Alan Bovard
Encyclopedia
Alan J. Bovard was an American football
player and coach. He was an All-Big Ten Conference
center
at the University of Michigan
in 1929. He later served as the athletic director at Michigan Technological University
from 1947 to 1972 and the head football coach from 1947 to 1956.
, and grew up in Ithaca, New York
. He enrolled at the University of Michigan
in 1926 and played at the center
position for the Michigan Wolverines football
teams from 1926 to 1929. As a senior in 1929, he was selected as an All-Big Ten Conference
player.
for the 1930 Michigan Wolverines football team
. He was employed as a high school football and basketball coach from 1931 to 1947. He coached Lansing
's J. W. Sexton High School basketball team to Michigan's Class A championship in the 1944-1945 season and also coached the school's football team to the state Class A championship in 1946.
. He served as the football coach from 1947 to 1956. In 1948, Bovard led the Michigan Tech Huskies
football team to its first undefeated season, finishing the season with a 7–0 record and outscoring opponents 209 to 58. He served as athletic director for 25 years and expanded Michigan Tech's athletic program into eleven varsity and seventeen intramural programs. Bovard also served as the school's head basketball coach for two years, compiling a record of 19 wins and 14 losses.
In October 1972, Bovard announced his retirement from Michigan Tech, effective December 31, 1972.
, where he had been hospitalized for several weeks.
Bovard was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Michigan Tech Hall of Fame in 1985.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach. He was an All-Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1929. He later served as the athletic director at Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
from 1947 to 1972 and the head football coach from 1947 to 1956.
Athlete
Bovard was born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, and grew up in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
. He enrolled at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1926 and played at the center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
position for the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
teams from 1926 to 1929. As a senior in 1929, he was selected as an All-Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
player.
High school coach
Bovard graduated from Michigan in 1930 and served as an assistant football coach under Harry G. KipkeHarry G. Kipke
Harry George Kipke was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was the head football coach at Michigan State College in 1928 and at the University of Michigan from 1929–1937, compiling a career record of 49–30–5...
for the 1930 Michigan Wolverines football team
1930 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1930 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1930 college football season. The head coach was former Michigan star, 31-year-old Harry Kipke, in his second year in the position....
. He was employed as a high school football and basketball coach from 1931 to 1947. He coached Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
's J. W. Sexton High School basketball team to Michigan's Class A championship in the 1944-1945 season and also coached the school's football team to the state Class A championship in 1946.
Michigan Tech
In 1947, Bovard was hired as the athletic director, head football coach and head of the physical education department at Michigan Technological UniversityMichigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
. He served as the football coach from 1947 to 1956. In 1948, Bovard led the Michigan Tech Huskies
Michigan Tech Huskies
Michigan Technological University's sports teams are called the Huskies. The Huskies participate in NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a member of the Central Collegiate Ski Association for men's and women's nordic skiing, and NCAA Division I...
football team to its first undefeated season, finishing the season with a 7–0 record and outscoring opponents 209 to 58. He served as athletic director for 25 years and expanded Michigan Tech's athletic program into eleven varsity and seventeen intramural programs. Bovard also served as the school's head basketball coach for two years, compiling a record of 19 wins and 14 losses.
In October 1972, Bovard announced his retirement from Michigan Tech, effective December 31, 1972.
Death and Hall of Fame inductions
In July 1983, Bovard died in Marquette, MichiganMarquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
, where he had been hospitalized for several weeks.
Bovard was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame in 1976 and the Michigan Tech Hall of Fame in 1985.