Joe Purzycki

Last updated
Joe Purzycki
Biographical details
Born (1947-02-20) February 20, 1947 (age 77)
Playing career
1967–1970 Delaware
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1971 Kearny HS (NJ) (assistant)
1972–1974 Woodbridge HS (DE)
1975–1977 Caesar Rodney HS (DE)
1978–1980 Delaware (DB)
1981–1984 Delaware State
1985–1990 James Madison
Head coaching record
Overall55–51–3 (college)
Tournaments0–1 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
MEAC Coach of the Year (1983)

Joseph Purzycki (born February 20, 1947) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware from 1981 to 1984 and James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia from 1985 to 1990, compiling a career college football coaching record of 55–51–3. Purzycki played college football at the University of Delaware and was later an assistant coach at his alma mater, where he learned the Wing T offense from head coach Tubby Raymond. [1] When Purzycki was hired as the head football coach at Delaware State in January 1981, he became the first white man appointed to that role for the historically black school. Many students and players had expected Delaware State to hire Billy Joe, an African American who had played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and was then an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Some students and players protested Purzycki's hiring. [2]

Contents

Purzycki was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. [3]

Head coaching record

College

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs NCAA#
Delaware State Hornets (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)(1981–1984)
1981 Delaware State2–91–45th
1982 Delaware State4–72–3T–4th
1983 Delaware State7–3–13–12nd
1984 Delaware State8–23–12nd
Delaware State:21–21–19–9
James Madison Dukes (NCAA Division I-AA independent)(1985–1990)
1985 James Madison 5–6
1986 James Madison 5–5–1
1987 James Madison 9–3L NCAA Division I-AA First Round 8
1988 James Madison 5–6
1989 James Madison 5–4–1
1990 James Madison 5–6
James Madison:34–30–2
Total:55–51–3

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Pihos</span> American football player and coach (1923–2011)

Peter Louis Pihos was an American football player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Little (American football coach)</span> American football player, sports coach, and administrator (1889–1957)

George Edkin Little was an American football player, and coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and college athletics administrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burton Shipley</span> American athlete and coach (1890–1976)

Howard Burton Shipley was a multi-sport athlete and coach for the Maryland Terrapins at the University of Maryland. He is probably most remembered as the first and long-time head coach of the men's basketball team. He also coached the Maryland baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William D. Murray</span>

William D. Murray was an American football and basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at University of Delaware from 1940 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1950 and at Duke University from 1951 to 1965, compiling a career college football record of 142–67–11. During his tenure at Delaware, Murray tallied a 49–16–2 mark including three undefeated seasons from 1941, 1942, and 1946; there was no formal team from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II. Murray's career record at Duke was 93–51–9, giving him second most wins in program history behind Wallace Wade. Murray was also the head basketball coach at Delaware for one season in 1944–45.

LaVern Earl "Torgy" Torgeson was an American football player and coach. He played college football for Washington State from 1948 through 1950. Torgeson played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, principally as a linebacker, for the Detroit Lions from 1951 to 1954 and for the Washington Redskins from 1955 to 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Turley</span> American football player (1918–1992)

Douglas Pershing Turley was an American professional football player and coach and basketball player. He played end for five seasons for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL), two with the Wilmington Clippers and one with the Bethlehem Bulldogs of the American Association (AA), and additionally had stints in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. Turley also served as the Clippers' head coach for part of the 1949 season and played basketball with the Wilmington Blue Bombers of the American Basketball League (ABL), in addition to with several semi-professional teams. A resident of Delaware for most of his life, he was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Sasse</span> American soldier, football player, and coach

Ralph Irvine Sasse was an American college football player and coach, athletics administrator, and United States Army officer. He served as the head football coach at the United States Military Academy from 1930 to 1932 and at Mississippi State College, now Mississippi State University, from 1935 to 1937, compiling a career college football record of 45–15–4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Clemson Tigers football team</span> American college football season

