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Coe College Athletics
Hall of Fame Members

Athletes listed by induction year


1973

 

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2007

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Member's Biography

George W. Bryant 1894
George was on the tennis, baseball, football and track teams and in 1983 he was captain of all four teams. At one time he held Coe records in eight different track events. In 1899 he returned to Coe as Athletic Director, Latin teacher and coach of all sports. In 1914 he gave up the Athletic Director post. His greatest love was track and he continued to coach that until 1930. He built the track, football, baseball and tennis neucleus for a total athletic program at Coe. Professor Bryant served Coe as executive Vice President from 1929-1941.

Clement P. Wilson '12
Clement was the first athlete from the state of Iowa to qualify for Olympic competition. Clem's old records in the 100-yard dash at 9.6 seconds and the 220-yard dash at 21.2 seconds stood for 50 years versus the assaults of Kohawk runners. Clem ran the 100, 220, and 440 yard races winning every race in which he competed. He ran to state championships in all three years he entered.

Leo V. Novak '16
As a Coe football player he only knew two losing games. In 1913 he played every minute of every game as Coe was undefeated and un-scored upon. In 1914 he was tackle on the point-a-minute team and in 1915 he captained the squad.

George R. Collins '23
George was a halfback on the great Coe teams of 1920-22 when Coe lost only one game in three years. As a Coe athlete known for his off tackle smashes on offense and his uncanny ability to read plays on defense; he won four letters in football and won all state and all conference honors in each of those four years.

Jack W. Pence '24
Jack Pence was an integral part of that Golden Era of Coe athletics that came in the early 20's. In football, quarterback was his position but kicking was his fame. He was a master at the art of dropkicking a pertinent scoring threat in those days but today a lost art. In his four years of Coe football, Jack Pence made more dropkicks longer than 45 yards than any other collegiate player. His booming dropkick field goal of 59 yards versus Drake in 1923 is an Iowa record, and is the fourth longest in all time football records. In baseball he batted over .300 and led the squad in homerun's during that time.

Harold E. Wernimont '24
"Buzz" as he was called, played football, basketball, and baseball at Coe but it was in football that he won lasting fame. He played end for the 1922 team that went undefeated and he won all-state honors three times. His senior year he was captain in both football and baseball.

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Ira T. Carrithers - coach '15-24
Ira T. Carrithers was a graduate of the University of Illinois, where he was the first athlete to win nine letters in sports. Football, baseball and track were his interests. His first job was at Alma College as coach and athletic director. He served in a similar position at Knox College and later at Lake Forest College. He also returned to the University of Illinois for a year as an assistant to the famous Bob Zuppke.

Ira Carrithers was induced to come to Coe in 1915 as athletic director and coach of basketball and baseball and assistant coach in football. His term as athletic director from 1915 to 1924 covered the era when Coe was a nationally-known sports power. He was respected and popular as a coach. Those who played under him found their inspiration through his example.

He left coaching in 1924 and built a successful career in life insurance. In Cedar Rapids he was an active civic booster and worked on just about every worthy fund raising project that came along. He was president and board member of the YMCA and president of the Cedar Rapids Tennis Association, where he was an able tennis player.

He also carried the name of Coe with him to athletic fields all over the Midwest as a football official in the Big Ten, Big Six, and Missouri Valley Conferences. Death came to Mr. Carrithers in 1955.

It will never be known if Ira Carrithers might have been a major league baseball player. He signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox upon graduation from Illinois, but his parents would not allow him to fulfill the contract when they learned that the White Sox played on Sunday.

Ira T. Carrithers was posthumously inducted into the Coe College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Merle E. Makeever '25
Merle E. Makeever exemplified the “iron man” qualities that are part of the legend of football as it was played in the 1920’s. In 1922, he played every minute of every game and in 1923 he played all of seven games and 45 minutes of the eighth. Midge Makeever played quarterback and half back and also did some spectacular kicking and passing. In 1923 he completed 15 of 18 passes, including 9 for 9 against Cornell. In 1922, he made 15 of 17 dropkicks for extra points and in his senior year his 80 yard punt late in the game saved a 7-7 tie with Wisconsin.

As a student, Midge Makeever played basketball and baseball, too. In basketball he shot all the team’s free throws, and in baseball he led in stolen bases and batted .563 in 16 games in 1922. With those qualifications he signed with the pros before graduation and played professional baseball for 15 years going as high as AAA teams. He averaged 37 stolen bases a year over those 15 years and had a season high of 67 thefts in 1925.

