John Corbett (coach)
John Corbett (November 14, 1869 – February 20, 1947) was an American football player and coach of multiple sports. He played football for Harvard University from 1890 to 1893 and was selected as one of the two halfbacks on the 1890 College Football All-America Team. He graduated from Harvard in 1894 and earned a master's degree from Ohio University in 1910. Corbett went on to coach football in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.[1] In 1914, he moved to Wyoming where he coached all of the athletic teams, including football, basketball, baseball, and track and field, for the University of Wyoming from 1914 to 1924.[2] He remained the university's director of physical education until his retirement in September 1939.[3][4] He became known as Wyoming's "Grand Old Man of Athletics."[5][6] In October 1931, the University of Wyoming's athletic field was named Corbett Field in his honor.[7][8] Corbett died on February 21, 1947, of an apparent heart attack at his home in Laramie, Wyoming; he was 77 years old.[2][9]
.jpg.webp) Portrait of Corbett from Walter Camp's 1894 book, American Football | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 14, 1869 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | February 20, 1947 (aged 77) Laramie, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1890–1893 | Harvard |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1898 | Holy Cross (interim HC) |
| 1915–1923 | Wyoming |
| Basketball | |
| 1910–1911 | Ohio |
| 1915–1924 | Wyoming |
| Baseball | |
| 1909 | Ohio |
| 1912 | Indiana |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 16–44–3 (football) 40–45 (basketball) 12–12 (baseball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| All-American, 1890 | |
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Cross Crusaders (Independent) (1898) | |||||||||
| 1898 | Holy Cross | 1–0 | |||||||
| Holy Cross: | 1–0 | ||||||||
| Wyoming Cowboys (Rocky Mountain Conference) (1915–1917) | |||||||||
| 1915 | Wyoming | 2–6 | 1–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1916 | Wyoming | 1–4 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1917 | Wyoming | 3–4 | 1–4 | 7th | |||||
| Wyoming Cowboys (Rocky Mountain Conference) (1919–1923) | |||||||||
| 1919 | Wyoming | 3–5 | 3–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1920 | Wyoming | 4–5–1 | 2–5–1 | 7th | |||||
| 1921 | Wyoming | 1–4–2 | 1–3–2 | 7th | |||||
| 1922 | Wyoming | 1–8 | 1–7 | 9th | |||||
| 1923 | Wyoming | 0–8 | 0–7 | 10th | |||||
| Wyoming: | 15–44–3 | 10–38–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 16–44–3 | ||||||||
References
- Dean Snyder (October 19, 1920). "Claims Cowboys Are Good Grid Men: University of Wyoming Football Coach Likes Spirit of His Team". Appleton Post-Crescent.
- "Old Ohio Grid Star Is Dead". Evening Independent (Masillon, Ohio). February 22, 1947.
- "Former Wyoming Grid Coach Dies". Times Recorder (Zanesville, OH). February 22, 1947.
- "Wyoming Athletic Head Will Retire". San Antonio Light. July 2, 1939.
- "Corbett, 77, Dead". Ogden Standard-Examiner. February 22, 1947.
- "1891 All-American Gridder Found Dead". Marion Star (Associated Press). February 22, 1947.
- "Utah Ags Spoil Wyoming Festival, 12-0". Billings Gazette. October 25, 1931.
- "Wyoming Names Athletic Field". Greeley Daily Tribune. September 26, 1931.
- "John Corbett; Ex-Coach at Wyoming U. Was on Camp's All-American in '91" (PDF). The New York Times. Associated Press. February 22, 1947. Retrieved March 1, 2013.