Bob Blackman (American football)

Robert L. Blackman (July 7, 1918 – March 18, 2000) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Denver (1953–1954), Dartmouth College (1955–1970), the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (1971–1976), and Cornell University (1977–1982), compiling a career college football record of 168–112–7. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1987.

Bob Blackman
Biographical details
Born(1918-07-07)July 7, 1918
De Soto, Iowa, U.S.
DiedMarch 18, 2000(2000-03-18) (aged 81)
Burlingame, California, U.S.
Playing career
1937USC
Position(s)End
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1949–1952Pasadena CC
1953–1954Denver
1955–1970Dartmouth
1971–1976Illinois
1977–1982Cornell
Head coaching record
Overall168–112–7 (college)
34–26–3 (junior college)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 Skyline (1954)
7 Ivy (1958, 1962–1963, 1965–1966, 1969–1970)
Awards
Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1970)
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1991)
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1987 (profile)

Early years and playing career

Blackman was born in De Soto, Iowa on July 7, 1918. He played football at the University of Southern California, beginning in 1937. Blackman was named a captain of the freshmen team, but stopped playing after being stricken with polio. He was named an assistant coach at USC while still an undergraduate student.

Coaching career

After head coaching stints at the San Diego Naval Academy, Pasadena City College, and the University of Denver, Blackman was named head coach at Dartmouth College in 1955, where he was universally known among players and students alike as "The Bullet." In 16 seasons under Blackman, Dartmouth had a record of 104–37–3, including undefeated seasons in 1962, 1965, and 1970 while leading Dartmouth to their first conference title in 60 years in 1958. They would win it six more times in his tenure, including his final season in 1970. In his final season at Dartmouth, Blackman received the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award.

In 1971, Blackman became the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In six seasons with the Fighting Illini, Blackman had a record of 29–36–1. Blackman returned to the Ivy League in 1977, where he replaced George Seifert as head coach of the Cornell University Big Red until 1982.

Later years and death

Blackman retired to Hilton Head, South Carolina and died on March 18, 2000, in Burlingame, California.[1]

Head coaching record
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Denver Pioneers (Skyline Conference) (1953–1954)
1953 Denver 3–5–21–5–1T–7th
1954 Denver 9–16–11st18
Denver: 12–6–27–6–1
Dartmouth Indians (Independent) (1955)
1955 Dartmouth 3–6
Dartmouth Indians (Ivy League) (1956–1970)
1956 Dartmouth 5–3–14–3T–3rd
1957 Dartmouth 7–1–15–1–12nd
1958 Dartmouth 7–26–11st
1959 Dartmouth 5–3–15–1–12nd
1960 Dartmouth 5–44–3T–3rd
1961 Dartmouth 6–35–2T–3rd
1962 Dartmouth 9–07–01st
1963 Dartmouth 7–25–2T–1st
1964 Dartmouth 6–34–34th
1965 Dartmouth 9–07–01st
1966 Dartmouth 7–26–1T–1st
1967 Dartmouth 7–25–22nd
1968 Dartmouth 4–53–45th
1969 Dartmouth 8–16–1T–1st
1970 Dartmouth 9–07–01st1414
Dartmouth: 104–37–379–24–2
Illinois Fighting Illini (Big Ten Conference) (1971–1976)
1971 Illinois 5–65–3T–3rd
1972 Illinois 3–83–5T–6th
1973 Illinois 5–64–4T–4th
1974 Illinois 6–4–14–3–15th
1975 Illinois 5–64–4T–3rd
1976 Illinois 5–64–4T–3rd
Illinois: 29–36–124–23–1
Cornell Big Red (Ivy League) (1977–1981)
1977 Cornell 1–81–6T–7th
1978 Cornell 5–3–13–3–14th
1979 Cornell 5–44–3T–4th
1980 Cornell 5–55–22nd
1981 Cornell 3–72–5T–5th
1982 Cornell 4–63–4T–4th
Cornell: 23–33–118–23–1
Total:168–112–7
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

See also

References
  1. Wallace, William N. (March 30, 2000). "Bob Blackman, 81, Coach of Dartmouth Football, Is Dead". The New York Times.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.