Frank G. McCormick (November 5, 1894 – March 24, 1976) was an American football player and coach. He was the first South Dakotan to play professional football. He played from 1920 to 1921 with the Akron Pros and the Cincinnati Celts of the American Professional Football Association (AFCA)—the league changed its name to the National Football League (NFL) in 1922.[1] Originally a guard, Frank was made a wingback by the Pros.[2] He won an AFPA championship with Akron in 1920.[citation needed]
Before playing professional football, McCormick played college football at the University of South Dakota. He played with the Coyotes from 1912 until 1916. In 1973, McCormick was inducted into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame.[3]
McCormick served as the head football coach at Columbus College in Chamberlain, South Dakota from 1922 to 1924.[4] In 1930, he was hired as the backfield coach at the University of Minnesota.[5] At Minnesota, he was also head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball team from 1931 to 1941 and the school's athletic director for two stints, from 1932 to 1941 and 1945 to 1950.
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Mariners (South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference) (1922–1924) | |||||||||
| 1922 | Columbus | 2–5 | 1–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1923 | Columbus | 5–1 | 5–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1924 | Columbus | 6–2 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| Columbus: | 13–8 | 12–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 13–8 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- ^ "South Dakota Has Significant Presence in the Pros". University of South Dakota. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ Carroll, Bob (1982). "Akron Pros 1920" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 4 (12). Professional Football Researchers Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 11, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ "Frank McCormick (1973) - Coyote Sports Hall of Fame".
- ^ "M'Cormick Here For Columbus". The Daily Argus-Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. June 1, 1922. p. 9. Retrieved April 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Frank McCormick Comes To 'U' Staff With Enviable Record". The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. August 31, 1930. p. 2, sports section. Retrieved April 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Frank McCormick at Find a Grave
