Adolph Samborski

{{Short description|American college athletics administrator (1904–1977)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Adolph Samborski

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1904|2|10}}

| birth_place = Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1977|12|8|1904|2|10}}

| death_place = York, Maine, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Basketball

| player_years1 = 1921–1925

| player_team1 = Harvard

| player_sport2 = Baseball

| player_years2 = 1922–1925

| player_team2 = Harvard

| player_sport3 = Football

| player_years3 = 1923

| player_team3 = Harvard

| player_positions = Guard (basketball)
Catcher (baseball)
Fullback (football)

| coach_sport1 = Baseball

| coach_years2 = 1934–1946

| coach_team2 = Harvard (JV)

| coach_years3 = 1947–1948

| coach_team3 = Harvard

| coach_sport4 = Basketball

| coach_years5 = 1925–1928

| coach_team5 = Harvard (freshmen)

| coach_years6 = 1933–1934

| coach_team6 = Harvard (freshmen)

| admin_years1 = 1927–1961

| admin_team1 = Harvard (dir. of intramural sports)

| admin_years2 = 1961–1963

| admin_team2 = Harvard (assistant AD)

| admin_years3 = 1963–1964

| admin_team3 = Harvard (associate AD)

| admin_years4 = 1964–1970

| admin_team4 = Harvard

| admin_years5 = 1971–1975

| admin_team5 = Yankee Conference (commissioner)

| overall_record =

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Adolph Walter Samborski (February 10, 1904 – December 8, 1977) was an American coach and administrator who served as athletic director and head baseball coach at Harvard University.

Athletic career

Samborski attended Harvard after graduating from Westfield High School. He was captain of the freshman basketball team and the starting catcher on the freshman baseball team. He became a starting guard on the varsity basketball team his sophomore season and became the team captain as a junior. He was the backup varsity catcher his sophomore before taking over the starting job his junior year. He was also a fullback on the 1923 Harvard Crimson football team.{{cite news |title=Samborski New Captain: Westfield Boy to Lead Basket Ball Team at Harvard During Winter of 1924-25 |work=The Boston Daily Globe |date=April 8, 1924}}

Coaching

Samborski graduated from Harvard College in 1925 and remained with the Crimson as freshman basketball coach while he earned master's degrees in education and European history.{{cite journal |title=Freshman Basketball |journal=Harvard Alumni Bulletin |date=November 1925 |volume=28 |issue=8 |page=233 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F_TOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA233 |access-date=21 May 2022}} He also coached the Crimson's junior varsity baseball team and was the varsity baseball coach in 1947 and 1948.{{cite news |title=Harvard Names Coaches for Football, Baseball |work=The Boston Daily Globe |date=January 30, 1934}}{{cite news |title=New Coaches at Harvard |work=The New York Times |date=October 21, 1946}} He gave up coaching in 1948 to focus on his job as director of intramural sports.{{cite news |title=M'Innis Harvard Coach |work=The New York Times |date=October 20, 1948}}

Administration

In 1927 Samborski presented Harvard with a plan for organized intramural sports. The plan was approved and he was named director of intramural sports.{{cite news |last1=Rosa |first1=Francis |title=Top Post for Samborski: Harvard Expected To Name Him Athletic Director |work=The Boston Globe |date=May 7, 1963}} In 1961, Samborski became Harvard's assistant athletic director.{{cite news |last1=Fenton |first1=John |title='Sam' the Man for Harvard Post: Samborski Is Ideal Choice as Athletic Department Aide Founded Successful Intramural Sports Program in 1927 |work=The New York Times |date=July 9, 1961}} In 1963 he was promoted to associate athletic director and took over as acting athletic director when Thomas Bolles retired on August 31, 1963.{{cite news |last1=Fowle |first1=Leonard |title=Samborski Gets 'H' Athletic Post |work=The Boston Globe |date=May 14, 1963}} On March 10, 1964, he was given the job permanently.{{cite news |title=Samborski Harvard's Official A.D. |work=The Boston Globe |date=March 11, 1964}} He retired in August 1970. From 1971 to 1975 he was the commissioner of the Yankee Conference.{{cite news |title=Samborski gets Yankee Conf. top sports post |work=The Boston Globe |date=February 27, 1971}}{{cite news |title=Samborski Retiring |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7esgAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA76&dq |access-date=20 January 2025 |work=The Day |date=May 19, 1975}} He died on December 8, 1977, in York, Maine after a long illness.{{cite news |title=Adolph W. Samborski |work=The New York Times |date=December 9, 1977}}