Clem Crowe
Encyclopedia
Clem F. Crowe was an American football
and basketball
player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Saint Vincent College
(1926–1931), Xavier University (1936–1943), and the University of Iowa
(1945), compiling a career college football
record of 71–66–5. Crowe was also the head basketball coach at Saint Vincent College (1928–1932), Xavier (1933–1943), and the University of Notre Dame
(1944–1945), tallying a career college basketball
mark of 152–115. He later coached professional football for the
Buffalo Bills
and Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference
, and the Ottawa Rough Riders
and BC Lions
of the Canadian Football League
.
. He earned three letters in basketball and was a basketball All-American. He also earned three letters in football under Coach Knute Rockne
. Crowe played football from 1923–1925 and was a two-time All-American
. He played end for Notre Dame's "Seven Mule" team and was named Notre Dame's football captain in 1925.
in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
. There he coached the football team from 1926–1931, compiling a record of 23–27–3, and the basketball team from 1928–1932, tallying a 41–31 mark in four seasons.
Crowe left Saint Vincent in 1932 and took a job at Xavier University. He coached the Xavier basketball team
from 1933–1943 and had a 96–79 record in ten seasons. He also coached the Xavier football team
from 1935–1943 and compiled a 46–32–2 record. In addition, Crowe was a baseball
coach and a golf
coach at Xavier. He was inducted into the Xavier University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.
Crowe left Xavier in 1943 and returned to his alma mater. He was an assistant football coach at Notre Dame in 1944 and the head basketball coach for the 1944–1945 season.
In 1945, Crowe was hired on an interim basis as the 17th head football coach at the University of Iowa
while Iowa's regular coach, Eddie Anderson, was serving with the U.S. Army Medical Corps
during World War II
. Following Crowe's one season, in which he had a 2–7 record, Anderson returned, and Crowe left the Iowa football
program.
of the All-America Football Conference
, going 5–5–2. When the Buffalo franchise folded, he left to coach the Baltimore Colts in 1950. He had a 1–11 record, and after the season, that franchise folded as well.
Crowe then headed north to Canada
and agreed to coach the Ottawa Rough Riders
of the Canadian Football League
in 1951. In his first season in Ottawa, he led the Rough Riders to the Grey Cup
. He later left Ottawa for the BC Lions
. He was a head coach in Vancouver from 1956–1958. Crowe died in 1983 at age 79.
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...
and 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...
player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a four-year, coeducational, Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, Germany. It was the first Benedictine monastery in the...
(1926–1931), Xavier University (1936–1943), and 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...
(1945), 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 71–66–5. Crowe was also the head basketball coach at Saint Vincent College (1928–1932), Xavier (1933–1943), and the University of 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...
(1944–1945), tallying a career college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
mark of 152–115. He later coached professional football for the
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills (AAFC)
The Buffalo Bills was an American Football team, based in Buffalo, NY, that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During its first season in 1946, the team was known as the Buffalo Bisons...
and Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
, and the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
and BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
Player career
Crowe played college football and basketball at the University of Notre DameUniversity 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...
. He earned three letters in basketball and was a basketball All-American. He also earned three letters in football under Coach 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...
. Crowe played football from 1923–1925 and was a two-time All-American
College Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
. He played end for Notre Dame's "Seven Mule" team and was named Notre Dame's football captain in 1925.
College coaching career
After graduation, Crowe took a position as a coach at Saint Vincent CollegeSaint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a four-year, coeducational, Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, Germany. It was the first Benedictine monastery in the...
in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
. There he coached the football team from 1926–1931, compiling a record of 23–27–3, and the basketball team from 1928–1932, tallying a 41–31 mark in four seasons.
Crowe left Saint Vincent in 1932 and took a job at Xavier University. He coached the Xavier basketball team
Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
The Xavier Musketeers team is the basketball team that represents Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference...
from 1933–1943 and had a 96–79 record in ten seasons. He also coached the Xavier football team
Xavier Musketeers football
The Xavier Musketeers football program was a college football team representing Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Xavier discontinued football in 1973, citing cost concerns.- History :...
from 1935–1943 and compiled a 46–32–2 record. In addition, Crowe was a 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...
coach and a golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
coach at Xavier. He was inducted into the Xavier University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.
Crowe left Xavier in 1943 and returned to his alma mater. He was an assistant football coach at Notre Dame in 1944 and the head basketball coach for the 1944–1945 season.
In 1945, Crowe was hired on an interim basis as the 17th 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...
while Iowa's regular coach, Eddie Anderson, was serving with the U.S. Army Medical Corps
Medical Corps (United States Army)
The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...
during 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...
. Following Crowe's one season, in which he had a 2–7 record, Anderson returned, and Crowe left the 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...
program.
Professional coaching career
Crowe resurfaced in 1949 as the head coach of the Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills (AAFC)
The Buffalo Bills was an American Football team, based in Buffalo, NY, that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During its first season in 1946, the team was known as the Buffalo Bisons...
of the All-America Football Conference
All-America Football Conference
The All-America Football Conference was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations...
, going 5–5–2. When the Buffalo franchise folded, he left to coach the Baltimore Colts in 1950. He had a 1–11 record, and after the season, that franchise folded as well.
Crowe then headed north to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and agreed to coach the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
in 1951. In his first season in Ottawa, he led the Rough Riders to the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
. He later left Ottawa for the BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
. He was a head coach in Vancouver from 1956–1958. Crowe died in 1983 at age 79.
College football
External links
- Clem Crowe at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
- Xavier Hall of Fame profile