earned All-American honors. He then played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2001.
John Wesley Beckett was an American football player and coach and United States Marine Corps officer. He played college football as a tackle at University of Oregon and for the Mare Island Marines. Beckett was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1972.
The 1908 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas during the 1908 college football season. The Razorbacks compiled a 5–4 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 214 to 120. In February 1908, Arkansas hired Hugo Bezdek, who had played at the fullback position for Amos Alonzo Stagg's Chicago Maroons football teams, as athletic director and football coach. The 1908 season was Bezdek's first at the helm of the Arkansas team.
The 1912 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas during the 1912 college football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Hugo Bezdek, the Razorbacks compiled a 4–6 record and were outscored by all opponents by a combined total of 179 to 149. The Razorbacks were blown out in games against Texas A&M (27–0), Wisconsin (64–7), and Texas (48–0). Bezdek left Arkansas after the 1912 season to become head football coach at Oregon, where he was offered more money and a modern gymnasium and athletic field. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.
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Guy Dan "Big Dan" Estes was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Arkansas State Normal School—renamed Arkansas State Teachers College in 1925 and now known as the University of Central Arkansas—from 1915 to 1916 and again from 1919 to 1932. He also coached the school's basketball program from 1920 to 1929. Estes also served as coach of the University of Arkansas at Monticello football team in 1917.
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