The 1981 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Danny Ford and played their home games in Memorial Stadium. Clemson finished their undefeated 1981 season with a 22–15 victory over the #4 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 1982 Orange Bowl, and were voted #1 in the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) polls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware State Hornets football</span>

The Delaware State Hornets football team represents Delaware State University (DSU) at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They play at the 7,193-seat Alumni Stadium located in Dover, Delaware. The facility opened in 1957 as a multi-purpose venue, for football and track and field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Wharton (American football)</span> American football player (1868–1949)

Charles M. "Buck" Wharton was an American football player, politician, and athletics administrator. He played college football as a guard for the Penn Quakers from 1893 to 1896, led the team to undefeated national championship seasons in 1894 and 1895, and was a three-time All-American. He later served in the Delaware Senate (1914–1918) and was the Democratic Party's candidate for Governor of Delaware in 1928. He was Penn's director of field athletics and assistant professor of physical education from 1919 to 1931 and head of the University of Delaware's physical education department from 1931 to 1937. He was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

John C. Gregory Jr. was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (1959–1965), Villanova University (1967–1969), and the University of Rhode Island (1970–1975), compiling a career college football record of 87–57–4. He was the athletic director at Bowling Green State University from 1982 to 1994.

Bennie Johnson "Catfish" George was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Delaware State University from 1956 to 1958, compiling a record of 16–8–1. As the first basketball head coach in Delaware State history, George led the Hornets for 14 seasons, from 1956 to 1971, and amassing a record of 155–152. He is still the longest tenured coach in program history and was passed in 2010 by Greg Jackson for most wins. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, George attended Morehouse College and Delaware State. He worked as an assistant football coach at Delaware State in 1955 under his predecessor as head coach, Edward Jackson.

The Wesley Wolverines football program was the intercollegiate American football team for Wesley College located in Dover, Delaware. The team last competed in the NCAA Division III and were members of the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The Wesley football program was founded in 1888, being one of the first teams to play in Delaware. The program did not play from 1890–1892, 1911–1925, and 1932–1952. After more than 130 years in existence, Wesley football was discontinued in 2021.

Walter Henry Tullis is a former American football wide receiver who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one in the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football for the Delaware State Hornets and was selected in the 12th round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He later was a member of the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, New Jersey Generals and Pittsburgh Maulers.

Nelson Elijah Townsend was an American college athletics administrator. Townsend served seven tenures as athletic director at four different universities: the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Delaware State University (1979–1986), Florida A&M University and the University at Buffalo (1987–1998). He was the University at Buffalo's first African American athletic director. At both Delaware State and Buffalo, Townsend was responsible for leading the athletic department to achieve full NCAA Division I status, as both schools transitioned from lower levels of NCAA hierarchy. Townsend was inducted to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 1995 and was inducted to both the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Halls of Fame in 2012.

The 1966 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team was an American football team that represented the University of Delaware during the 1966 NCAA College Division football season. Delaware won the championship of the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division.

John Joseph Tosi Sr. was an American football offensive lineman who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and several for different minor leagues.

Stan Waterman is an American college basketball coach who is the current head coach of the Delaware State Hornets men's basketball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herm Reitzes</span> American sportscaster (1903–1987)

Herman Reitzes was an American sportscaster. He was a radio announcer at WDEL from the 1920s to the 1950s and was the play-by-play commentator for the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football, Wilmington Blue Rocks, and Wilmington Clippers. He was posthumously inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millard Naylor</span>

Millard Albert "Steamy" Naylor was an American sports coach. He had a 32-season stint as football coach at Howard High School in Wilmington, Delaware and was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in 1979.

References

  1. Ireland, Jack (January 23, 1981). "Purzycki sure he'll produce at DelState". The Morning News . Wilmington, Delaware. p. B7. Retrieved July 29, 2021 via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  2. Ireland, Jack (January 23, 1981). "Protest develops against Purzycki". The Morning News . Wilmington, Delaware. p. B7. Retrieved July 29, 2021 via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  3. "Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame in Wilmington, Delaware - 2005". www.desports.org.