For 38 years Midge Makeever was a coach of high school, service, and college teams in football, basketball, baseball and track. His teams won many titles, but the quality of his coaching may be seen best in records like 174 baseball games won against 11 lost in eight years at Davenport High School; or 88 football games won against 20 lost in eleven years at Fernandino Beach, Florida.

Merle E. Makeever rounded out his sports career with 30 years of officiating in high school, college, and military service games in football, baseball, and basketball, including regular appearances in the Iowa High School Basketball Tournament.

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Harris A. Lamb '27
There are those who believe that Harris Lamb’s name is really spelled C-O-E, because he gave more than 30 years of dedicated, unstinted service to the College. The Coe record book tells us that Harris won four letters in basketball, two in football and track. In basketball he led the scoring, was captain, and was named All-Conference three times. As a fullback he won All-Conference and All-State awards in football.

But that’s only part of the record. After an enviable coaching career at Ohio Northern University, where his football teams went 49-23-11 between 1929 and 1942, Harris returned to coach at Coe. He served as co-athletic director with his brother, Willis, and at various times coached football, basketball, and track. He originated the Coe Relays.

But that’s still only part of the record. In 1952 he took on the greater challenge of developing an alumni program for Coe. He traveled from coast to coast rekindling the interest of Coe alumni and channeling it into productive causes for the College.

Rare is the Coe graduate who has not felt the warmth of the ambassador from Cedar Rapids who greeted everyone by name and who could recite the hometown, fraternity, and athletic accomplishment of everyone in the room. Just as he won fame as a player and coach, Harris Lamb has won the respect of professional alumni directors as one of the stars of that game, and he won the affection of all those hundreds of Kohawks who are proud to call him friend.

Willis D. Lamb '27
Willis D. Lamb built over the years a career in athletics and business that is memorable for his dedication to Coe College, his love of hard work and good sportsmanship, and his skill both as a coach and a businessman.

Like his three brothers, Willis came to Coe from Boone, Iowa, and made his mark in Coe sports. He won his letters in basketball and football and his coaching skill became apparent in his first job after graduation at Greenfield, Iowa. From 1927 to 1929 his football team won 20 games while losing just one. His basketball team won 40, losing only 8, and he rounded out the record with a championship track squad. He then moved to Centerville, Iowa High School where from 1929 to 1938 he had three undefeated football teams, eight sectional basketball titles and one state tournament team. His overall football record was 64-12.

His alma mater called him back and he coached at Coe from 1938 to 1949. Like most small college coaches, he was called on to use all of his many talents, serving as athletic director, basketball coach, assistant coach of football and track, golf coach, athletic business manager, teacher of physical education and dean of men.

Perhaps his own finest memory of his long career at Coe came when his 1940-41 basketball team won Coe’s first title in the Midwest Conference.

Dr. Walter Schwank '34 - coach '56-59
Dr. Schwank came to Coe in 1956 and coached his football teams to 25 wins and seven losses, the best winning percentage among Coe's football coaches. In his four years at Coe he coached his teams to two conference championships and his 1959 team went undefeated.

Moray L. Eby - coach '14-42
He began his career at Coe in 1914 with the point a minute team that caught the fancy of sports writers and attracted national attention. Their 330 points in 480 minutes of football was still significantly overwhelming. From 1914 to 1942 Eby's team won 131 games while losing 77 and tying 17. They nearly doubled their opponents scoring with 2,945 points against 1,530. Three times Eby football teams were undefeated and eight times they won conference Champions.

Marvin D. Levy '50
Scholar-athlete Marvin Levy won Phi Beta Kappa honors in the classroom while earning three letters in football, four in basketball and one in track. Coming back in 1953 he assisted football three years, coached track three years and after assisting two years in basketball. He also coached the 1956 cage team to the Midwest conference title and the Iowa NAIA championship.

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Wallace C. Ford '52
Wallace C. Ford was the kind of student athlete who got involved in everything on campus and did it well. Wally Ford played halfback on the football team for three years and left an indelible memory in the minds of excited fans and teammates with a 93 yard kick-off return against arch rival Cornell in his senior year. That year he was chosen captain of the team. His football honors included first team all-conference and honorable mention on the Associated Press Little All American team. Coe shared in a three-way tie for the conference title his junior year.

