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Howard Yerges Sr.

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Howard Yerges Sr.
Personal information
Born:(1896-01-28)January 28, 1896
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Died:June 30, 1947(1947-06-30) (aged 51)
Point Pleasant, West Virginia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:155 lb (70 kg)
Career information
College:Ohio State (1914–1917)
Position:Quarterback, halfback
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games played:1
Games started:1

Howard Frederick Yerges Sr. (January 28, 1896 – June 30, 1947) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball.

Yerges was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1896. He attended North High School in Columbus and then enrolled at Ohio State University.[1] He was the quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes football teams from 1915 to 1917. Along with Chic Harley, he led the 1916 and 1917 Ohio State teams coached by John Wilce to consecutive undefeated seasons and Western / Big Ten Conference championships. Yerges' "good generalship" was credited with being "one of the biggest factors" in Ohio State's success in those years.[2]

Yerges was selected as a first-team player on the 1917 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[3] He also won the Western Conference medal in 1917 for his excellence in both athletics and academics.

Yerges served in the Navy during World War I.[4] After the war, he played professional football for the Dayton Triangles, appearing in nine games, including seven as a starter, at quarterback and halfback during the 1919 season.[1][5] With the formation of the American Professional Football Association (APFA)—now known as the National Football League (NFL), he joined the Columbus Panhandles in 1920, starting one game at halfback.[1] He also served as a strategist to the Ohio State football coaching staff in 1920.[6]

In 1921, Yerges was hired as a football and basketball coach at Rice Institute—now known as Rice University—in Houston.[7] In football, he was tasked to coach the backfield under head football coach Philip Arbuckle.[8] Yerges served as the head coach of the Rice Owls men's basketball team for the 1921–22 season, compiling a record of 2–12.[9] He returned to Ohio State in 1924 as an assistant football coach under Wilce.[10]

Yerges later worked in engineering and held a job with the Marietta Manufacturing Company. He died in June 1947 at age 51 at his home in Point Pleasant, West Virginia.[3]

Yerges' son, Howard Yerges Jr., was the starting quarterback for the undefeated 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team.[3]

Head Coach Record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Rice Owls (Southwest Conference) (1921–1922)
1921–22 Rice 2–12
Total: 2–12 (.143)

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Howard Yerges". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Final Games of Conference on Saturday". The Champaign Daily Gazette. November 22, 1917. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Howard F. Yerges". The Circleville Herald. July 1, 1947. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Ex-Buck Grid Star Is Dead". Dayton Daily News. July 1, 1947. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Yerges Will Pilot Angle Team Sunday". Dayton Daily News. October 10, 1919. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Yerges oins State Coaches as Strategist". The Dayton Herald. September 23, 1920. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Former Ohio Star To Coach In Texas". Grand Forks Herald. Grand Forks, North Dakota. April 22, 1921. p. 10. Retrieved November 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  8. ^ "Rice Signs Yerges And Hilty To Help Train Grid Squad". Austin American-Statesman. Austin, Texas. April 17, 1921. p. 8. Retrieved November 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  9. ^ "2022-23 Rice Men's Basketball Fact Book" (PDF). Rice University. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  10. ^ "Ohio State Signs Yerges, Seddon". Lima Republican-Gazette. Lima, Ohio. March 9, 1924. p. 10. Retrieved November 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
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