Burt Ingwersen
Encyclopedia
Burton Aherns Ingwersen was an American football
, basketball
, and baseball
player and coach of football and baseball. He served as the head football coach at the University of Iowa
from 1924 to 1931, compiling a career college football
record of 33–27–4. Ingwersen played football, basketball, and baseball at the University of Illinois and was an assistant football coach at the school in two stints totaling 25 seasons. He also served as an assistant football coach at Northwestern University
and as the head baseball coach there from 1936 to 1939, tallying a mark of 35–51–1.
, a suburb of Clinton
, but his parents and he moved across the river to Fulton, Illinois
when Ingwersen was in grade school. Since his high school in Fulton did not compete in football, Ingwersen played across the river at Clinton High School. Ingwersen accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Illinois.
Ingwersen played for Robert Zuppke
at Illinois from 1917 to 1919. During that time, the Illini
won two Western Conference
titles and the 1919 national championship
. After graduating from Illinois, he played one year of professional football in the first year of the NFL
for George Halas
and the Decatur Staleys, later renamed the Chicago Bears
.
for Trinity College, now known as Duke University
, in 1923 after eight years that saw two unbeaten seasons, and a 42–17–1 overall record, though aside from the two undefeated years Jones never finished higher than fourth in the conference. Paul Belting succeeded Jones as Iowa's athletic director
, and needing new coach to fill Jones's shoes, he nearly lured Knute Rockne
from Notre Dame
. Belting and Rockne had reached a deal in principle, but Rockne insisted that the media not be informed. When the Chicago Tribune
ran a headline on March 23, 1924, speculating on Rockne's proposed move to Iowa, Rockne was quickly signed to a ten year extension by Notre Dame.
Belting offered Ingwersen a three-year contract, making him the 12th coach in Iowa football
history. Ingwersen's appointment was unanimously approved by the athletic board, although the selection was opposed by some Iowa alumni at the time. Critics had two complaints. The first was that Ingwersen was not a "name" coach; he had only been out of college for three years, and he did not have the credentials of Rockne. Second, Ingwersen was perceived as a "traitor" by some Hawkeyes who felt that despite growing up in Illinois he was a native-born Iowan who turned his back on the state to play and coach for the Illini.
Iowa finished with a 6–1–1 record in Ingwersen's first year as a head coach in 1924, better than Jones had managed the previous year. Unfortunately, the lone loss cost Iowa the Big Ten Conference
title. Worse for some fans, the loss was to Zuppke and Illinois, Ingwersen's alma mater, the same school that had cost Iowa the championship in 1918 and 1919 while Ingwersen was a member of the Illini squad.
Iowa won the first five games of the 1925 season before losing their last three. The most notable win came in Iowa's third game against Illinois. Ledrue Galloway, a talented black tackle from the 1924 team, was fighting tuberculosis on his sickbed. Just before the 1925 game with Illinois, the Hawkeye team received a telegram from Galloway, stating, "There will be twelve Iowa men on the field to beat Illinois. I am with you." Things looked bleak at first, however, when Red Grange
returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. But Iowa fought back and delivered a 12–10 victory for their teammate Galloway, who died less than a year later.
Iowa went 7–9 over the next two years, winning just one conference game in 1926 and 1927. Fan opposition to Ingwersen grew and sentiment turned on Ingwersen's biggest supporter, Paul Belting, as well.
Iowa was suspended from athletic participation in the Big Ten, effective January 1, 1930 in the wake of a recruiting scandal that stretched back to the Howard Jones era. After agreeing to suspend current players who had been paid from an alumni slush fund and to fire athletic director Belting, who was implicated in the scheme, Iowa was reinstated a month later.
The loss of his players greatly hampered Ingwersen's career at Iowa, and after going 1–6–1 in the 1931 season, scoring just seven points all year long, it was clear it would be a long time before Iowa would again be competitive within the conference. Ingwersen resigned after that season, stating that he "did not care to fight the critics who are now or will be asking for a new coach at Iowa."
Ingwersen had a 33–27–4 record at Iowa, with only had two losing seasons in the eight years he coached.
under Pappy Waldorf
. He coached there during the 1930s and served as Northwestern's baseball coach from 1936–1939 as well. Ingwersen later served in World War II
.
After the war, Ingwersen again became an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Illinois, this time under Ray Eliot
. He also coached as an assistant under Pete Elliott
at Illinois, serving a total of 22 years in his second stint (1945–1966). Ingwersen died at age 70 on July 17, 1969 in Champaign, Illinois
.
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...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player and coach of football and baseball. He served as the head football coach at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
from 1924 to 1931, compiling a career college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
record of 33–27–4. Ingwersen played football, basketball, and baseball at the University of Illinois and was an assistant football coach at the school in two stints totaling 25 seasons. He also served as an assistant football coach at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and as the head baseball coach there from 1936 to 1939, tallying a mark of 35–51–1.
Early years and playing career
Ingwersen was born in Bryant, IowaBryant, Iowa
Bryant is an unincorporated community in northeastern Clinton County, Iowa, United States. It lies along local roads northwest of the city of Clinton, the county seat of Clinton County. Its elevation is 804 feet...