In activities off the gridiron, Wally Ford was president of the senior class at Coe, as well as president of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Interfraternity Council. He was active in Air Force ROTC and was a member of the Arnold Air Society and a Cadet Lieutenant Colonel. He was a member of the Student Council and Student Life Committee.

The wide variety of his campus activities and his outstanding athletic achievements were recognized by the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce who selected him the Outstanding Man in the class of 1952.

Wallace Ford was inducted posthumously into the Coe Athletic Hall of Fame.

M. Richard Clausen - coach '48-55
Dick Clausen gave Coe eight of the best years of his distinguished career as a coach, Athletic Director and member of a host of national committees in athletics and physical education. In 1948 he was Athletic Director and football coach at Coe. Taking over a team that had gone winless in previous years, Dick Clausen built a 35-24-5 record over the eight season's and his team won Championships in 1950, 52 55. The 1955 team was undefeated and Mr. Clausen won honors as "small college coach of the year."

John A. Rosenberg '57
John is remembered as a fullback that couldn't be stopped. Game after game he grounded out yardage that made him the Midwest conference rushing leading and he still holds the Coe scoring record of 93 points in the season. In addition to his three football letters he won all Midwest conference honors on the undefeated championships team of 1955 and he captained the squad in 1956. John also won Coe's first individual wrestling championship in the Midwest conference in the 177 pound weight class. He rounded out his sports at Coe with a baseball letter won playing first base.

Albert E. Pursell '58
In the three years that Al was in the basketball lineup Coe won or shared the Conference title every year. No one has topped his career scoring record of 1,690 points. His scoring records came in every category possible. He topped Midwest conference scorers in 56-58. He also holds the Coe individual game high of 42 points and the season high of 587. His own teammates named him MVP as a sophomore and he made the all conference team every year he played. He won little all American mention from both associated press and united press. In Al's senior year he led the Kohawks to their first NAIA National Tournament and he made the NAIA All American team.

J. Russell Townsend, SR. '07
J. Russell Townsend, Sr. was a significant figure in the early days of football at Coe College as an end and halfback on the 1905 and 1906 teams. In 1906 when Coe’s record was 4-1-1, Mr. Townsend starred in the wins over Grinnell and Cornell. After coaching in Iowa and Wyoming high schools, he became athletic director and coach of football, basketball, and track at Wabash College, Indiana, where his teams regularly challenged the likes of Purdue and Notre Dame.

Mr. Townsend left the coaching field and built a career in insurance with Equitable Life and later with his own company which specialized in pension and employee benefit programs. Even while in business he found time to pursue his interests in sports. He was a Big Ten football official for 25 years and for 20 years he was referee of the Indiana State high school track meet. Always interested in youth, he organized Junior Baseball of Indianapolis, Inc., and was a founder of Camp Kiwanis, a Boy Scout camp.

He contributed richly to Indianapolis community life as president of the Zoological Society, founder of the Life Insurance Institute at Purdue, organizer of the Indiana Officials Association and president of the Kiwanis Club of Indianapolis. Mr. Townsend died in 1969.

In a long and successful career J. Russell Townsend exemplified the finest traits of character which reflected credit on himself and his alma mater.

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Bruce A. West '22
Bruce West was one of those unusual and great all-around athletes who qualify for the most exclusive Coe group, the nine-letter winners. He won his monograms in football, basketball, and track. But football was the sport in which he made his brightest reputation. As a tackle he was three times named to the all-conference team and was captain of the squad during his senior year. In track and field competition he was a weight man and set a conference record in the shot put.

An active leader in a host of activities outside of sports, Bruce West was president of the senior class, Clan of C secretary, and a member of the student and athletic councils.

Mr. West served on active duty in both World War I and World War II. He was active in American Legion activities and is a past commander of Hanford Post in Cedar Rapids. He spent his lifetime career in real estate and home building and has served as president of Cedar Rapids Board of Realtors.

Phillip M. Hubbard '28
Phillip M. Hubbard was a star basketball player at Coe and his lifetime record in the sport as player and coach have been recognized nationally by the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, where his name is engraved on the Founder’s Wall.

As a basketball player Phil Hubbard led the Coe team in scoring two years and own all-conference honors twice. As captain in his senior year he led the team to a second place finish and an upset win over the University of Illinois. Mr. Hubbard was also a four-letter man in track and set a school record in the javelin throw.

He earned his master’s degree at Columbia University and then began a long and eminently successful career at Owego Free Academy in Owego, N.Y. As director of athletics and football and basketball coach, he established what is probably the greatest coaching record in both sports in the State of New York. His teams were perennial champions over the years and in one year the starting eleven all were selected for the All-Star team in a 10-team conference.

