Dale R. Sprankle
Encyclopedia
Dale R. Sprankle was a sports coach and athletic director at both Adrian College
and Albion College
in Michigan
. Over the course of his 35 year career, Sprankle won 23 MIAA
conference championships in four sports, making him one of the most winningest coaches in that conference's history.
, who would also become an athletics icon, most notably in Eastern Tennessee and South Florida. At the age of 12, his family moved to Canton, OH where he participated in athletics and attended high school. Upon graduation, Sprankle completed his education at the nearby Mount Union College
.
in Adrian, MI. From 1923 to 1936, he was the head coach of basketball, cross country, football, and track and field at the college, compiling a 55-51-8 record in football and a .516 winning percentage in basketball. In 1936, he left to become the assistant athletic director and head coach of cross country, football, and indoor and outdoor track at Albion College
. Five years later, Sprankle was promoted to athletic director, the position from which he served at the college until his retirement in 1958. Over the course of the 22 years he coached at Albion
, his teams won 23 MIAA
championships which is currently tied for 7th all-time in that conference. In the nine seasons that he coached football, between 1936 and 1946, the team went 36-33-4 and won two MIAA
championships. In indoor track, Sprankle coached the team for five years and won MIAA
championships in each. His outdoor track team also had great success, winning six MIAA
championships over the course of eight years. Sprankle's greatest success, however, came with the cross country team which won 10 MIAA
championships in his 12 years of coaching it from 1947-58. In 1958, due to declining health, he retired from his position, but still kept up a close relationship with the school. Dale R. Sprankle died on November 11, 1963 at the age of 65. His legacy lives on however. In 1976, the football stadium at Albion College
was officially renamed Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium in honor of the school's two greatest sports coaches. Thirteen years later, in 1989, Dale R. Sprankle was officially inducted into the Albion College Sports Hall of Fame.
Adrian College
Adrian College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college related to the United Methodist Church in the city of Adrian, Michigan.-Campus:The school is approximately a 45-minute drive from Ann Arbor and Toledo, Ohio, and 90 minutes from Detroit...
and Albion College
Albion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Over the course of his 35 year career, Sprankle won 23 MIAA
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is an athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. The nine teams in the conference are all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established on March 24, 1888, making...
conference championships in four sports, making him one of the most winningest coaches in that conference's history.
Early life
Dale R. Sprankle was born on August 4, 1898 in Beach City, OH. He was the younger brother of LeRoy SprankleLeRoy Sprankle
LeRoy Sprankle was a high school sports coach and athletics advocate in Eastern Tennessee and South Florida...
, who would also become an athletics icon, most notably in Eastern Tennessee and South Florida. At the age of 12, his family moved to Canton, OH where he participated in athletics and attended high school. Upon graduation, Sprankle completed his education at the nearby Mount Union College
Mount Union College
The University of Mount Union is a 4-year private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Alliance, Ohio.Mount Union enrolls 2200 undergraduates. Approximately 50 percent are women and 50 percent are men, representing more than 22 states and 13 countries. Mount Union has an active alumni base of...
.
Coaching career
In 1923, Sprankle was hired as the director of physical education (athletic director) at Adrian CollegeAdrian College
Adrian College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college related to the United Methodist Church in the city of Adrian, Michigan.-Campus:The school is approximately a 45-minute drive from Ann Arbor and Toledo, Ohio, and 90 minutes from Detroit...
in Adrian, MI. From 1923 to 1936, he was the head coach of basketball, cross country, football, and track and field at the college, compiling a 55-51-8 record in football and a .516 winning percentage in basketball. In 1936, he left to become the assistant athletic director and head coach of cross country, football, and indoor and outdoor track at Albion College
Albion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
. Five years later, Sprankle was promoted to athletic director, the position from which he served at the college until his retirement in 1958. Over the course of the 22 years he coached at Albion
Albion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
, his teams won 23 MIAA
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is an athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. The nine teams in the conference are all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established on March 24, 1888, making...
championships which is currently tied for 7th all-time in that conference. In the nine seasons that he coached football, between 1936 and 1946, the team went 36-33-4 and won two MIAA
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is an athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. The nine teams in the conference are all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established on March 24, 1888, making...
championships. In indoor track, Sprankle coached the team for five years and won MIAA
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is an athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. The nine teams in the conference are all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established on March 24, 1888, making...
championships in each. His outdoor track team also had great success, winning six MIAA
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is an athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. The nine teams in the conference are all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established on March 24, 1888, making...
championships over the course of eight years. Sprankle's greatest success, however, came with the cross country team which won 10 MIAA
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is an athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. The nine teams in the conference are all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established on March 24, 1888, making...
championships in his 12 years of coaching it from 1947-58. In 1958, due to declining health, he retired from his position, but still kept up a close relationship with the school. Dale R. Sprankle died on November 11, 1963 at the age of 65. His legacy lives on however. In 1976, the football stadium at Albion College
Albion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
was officially renamed Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium in honor of the school's two greatest sports coaches. Thirteen years later, in 1989, Dale R. Sprankle was officially inducted into the Albion College Sports Hall of Fame.
Famous Players Under Coach Dale R. Sprankle
| Name | Graduation Year and Sports Lettered In | Achievements After College |
|---|---|---|
| Louis Black | 1949: cross country, basketball, football | played professional basketball with the Detroit Vagabond Kings (NBL National Basketball League (United States) Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The... ) |
| James L. Chapman | 1956: cross country, track | President of West Liberty State College West Liberty State College West Liberty University is a school located in West Liberty, West Virginia, United States, near Wheeling. Formerly known as West Liberty State College, West Liberty University is an institution in northern West Virginia offering a variety of degrees, undergraduate and graduate... (1970–84) |
| Theodore E. Hagadone | 1951: cross country, track | Superintendent of Schools in Vanderbilt, Iron Mountain, Milford, and Riverview, Michigan Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... |
| Lewis F. Moon | 1948: baseball, basketball, football, track | played with Cardinal's minor league franchise, AD at Lawrence Tech Lawrence Technological University Lawrence Technological University, also known as Lawrence Tech or simply LTU, is a private university located in Southfield, Michigan. The school offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs in engineering, science, mathematics, architecture, graphic design, and business... (1964–89) |
| Gary R. Noble | 1957: cross country, track | Rhodes Scholar, deputy director at the CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta... , asst. surgeon general in the U.S. Public Health Service |
| Raymond A. Wauthier | 1946: basketball, football | head baseball and basketball coach at Iowa Wesleyan College Iowa Wesleyan College Iowa Wesleyan College is a private four-year liberal arts college of the United Methodist Church located Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.Iowa Wesleyan is recognized as a pioneer in higher education in America. Founded in 1842, it ranks as the oldest coeducational college located west of the Mississippi River... (1946–48), head baseball and golf coach at Kansas State (1949–86) |