Ernie Godfrey
 Godfrey, c. 1958 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 19, 1892 Dover, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | June 12, 1980 (aged 88) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1912–1914 | Ohio State |
| Position(s) | End, center |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1915 | Wooster HS (OH) |
| 1916 | Wittenberg |
| 1919–1928 | Wittenberg |
| 1929–1961 | Ohio State (assistant) |
| Basketball | |
| 1916–1917 | Wittenberg |
| 1918–1928 | Wittenberg |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 63–24–8 (college football) 95–65 (college basketball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 2 Buckeye (1927–1928) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1972 (profile) | |
Ernest R. Godfrey (April 19, 1892 – June 12, 1980) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. Godfrey was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1972.[1]
Godfrey was born in Dover, Ohio graduating from Dover High School in 1911.[2] Godfrey played college football at Ohio State from 1912 to 1914.
Godfrey served as head football coach at Wittenberg University for 11 seasons beginning in 1916, interrupted for the next two seasons due to World War I where he served at a 1st Lt in the U.S. Army, returning to coaching in 1919. Over his coaching tenure, Wittenberg achieved a 63–24–8 record, including two league titles in 1927 and 1928. Godfrey also coached the men's basketball team, earning a 95–65 record.
In 1929, he returned to his alma mater, Ohio State University, as an assistant football coach.[3][4] He served at Ohio State for 33 years under seven head coaches—Sam Willaman, Francis Schmidt, Paul Brown, Carroll Widdoes, Paul Bixler, Wes Fesler, and Woody Hayes. He was the line coach for 19 years, defensive backfield coach for four years, and freshman coach for ten years.[5]
Head coaching record
College football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wittenberg Tigers (Ohio Athletic Conference) (1916) | |||||||||
| 1916 | Wittenberg | 2–5–2 | 0–5–1 | 12th | |||||
| Wittenberg Tigers (Ohio Athletic Conference) (1919–1925) | |||||||||
| 1919 | Wittenberg | 6–0–2 | 3–0–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1920 | Wittenberg | 8–0 | 5–0 | 2nd | |||||
| 1921 | Wittenberg | 4–3–2 | 3–3–2 | T–9th | |||||
| 1922 | Wittenberg | 6–2–1 | 5–2–1 | 7th | |||||
| 1923 | Wittenberg | 7–1 | 5–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1924 | Wittenberg | 7–1 | 6–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1925 | Wittenberg | 3–5–1 | 3–5–1 | 15th | |||||
| Wittenberg Tigers (Ohio Athletic Conference) (1926–1927) | |||||||||
| 1926 | Wittenberg | 6–2 | 4–1 / 3–1 | 5th / 2nd | |||||
| 1927 | Wittenberg | 8–2 | 4–1 / 4–0 | 5th / 1st | |||||
| Wittenberg Tigers (Buckeye Athletic Association) (1928) | |||||||||
| 1928 | Wittenberg | 6–3 | 4–1 | T–1st | |||||
| Wittenberg: | 63–24–8 | ||||||||
| Total: | 63–24–8 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- ^ "Football Hall of Fame Selects Ernie Godfrey". The New York Times. March 19, 1972. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ "Dover High celebrates athletic Hall of Fame honorees". The Times Reporter. October 8, 2018.
- ^ Jablonski, David (August 9, 2017). "Wittenberg football: Top 7 players in Tigers history". Springfield News-Sun. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ Hartman, Marcus (June 3, 2019). "Ohio State football: Dayton prep products nominated for College Football Hall of Fame". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ Hunter, Bob (2012). Saint Woody: The History and Fanaticism of Ohio State Football. Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1-6123-4201-6.
External links
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- 1892 births
- 1980 deaths
- American football ends
- American football centers
- Ohio State Buckeyes football players
- Ohio State Buckeyes football coaches
- Wittenberg Tigers football coaches
- Wittenberg Tigers men's basketball coaches
- High school football coaches in Ohio
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Basketball coaches from Ohio
- People from Dover, Ohio
- College football coaches first appointed in the 1910s stubs