In addition to his brilliant coaching, Mr. Hubbard was a respected leader of young men and enjoyed a reputation as one of the leading citizens of his community.

Ralph E. Martin '37
Ralph E. Martin, Class of 1937, was a nine letter winner at Coe in football, track and basketball. Every account of football games in his era speaks of his running and scoring ability as a fullback. In 1936 he was the main offensive cog in Coe’s championship season. That same year he set a Midwest Conference pole vault record of nearly 13 feet and his leadership qualities were such that he was elected president of the Clan of C.

After graduation from Coe, Mr. Martin coached high school sports at Sheldon and Clarinda, Iowa. During World War II he spent 30 months overseas and was discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. On his return to Cedar Rapids he began to learn the sporting goods business as an employee of Armstrong’s sporting goods department. Then in 1949 Ralph Martin and his college coach, Moray Eby, formed a partnership and opened Eby’s Sporting Goods store.

For many years Ralph Martin was a respected official at high school and college football and basketball games. His skill and reputation earned him an appointment as a Big Ten football official to be effective in 1954. Mr. Martin was never able to fulfill his responsibility as his fine career was ended by a fatal heart attack while he was officiating a basketball game in December, 1953.

Ellis D. Verink '14
Ellis Verink was the kind of scholar-athlete who brought special distinction to Coe sports and to his lifetime career. Mr. Verink won all-state honors in basketball three consecutive years and captained the team as a senior. In track he held records in the pole vault and high jump. He would compete in those two events and then move to the shot put, discus, broad jump and high hurdles. His many medals have hung in Eby Fieldhouse as an incentive for modern Coe trackmen. Letters in football and tennis rounded out his athletic activities.

But Ellis Verink also distinguished himself by his performance in the classroom. He was the highest ranking student in the Class of 1914. He stayed at Coe to earn his master’s degree, teach botany, and coach basketball. Then he entered YMCA work, a service which included a six-year term in China.

In 1933 Mr. Verink entered the insurance business and for two decades he served in sales and management positions. In light of his scholarly interests and his consistent Christian witness, he was one of the few persons ordained to the Presbyterian ministry without formal theological education. His name is perpetuated at his alma mater through the Ellis and Phoebe Verink Endowed Scholarship which he established in his lifetime and which he generously endowed through a bequest at his death in early 1974.

In 1918 Ellis Verink coached basketball at McPherson College. At season’s end the team captain spoke these words, “ Mr. Verink has not only taught us basketball, but he has taught us to be men . . . men who know how to earn a victory, men who know how to take defeat when it comes.” This rich emphasis on character, as well as athletic skill, was a benchmark of Ellis Verink’s career.

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John S. Finlay '26
To John S. Finlay goes the unique honor of selection to Coe’s all-time great football teams as picked by both Coach George Bryant and Coach Moray Eby. John Finlay was a lineman on the teams of 1922, 1923, and 1924. In these days of platoon substitutions it’s worthy of note that he played a full 60 minutes of every game in 1923 and 1924. His bountiful skills were recognized by selection to several All-State and All-Midwest teams. At Coe he won nine letters and in track he set new javelin records three times.

After graduation John Finlay became a high school coach and official. In one ten-year period his football teams were unscored on for 15 consecutive games. In addition to football, he coached basketball and had a team in the state finals in 1938. He also coached baseball and wrestling, including an undefeated team. He officiated a variety of high school sports for 20 years. During World War II Colonel Finlay was in charge of Air Corps athletic programs in England, France and Germany. In the Korean conflict he headed an athletic program at a 10,000 man Air Force base in Korea. His has been a lifetime devoted to sports and the young men and women who participate in them.

Edward P. Barrows '30
“Ed Barrows was the best halfback I ever coached,” said the legendary Moray Eby. This accolade more than any other properly measures Edward P. Barrows’ stature as an athlete at Coe College. He won all-conference football honors three times and all-state mention twice. He was a particular nemesis for traditional rival Cornell. In the 1928 Coe win over Cornell, Colonel Barrows ran for 250 yards in an era when three yards and a cloud of dust were the conventional offense. In the 1929 shut out over Cornell, he returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a score, a deed that will be remembered at both schools as long as football is a topic of conversation.

Ed Barrows was a record-setting performer in track also, holding Coe records in the broad jump and mile relay. After graduation he coached in Iowa and Minnesota high schools and earned a law degree in 1938.

