Stu Holcomb
Encyclopedia
Stuart K. Holcomb was an American football
and basketball
coach best known for serving as head football coach for Miami University
(1942–1943) and Purdue University
(1947–1955). Before coaching, Holcomb was a starting halfback
at Ohio State University
and the captain of the 1931 Buckeyes football team
. Prior to arriving at Miami, Holcomb was the head football coach at three smaller schools: the University of Findlay
(1932–1935), Muskingum College (1936–1940), and Washington & Jefferson College
(1941). He also served as the head basketball coach at the United States Military Academy
from 1945 to 1947. After retiring from coaching, Holcomb was the athletic director
at Northwestern University
(1956–1966) and later the general manager
of Major League Baseball
's Chicago White Sox
(1971–1973).
's head football coach for the 1942 season succeeding Frank Wilton
. His first team went 3–6 which equaled the number of wins of the three previous years for the Redskins. The next year Holcomb and the Redskins posted a winning record of 7–2–1. This team was dominated by defense, only allowing their opponents to score in double digits twice; A 34–12 win over Bradley University
and a 35–0 blow out loss to Arkansas A&M
. In his two years as Miami’s head coach he compiled an overall record of 10–9–1. He left Miami to become an assistant coach for Earl Blaik
at the United States Military Academy
. He was replaced as Redskins coach by future Pro
and College Football Hall of Fame
coach Sid Gillman
who was one of Holcomb's top assistant coaches.
, Holcomb was head coach of the men’s basketball team for two seasons from 1945 through 1947. He led the cadets to two straight winning seasons of 9–6 and 9–7.
co-championship and a #18 ranking in the final poll. Despite having only a 4–3–1 overall record, Holcomb's team played well in conference with a 4–1–1 record. Holcomb’s Purdue teams are, perhaps, best remembered for ending Notre Dame's 39-game unbeaten streak when his Boilermakers defeated the Irish, 28–14, in the second game of the 1950 season. Holcomb was known for developing solid quarterbacks including Bob DeMoss
, Dan Samuels and Len Dawson
. These players helped grow a strong tradition at Purdue of great quarterback play. On December 12, 1955, After his nine seasons at Purdue, Holcomb left Purdue to accept the athletic director position at the Northwestern University
of the Chicago Mustangs
, a United Soccer Association
franchise owned by Arthur
and John Allyn
. After the Mustangs folded following the 1968 season, Holcomb was reassigned to the Chicago White Sox
, another of the Allyn brothers' business entities, as its public relations
director.
He was promoted to replace Ed Short
as general manager
in September 1970
, the last month of a season in which the White Sox finished with its worst record in team history at 56–106. He began overhauling the ballclub by firing manager
Don Gutteridge
and replacing him with Chuck Tanner
(third-base coach Bill Adair
served as the interim for ten games during the transition).
, Doug at Purdue University
, and Bryan at Arizona State University
and Florida State University
.
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...
coach best known for serving as head football coach for 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...
(1942–1943) and Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
(1947–1955). Before coaching, Holcomb was a starting halfback
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
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...
and the captain of the 1931 Buckeyes football team
1931 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1931 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1931-1932. The Buckeyes compiled a 6–3 record and outscored opponents by 120, 194-74. Head coach Sam Willaman improved to 2-1 against Michigan.-Schedule:-References:Win/Loss...
. Prior to arriving at Miami, Holcomb was the head football coach at three smaller schools: the University of Findlay
University of Findlay
The University of Findlay is a private university located in the city of Findlay in Hancock County, Ohio, United States. It was affiliated with the Churches of God, General Conference, and was founded in 1882 by the city of Findlay and the Churches of God, General Conference. Findlay offers more...
(1932–1935), Muskingum College (1936–1940), and Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson Presidents football
The Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team represents Washington & Jefferson College in collegiate level football. The team competes in NCAA Division III and is affiliated with the Presidents' Athletic Conference...
(1941). He also served as the head basketball coach at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
from 1945 to 1947. After retiring from coaching, Holcomb was 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 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....
(1956–1966) and later the general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
(1971–1973).
Miami University
Holcomb 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 football coach for the 1942 season succeeding Frank Wilton
Frank Wilton
Frank S. Wilton, Jr. was an American football player and coach of football and baseball. He served as the head football coach for Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from 1932 to 1941, compiling a record of 44–39–5...
