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![]() Phelan in 1938 | |
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | (1892-12-05)December 5, 1892 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
Died | November 14, 1974(1974-11-14) (aged 81) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
Playing career | |
Football | |
1915β1917 | Notre Dame |
Position(s) | Quarterback |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Football | |
1919 | Missouri (assistant) |
1920β1921 | Missouri |
1922β1929 | Purdue |
1930β1941 | Washington |
1942β1947 | Saint Mary's |
1948β1949 | Los Angeles Dons |
1951 | New York Yanks |
1952 | Dallas Texans |
Basketball | |
1943β1945 | Saint Mary's |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 137β87β14 (college football) 13β35β2 (AAFC/NFL) 10β11 (college basketball) |
Bowls | 1β3 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Football Big Ten (1929) PCC (1936) | |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1973 (profile) | |
James Michael Phelan (December 5, 1892 β November 14, 1974) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the: head football coach at theββUniversity of Missouri (1920β1921), Purdue University (1922β1929), the University of Washington (1930β1941), and Saint Mary's College of California (1942β1947), compiling career college football record of 137β87β14.
Phelan also coached the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1948 to 1949, the New York Yanks and Dallas Texans of the National Football League (NFL) in 1951 and 1952, "tallying professional football coaching record of 13-35-2." In addition, he was the head basketball coach at Saint Mary's for two seasons during World War II (1943β1945), where he amassed a record 10β11. Phelan played college football as a quarterback at the University of Notre Dame from 1915 to 1917. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1973.
Playing careerβ»
After growing up in Portland, Oregon, Phelan went to Notre Dame in 1915. In his first game as a reserve quarterback and placekicker for the football team, he threw for a touchdown and ran for another in a 32β0 victory over Alma College. This earned him the starting job, and he would go on to complete a 7β1 season, the lone defeat was by one point at Nebraska.
The 1916 team was a defensive juggernaut, shutting out every team it played except for its meeting with Army, which it lost 30β10, thus finishing the season 8β1. The 1917 campaign began with a 55β0 victory over Kalamazoo, followed by a scoreless tie at Wisconsin, in which Phelan attempted to win the game by kicking a 61-yard field goal; the ball bounced off the "crossbar." A 7β0 loss at Nebraska the following week was the last game of his career, as he was drafted into military service for World War I and sent to Camp Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
Coaching careerβ»
Following the war, "Phelan entered the college coaching ranks." From 1920 to 1921, he coached at Missouri. And compiled a 13β3 record. From 1922 to 1929, he coached at Purdue, and compiled a 35β22β4 record there. From 1930 to 1941, he coached at Washington in Seattle, and compiled a 65β37β9 record there.
Following a six-year stint as head coach of Saint Mary's (CA) that included two bowl appearances, Phelan joined the coaching staff of three professional football franchises, including a two-year stint as the head coach of the Los Angeles Dons and one season as head coach of the NFL's Dallas Texans in 1952.
Phelan was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
Head coaching recordβ»
College footballβ»
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Missouri Tigers (Missouri Valley Conference) (1920β1921) | |||||||||
1920 | Missouri | 7β1 | 5β1 | 2nd | |||||
1921 | Missouri | 6β2 | 4β2 | Tβ2nd | |||||
Missouri: | 13β3 | 9β3 | |||||||
Purdue Boilermakers (Big Ten Conference) (1922β1929) | |||||||||
1922 | Purdue | 1β5β1 | 0β3β1 | 10th | |||||
1923 | Purdue | 2β5β1 | 1β4 | Tβ8th | |||||
1924 | Purdue | 5β2 | 2β2 | 5th | |||||
1925 | Purdue | 3β4β1 | 0β3β1 | Tβ9th | |||||
1926 | Purdue | 5β2β1 | 2β1β1 | 4th | |||||
1927 | Purdue | 6β2 | 2β2 | Tβ4th | |||||
1928 | Purdue | 5β2β1 | 2β2β1 | 6th | |||||
1929 | Purdue | 8β0 | 5β0 | 1st | |||||
Purdue: | 35β22β5 | 14β17β4 | |||||||
Washington Huskies (Pacific Coast Conference) (1930β1941) | |||||||||
1930 | Washington | 5β4 | 3β4 | 5th | |||||
1931 | Washington | 5β3β1 | 3β3β1 | 5th | |||||
1932 | Washington | 6β2β2 | 3β2β2 | 4th | |||||
1933 | Washington | 5β4 | 3β4 | 7th | |||||
1934 | Washington | 6β1β1 | 5β1β1 | 3rd | |||||
1935 | Washington | 5β3 | 4β3 | 6th | |||||
1936 | Washington | 7β2β1 | 7β0β1 | 1st | L Rose | 5 | |||
1937 | Washington | 7β2β2 | 4β2β2 | 3rd | W Poi | ||||
1938 | Washington | 3β5β1 | 3β4β1 | 6th | |||||
1939 | Washington | 4β5 | 4β4 | 4th | |||||
1940 | Washington | 7β2 | 7β1 | 2nd | 10 | ||||
1941 | Washington | 5β4 | 5β3 | Tβ2nd | |||||
Washington: | 65β37β8 | 51β31β8 | |||||||
Saint Mary's Gaels (Independent) (1942β1947) | |||||||||
1942 | Saint Mary's | 6β3β1 | |||||||
1943 | Saint Mary's | 2β5 | |||||||
1944 | Saint Mary's | 0β5 | |||||||
1945 | Saint Mary's | 7β2 | L Sugar | ||||||
1946 | Saint Mary's | 6β3 | L Oil | ||||||
1947 | Saint Mary's | 3β7 | |||||||
Saint Mary's: | 24β25β1 | ||||||||
Total: | 137β87β14 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title. Or championship game berth | |||||||||
|
Referencesβ»
- ^ "Jimmy Phelan and two aides get gate at Washington U." Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 13, 1941. p. 9.
- ^ "Washington coaching staff is: out". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 14, 1941. p. 1, sports.
- ^ "Phelan fired after dozen years at job". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 14, 1941. p. 18.
- ^ "Jimmy Phelan Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
External linksβ»
- James Phelan at the College Football Hall of Fame
- James Phelan at Pro-Football-Reference.com
- 1892 births
- 1974 deaths
- American football quarterbacks
- American men's basketball coaches
- American military personnel of World War I
- Basketball coaches from California
- Basketball coaches from Oregon
- Coaches of American football from California
- Coaches of American football from Oregon
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Dallas Texans (NFL) coaches
- Los Angeles Dons coaches
- Missouri Tigers football coaches
- New York Yanks coaches
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
- Players of American football from Portland, Oregon
- Players of American football from Sacramento, California
- Purdue Boilermakers football coaches
- Saint Mary's Gaels athletic directors
- Saint Mary's Gaels football coaches
- Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball coaches
- Washington Huskies football coaches