Commissioned through the Coe ROTC program in 1929, Colonel Barrows served 40 years as an Army officer, 27 of them on active duty in infantry, armor, and in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, including duty as deputy state director and legal officer for Selective Service in Minnesota. On the gridiron his legal training served him well as a Big Ten referee for seven years. He has served Coe as president of the Alumni Association. In 1971 Coe College awarded him its prestigious Alumni Award of Merit.

Charles Eugene Lighter '16
Charles Eugene Lighter, Class of 1916, has compiled one of the brightest records in the history of Coe College’s competition in track and field events. He was a four-year letterman in track and captained the team in both 1915 and 1916. In collegiate and AAU track competition he garnered more than 75 medals and awards which are mounted in Coe’s Eby Fieldhouse as an inspiration for today’s young athletes.

In a competitive career that was filled with highlights, perhaps the most memorable moment came in May, 1913, when Gene Lighter entered and won five events in a dual meet with Grinnell. He held records in the high hurdles and broad jump and was a member of a record-setting mile relay team. His high academic standing in combination with his athletic ability were noted in a nomination for a Rhodes Scholarship.

Mr. Lighter qualified for the 1916 Olympics scheduled to be held in Rome, games that were cancelled by World War I. He passed up coaching offers in 1916 to enter the service and he was in the military in both World War I and II.

Through his splendid achievements in track and his selection for the U.S. Olympic team, Charles Eugene Lighter earns mention among those who have reached the top in Coe athletics.

Forest S. Rittgers '25
Forest Rittgers has been a central figure in several of the most brilliant eras of Coe sports, both as a player and a coach. A member of the famous 1922 championship team, he is the only Coe alumnus who can claim a touchdown scored against Wisconsin, that tally coming in a 7 -7 tie with the Badgers in 1924. Colonel Rittgers coached at Centerville, Iowa for four years where he had an undefeated team in 1928. He returned to Coe in 1929 as Moray Eby’s backfield coach and scout in an era of frequent championships. He taught courses in coaching and physical education during much of this period and was a busy football and basketball official.

Forest Rittgers was Coe basketball coach from 1929 to 1938. But his most spectacular success came as track coach from 1929 to 1942 when his teams won eight conference titles, twice taking the crown three years in a row. In the remaining five years his teams were runners-up four of the five times. The last two years of that period he served at Coe as an Army Captain assigned to teach military science, and in that position he continued coaching. He continued Army service in a variety of foreign and domestic assignments after World War II until his retirement as a Colonel in 1957.

As an alumnus, Colonel Rittgers has consistently supported the academic and athletic development of Coe College. He has been what Coe would define as an ideal alumnus . . . successful in his professional field and supportive of the best the college is trying to do.

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Edward J. Hines '31
Edward J. Hines had the unusual distinction of winning high school all-state football honors in two states, Iowa and West Virginia. He played at Cedar Rapids Washington high school under Hall of Fame coach Leo Novak and then came under Moral Eby’s tutelage at Coe. He was Eby’s field general and he quarterbacked three consecutive Midwest Conference football champions in 1928, 1929, and 1930. Those were fabulous days for Coe football. In 1928, for example, outside of a loss to Big Ten champion Illinois, Coe went undefeated and outscored their opponents 181 to zero.

Ed Hines was named to All-Conference and All-American teams as a result of his skilled performance, and was named as quarterback on Moray Eby’s All-Time team.

Throughout his career Ed Hines has maintained his interest in sports as an official in football and basketball, as well as an organizer of sports teams. As a Senior Youth Counselor for the State of Wisconsin he coached delinquent boys and on retirement was the first to receive a merit award for dedicated service as a counselor to these young men.

Leigh H. Ladd LC '14
Leigh H. Ladd is the first man to be inducted into the Coe College Athletic Hall of Fame who has thrown a one-hit shutout against Coe in baseball; who was a football tackle and at the same time his team’s leading rusher; and a man who scored two touchdowns as his team defeated Coe 47-6. These unusual circumstances came about because the late Leigh Ladd was unquestionably the finest athlete ever to play for Leander Clark College of Toledo, Iowa, an institution that was merged with Coe College in 1919. At that time Leander Clark alumni became alumni of Coe. In the case of Leigh Ladd he was officially awarded the Coe “C” in a special resolution by the Coe Athletic Board in 1941.

