Francis Schmidt

Playing career and education

Schmidt was born in Downs, Kansas, and played college football at the University of Nebraska. He earned a varsity letter with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1905 and received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law a few years later.

Coaching career

From 1915 through 1916, Schmidt joined the football coaching staff as an assistant at the University of Tulsa. World War I, however, interrupted Schmidt's coaching career. He served in the United States Army and rose to the rank of captain. Schmidt was hired as the Tulsa head football coach in 1919. In his first season, Tulsa finished with a record of 8–0–1 and outscored its opponents 592–27. Schmidt's record at Tulsa was 24–3–2 in three seasons. Schmidt had defeated Arkansas by a score of 63–7 in 1919, and the Razorbacks hired Schmidt away from Tulsa in 1922. In seven years at Arkansas (1922–1928), his record was 41–21–3. While at Arkansas, he was also the coach of the basketball and baseball teams; it was not uncommon during that time for coaches at major universities to coach more than one sport.

Schmidt's most memorable years, however, were at Texas Christian and Ohio State. In five years at TCU (1929–1933), he won two Southwest Conference championships and had a record of 47–6–5 (). In seven seasons at Ohio State (1934–1940), Schmidt won two Big Ten Conference titles and was 39–16–1 ().

Schmidt's most notable contribution to popular culture came in his first year at Ohio State. The Columbus press asked Schmidt about the team's chances of beating rival Michigan. Schmidt replied, "Those fellows put their pants on one leg at a time, the same as everyone else." This phrase had previously been a Texas regionalism, but because of the press attention given to Schmidt, it soon became an internationally known cliché. Ohio State beat Michigan the first four years Schmidt coached there. Since that time, any Ohio State player that defeats Michigan is awarded a "Gold Pants Charm", a gold lapel pin shaped like football pants.

Schmidt finished his football coaching career with a two-year stint at Idaho (1941–1942), then a member of the Pacific Coast Conference, with a 7–12 record. With male civilian enrollment extremely curtailed due to World War II, Idaho (and four of the five other northern division teams) discontinued football before the 1943 season.

Photography

Schmidt was an amateur photographer and recorded the Tulsa race massacre. Eleven of these photographs can be found in the Department of Special Collections, McFarlin Library, The University of Tulsa.

Death

While still living in Moscow, Schmidt's health began to fail in the spring of 1944. He spent his last three weeks at St. Luke's Hospital in Spokane, Washington, where he died on September 19 at age 58. He was buried in Kansas, at Riverview Cemetery in Arkansas City.

Head coaching record

Football

Men's basketball

Baseball

References

References

1. Blanchette, John. (August 12, 2006). "Coach was first Vandal to enter Hall of Fame". Spokesman-Review.
2. (March 17, 1941). "Francis Schmidt, formerly of Ohio State, is chosen head football coach at Idaho". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
3. (1942). "Vandal coaches". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
4. (1943). "Idaho athletics coaches". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
5. (September 24, 1943). "Idaho, Washington State, and O.S.C. withdraw from Northern Division football loop". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
6. "Schmidt Photographs Collection". McFarlin Library, The University of Tulsa.
7. (September 20, 1944). "Francis Schmidt dies in Spokane". Toledo Blade.
8. (September 20, 1944). "Coach Schmidt dead, Spokane". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
9. (September 20, 1944). "Coach Schmidt of Idaho dies". Spokesman-Review.
10. (September 20, 1944). "Schmidt dies". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
11. (September 20, 1944). "Death claims Francis Schmidt, ex-coach at the U. of Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
12. (September 21, 1944). "Texas recalls Francis Schmidt". Spokesman-Review.
13. Blanchette, John. (November 6, 2009). "Schmidt adds spice to UI's tale". Spokesman-Review.
14. "Francis Schmidt baseball". NCAA.org.