, a suburb of Clinton
Clinton, Iowa
Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26231as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa , was named in honor of the seventh governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical...
, but his parents and he moved across the river to Fulton, Illinois
Fulton, Illinois
Fulton is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,481 at the 2010 census, down from 3,881 at the 2000 census. Fulton is located across the Mississippi River from Clinton, Iowa.-Geography:...
when Ingwersen was in grade school. Since his high school in Fulton did not compete in football, Ingwersen played across the river at Clinton High School. Ingwersen accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Illinois.
Ingwersen played for Robert Zuppke
Robert Zuppke
Robert Carl Zuppke was an American football coach. He served the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1913 until 1941, compiling a career college football record of 131–81–12. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951, Zuppke coached his...
at Illinois from 1917 to 1919. During that time, the Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
won two Western 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...
titles and the 1919 national championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
. After graduating from Illinois, he played one year of professional football in the first year of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for George Halas
George Halas
George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
and the Decatur Staleys, later renamed the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Assistant at Illinois
Ingwersen served as an assistant coach at Illinois under Zuppke from 1921–1923, the team again winning the college national championship in 1923.Head coach at Iowa
Coach Howard Jones left the University of IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
for Trinity College, now known as Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, in 1923 after eight years that saw two unbeaten seasons, and a 42–17–1 overall record, though aside from the two undefeated years Jones never finished higher than fourth in the conference. Paul Belting succeeded Jones as Iowa's athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
, and needing new coach to fill Jones's shoes, he nearly lured Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
from Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. Belting and Rockne had reached a deal in principle, but Rockne insisted that the media not be informed. When the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
ran a headline on March 23, 1924, speculating on Rockne's proposed move to Iowa, Rockne was quickly signed to a ten year extension by Notre Dame.
Belting offered Ingwersen a three-year contract, making him the 12th coach in Iowa football
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
history. Ingwersen's appointment was unanimously approved by the athletic board, although the selection was opposed by some Iowa alumni at the time. Critics had two complaints. The first was that Ingwersen was not a "name" coach; he had only been out of college for three years, and he did not have the credentials of Rockne. Second, Ingwersen was perceived as a "traitor" by some Hawkeyes who felt that despite growing up in Illinois he was a native-born Iowan who turned his back on the state to play and coach for the Illini.
Iowa finished with a 6–1–1 record in Ingwersen's first year as a head coach in 1924, better than Jones had managed the previous year. Unfortunately, the lone loss cost Iowa the 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...
title. Worse for some fans, the loss was to Zuppke and Illinois, Ingwersen's alma mater, the same school that had cost Iowa the championship in 1918 and 1919 while Ingwersen was a member of the Illini squad.
Iowa won the first five games of the 1925 season before losing their last three. The most notable win came in Iowa's third game against Illinois. Ledrue Galloway, a talented black tackle from the 1924 team, was fighting tuberculosis on his sickbed. Just before the 1925 game with Illinois, the Hawkeye team received a telegram from Galloway, stating, "There will be twelve Iowa men on the field to beat Illinois. I am with you." Things looked bleak at first, however, when Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. But Iowa fought back and delivered a 12–10 victory for their teammate Galloway, who died less than a year later.
Iowa went 7–9 over the next two years, winning just one conference game in 1926 and 1927. Fan opposition to Ingwersen grew and sentiment turned on Ingwersen's biggest supporter, Paul Belting, as well.
Iowa was suspended from athletic participation in the Big Ten, effective January 1, 1930 in the wake of a recruiting scandal that stretched back to the Howard Jones era. After agreeing to suspend current players who had been paid from an alumni slush fund and to fire athletic director Belting, who was implicated in the scheme, Iowa was reinstated a month later.
The loss of his players greatly hampered Ingwersen's career at Iowa, and after going 1–6–1 in the 1931 season, scoring just seven points all year long, it was clear it would be a long time before Iowa would again be competitive within the conference. Ingwersen resigned after that season, stating that he "did not care to fight the critics who are now or will be asking for a new coach at Iowa."
Ingwersen had a 33–27–4 record at Iowa, with only had two losing seasons in the eight years he coached.
Later coaching career
Ingwersen soon became an assistant football coach at Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
under Pappy Waldorf
Pappy Waldorf
Lynn Osbert "Pappy" Waldorf was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, now Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, , Kansas State University , Northwestern University , and the University of California, Berkeley ,...
. He coached there during the 1930s and served as Northwestern's baseball coach from 1936–1939 as well. Ingwersen later served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
After the war, Ingwersen again became an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Illinois, this time under Ray Eliot
Ray Eliot
Raymond Eliot Nusspickel was an American football and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach Illinois College from 1933 to 1936 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1942 to 1959, compiling a career college football...
. He also coached as an assistant under Pete Elliott
Pete Elliott
-External links:...
at Illinois, serving a total of 22 years in his second stint (1945–1966). Ingwersen died at age 70 on July 17, 1969 in Champaign, Illinois
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
.