Leigh Ladd, Leander Clark Class of 1914, was an outstanding football, basketball, and baseball player at his institution. In football his regular position was tackle, but he led his team’s offense at halfback. Any time Clark needed yardage Ladd moved into the backfield and, even with the whole defense keyed against him, he was his team’s high scorer. He was named to the All-State team at tackle rather than halfback only because that’s the position where he started each game.

Leigh Ladd built an enviable career as coach, principal and superintendent at several Iowa high schools. For more than fifteen years he was associated with the State Juvenile Home in Toledo, Iowa, as business manager, basketball, baseball and track coach and for a number of years as superintendent. Mr. Ladd died in 1958. Leigh Ladd was able to wear both the “C” from Clark College and the “C” from Coe College with honor.

M.H. Wycoff '17
M. H. Wykoff, Class of 1917, came to Coe from Perry, Iowa, where he had been an All-State football captain. He lived up to all of his advance notices as the fullback on the 1914 Coe Point-a-Minute team. In 1915 his loyalty to Coach Moray Eby kept him at Coe, despite an enticing offer from a Big Ten university. That year, to his disappointment, Eby shifted him from fullback to tackle. In this new and unwanted position, Mr. Wykoff won both All-Conference and All-State honors and played so well that he was elected captain of the 1916 squad. During his years at Coe he was also a member of the track team.

After graduation from Coe, athletics became Mr. Wykoff’s lifetime career. He held a variety of high school positions as principal, teacher and coach, most notable of which was at Joliet, Illinois, then one of the country’s top high schools. There he coached football, basketball, track and swimming for 20 years. In his 30-year coaching career Mr. Wykoff has seen four of his athletes go on to win All-American honors. Throughout these years he has been a respected official in four sports.

A dedicated outdoorsman, M. H. Wykoff has been an avid hunter and fisherman, and for many years he and his wife raised and showed both field and show dogs throughout North and South America. He was one of the first importers of the German shorthaired pointer to the United States after World War One.

Douglas J. Hamilton '53
To many athletes the greatest prize they can receive is to be honored by their own teammates. Such was the case with Doug Hamilton who was named Most Valuable Player by his fellow members of the 1952 Midwest Conference championship football team. But that was only one of the accolades that came his way during his senior year at Coe College.

In recognition of his outstanding play on the gridiron he received honorable mention on the Associated Press Little All American roster and was also selected to the All Midwest Conference squad as an offensive tackle.

After completing his career at Coe, in which he won three letters in football, two in track, and one as a member of Coe’s first wrestling team, Doug Hamilton had a try-out with the New York Giants. When he was not kept on the Giants roster, he played a season with the professional team in Waterloo, Iowa.

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George R. Cilek '56
George R. Cilek, Class of 1956, was a football star in an era when Coe won two conference championships and just missed a third. A top-flight end, he was named to the Helms Foundation Little All-American team in his senior year, 1955. That same year he made the Associated Press Second Little All-American team, as the Kohawks were the undefeated Midwest Conference champions. In that championship year he led in passes received and in passing yardage. In his junior year he was named Most Valuable Player by his teammates.

Mr. Cilek also played baseball at Coe as a senior and won selection on the All-Tournament team, as Coe took the 1956 conference title. He served as president of the Clan of C, a tribute to the high esteem in which he was held by his fellow athletes.

Throughout his student career he was active in Air Force ROTC activities and he was commissioned in the Air Force on his graduation from Coe. He made the military his career and was a major in the U.S. Air Force.

Glenn A. Bailey '15
Glenn Bailey, Class of 1915, was a 10-letter man in four sports at Coe. So wide-ranging were his athletic exploits that in 1925 the Des Moines Register called him the most versatile athlete in Iowa’s history. His versatility was not limited to the athletic field as he was also a leading actor in Coe theatrical productions.

In football Mr. Bailey, nicknamed “Straw”, won All-State honors at end in one year and at halfback another year. He was the team’s dropkicker, punt returner and safety man. Considered the state’s best open field runner, he captained the 1914 Point-a-Minute team, and in one game that year he ran for 320 yards in only 6 plays. In basketball Straw Bailey was twice an All-State guard and he consistently outscored his forwards, a rarity in those days.

On the track Straw Bailey ran the 100-yard dash and the quarter mile. He ran legs of the mile and half-mile relays. Between races he was a broad jumper. In the 1915 state championship meet won by Coe Bailey won the 100-yard dash, the quarter mile and was a member of the record-setting mile and half-mile relay teams. He also lettered in baseball one year.