. His first team went 3–6 which equaled the number of wins of the three previous years for the Redskins. The next year Holcomb and the Redskins posted a winning record of 7–2–1. This team was dominated by defense, only allowing their opponents to score in double digits twice; A 34–12 win over Bradley University
Bradley University
Bradley University, founded in 1897, is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students and a full-time faculty of approximately 350....
and a 35–0 blow out loss to Arkansas A&M
University of Arkansas at Monticello
The University of Arkansas at Monticello is a public university and college for vocational and technical education located in Monticello, Arkansas, United States....
. In his two years as Miami’s head coach he compiled an overall record of 10–9–1. He left Miami to become an assistant coach for Earl Blaik
Earl Blaik
Earl Henry "Red" Blaik was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and United States Army officer. He served as the head football coach at Dartmouth College from 1934 to 1940 and at the United States Military Academy from 1941 to 1958, compiling a career college...
at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. He was replaced as Redskins coach by future Pro
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
and 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...
coach Sid Gillman
Sid Gillman
Sidney "Sid" Gillman was an American football player, coach, executive, and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in...
who was one of Holcomb's top assistant coaches.
United States Military Academy
While an assistant football coach for the United States Military AcademyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, Holcomb was head coach of the men’s basketball team for two seasons from 1945 through 1947. He led the cadets to two straight winning seasons of 9–6 and 9–7.
Purdue
During Holcomb’s tenure as Boilermakers head coach he compiled a record of 35–42–4. His best year was 1952 when he led the Boilermakers to a 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...
co-championship and a #18 ranking in the final poll. Despite having only a 4–3–1 overall record, Holcomb's team played well in conference with a 4–1–1 record. Holcomb’s Purdue teams are, perhaps, best remembered for ending Notre Dame's 39-game unbeaten streak when his Boilermakers defeated the Irish, 28–14, in the second game of the 1950 season. Holcomb was known for developing solid quarterbacks including Bob DeMoss
Bob DeMoss
Robert Alonzo "Bob" DeMoss is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Purdue University from 1970 to 1972, compiling a career college football record of 13–18. DeMoss played football as a quarterback at Purdue...
, Dan Samuels and Len Dawson
Len Dawson
Leonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
. These players helped grow a strong tradition at Purdue of great quarterback play. On December 12, 1955, After his nine seasons at Purdue, Holcomb left Purdue to accept the athletic director position at the 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....
Professional sports administrator
Holcomb was appointed as the general managerGeneral manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Chicago Mustangs
Chicago Mustangs
The Chicago Mustangs were an American professional soccer team based out of Chicago, Illinois that was a charter member of the United Soccer Association in 1967. The league was made up of teams imported whole from foreign leagues. The Chicago club was actually Cagliari Calcio from Italy...
, a United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
franchise owned by Arthur
Arthur Allyn, Jr.
Arthur Allyn, Jr. was the co-owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League with his brother John Allyn from through...
and John Allyn
John Allyn
John Allyn was the co-owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League with his brother Arthur Allyn, Jr. from through , and sole principal owner from through . In 1975, Allyn sold the club back to the person he and his brother had purchased it from in 1961, Bill Veeck.-References:*...
. After the Mustangs folded following the 1968 season, Holcomb was reassigned to the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, another of the Allyn brothers' business entities, as its public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
director.
He was promoted to replace Ed Short
Ed Short
Edwin G. Short was an American professional baseball front office executive. Short worked for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball for over 20 years, including nine seasons as the team's general manager — from August 26, 1961, through September 2, 1970...
as general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
in September 1970
1970 Chicago White Sox season
The 1970 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 70th season in the American League, and its 71st overall. They finished with a record 56-106, good enough for sixth place in the American League West, 42 games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins....
, the last month of a season in which the White Sox finished with its worst record in team history at 56–106. He began overhauling the ballclub by firing manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Don Gutteridge
Don Gutteridge
Donald Joseph Gutteridge was an American second and third baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, and later managed the Chicago White Sox in 1969-1970...
and replacing him with Chuck Tanner
Chuck Tanner
Charles William "Chuck" Tanner was a left fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He was known for his unwavering confidence and infectious optimism. He managed the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship in 1979...
(third-base coach Bill Adair
Bill Adair
Marion Danne "Bill" Adair was an American coach and interim manager in Major League Baseball. A second baseman, he was a career minor-league player who never rose about the Class AA level but who spent 21 years as a manager in the minors.-History:Born in Mobile, Alabama, Adair was a skipper in the...
served as the interim for ten games during the transition).
Family
Holcomb's three sons played college football: Chip 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....
, Doug at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, and Bryan at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
and Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
.
Football
External links
- Stu Holcomb at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com