George Little (football coach)
Encyclopedia
George Edkin Little was an American football
player and coach of football and basketball
coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Cincinnati
(1914–1915), Miami University
(1916, 1919–1921), the University of Michigan
(1924), and the University of Wisconsin–Madison
(1925–1926), compiling a career college football
record of 54–16–4. Little was also the head basketball coach at Cincinnati (1914–1916) and Miami (1916–1917, 1919–1922), tallying a career college basketball
mark of 47–38. In addition to coaching, he served as the athletic director
at Wisconsin and Rutgers University
and as the Executive Secretary of the National Football Foundation
and Hall of Fame. Little was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1955.
His father, George Little, was a Pennsylvania native and a school teacher. His mother, Marion Little, was also a Pennsylvania native. He had a younger brother, Howard Little (born July 1890), and a younger sister, Elizabeth Little (born February 1897). At the time of the 1900 United States Census, the family was living in Wolf Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
Little was a 1912 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University
. There he played for three years as a guard
on the football team. Little spent two years as a graduate student at Ohio State University
.
. He had an overall record of 10–8 including his only losing season a 4–5 record in 1915.
's head coach for the 1916 season succeeding Chester J. Roberts
. His first team went 7–0–1 and won the Ohio Athletic Conference
. This team gave up only six points, all in a game against Wooster, with the only blemish on their record being a 0–0 tie with Denison.
Little's tenure was interrupted by his service in the armed forces during World War I
. He served as a captain in the infantry from August 15, 1917, to August 7, 1918.
He returned and led the Redskins a 7–1 record in 1919 and a 5–2–1 record in 1920. He once again won the Ohio Athletic Conference championship in 1921 with a perfect 8–0 record. The 1921 team scored 238 points during the season and gave up only 13. In his four years as Miami's head coach, Litte compiled a record of 27–3–2 including 21 games where the opponent did not score. He left Miami to become Fielding H. Yost's top assistant at the University of Michigan
.
.
. His one loss in the conference was to his former team, Michigan
, by a score of 21–0. The Wolverines were led by his Yost, who had returned to the head coaching position.
, Little reported that he was living in New Brunswick, New Jersey
, and working for the Rutgers University
physical education department.
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 of football 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...
coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
(1914–1915), Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
(1916, 1919–1921), 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...
(1924), and the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
(1925–1926), 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 54–16–4. Little was also the head basketball coach at Cincinnati (1914–1916) and Miami (1916–1917, 1919–1922), 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 47–38. In addition to coaching, he served as the 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...
at Wisconsin and Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and as the Executive Secretary of the National Football Foundation
National Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
and Hall of Fame. Little was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1955.
Early years
Little was born in May 1889 in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
His father, George Little, was a Pennsylvania native and a school teacher. His mother, Marion Little, was also a Pennsylvania native. He had a younger brother, Howard Little (born July 1890), and a younger sister, Elizabeth Little (born February 1897). At the time of the 1900 United States Census, the family was living in Wolf Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
Little was a 1912 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
. There he played for three years as a guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
on the football team. Little spent two years as a graduate student at Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
.
Cincinnati
Little first head coach position was at the University of CincinnatiUniversity of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
. He had an overall record of 10–8 including his only losing season a 4–5 record in 1915.
Miami
Little was named Miami UniversityMiami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
's head coach for the 1916 season succeeding Chester J. Roberts
Chester J. Roberts
Chester Joseph Roberts was an American football player and coach of football and basketball in the early 1900s. He was a 1912 graduate of Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin where he played football. After graduation he served as a member of the faculty at several colleges in the Midwest...
. His first team went 7–0–1 and won the Ohio Athletic Conference
Ohio Athletic Conference
The Ohio Athletic Conference was formed in 1902 and is the third oldest athletic conference in the United States. It competes in the NCAA's Division III. Through the years, 31 schools have been members of the OAC. The enrollments of the current ten member institutions range from 1,100 to 4,500...
. This team gave up only six points, all in a game against Wooster, with the only blemish on their record being a 0–0 tie with Denison.
Little's tenure was interrupted by his service in the armed forces during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He served as a captain in the infantry from August 15, 1917, to August 7, 1918.
He returned and led the Redskins a 7–1 record in 1919 and a 5–2–1 record in 1920. He once again won the Ohio Athletic Conference championship in 1921 with a perfect 8–0 record. The 1921 team scored 238 points during the season and gave up only 13. In his four years as Miami's head coach, Litte compiled a record of 27–3–2 including 21 games where the opponent did not score. He left Miami to become Fielding H. Yost's top assistant 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...
.
Michigan
Little was the top assistant under Yost for two seasons at Michigan before being named head coach in 1924. That year, he compiled a record of 6–2. Little and the Wolverines shut out their opponents in five of the six victories. After that season, Little left to accept the head football coach and athletic director positions at the University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
Wisconsin
In his two years as the Badgers head coach, Little compiled a record of 11–3–2. His most successful year at Wisconsin was in 1925 when he led the Badgers to a 6–1–1 record and a second place finish in the Big Ten ConferenceBig 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...
. His one loss in the conference was to his former team, Michigan
1925 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1925 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the college football season of 1925. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost. The 1925 team compiled a record of 7–1 and outscored opponents by a combined score of 227 to 3...
, by a score of 21–0. The Wolverines were led by his Yost, who had returned to the head coaching position.
Later years
In a draft registration card completed at the time of World War IIWorld 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...
, Little reported that he was living in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, and working for the Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
physical education department.
Football
External links
- Profile at Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History
- George Little at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com