Al Kircher

{{short description|American baseball, basketball, and football player and coach}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Al Kircher

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1909|12|5}}

| birth_place = Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2004|11|1|1909|12|5}}

| death_place = Salem, Oregon, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1931–1933

| player_team1 = Michigan State

| player_positions = Quarterback (football),
Guard (basketball),
Outfielder (baseball)

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1939–1949

| coach_team2 = Michigan State (assistant)

| coach_years3 = 1950–1951

| coach_team3 = Washington State (backfield)

| coach_years4 = 1952–1955

| coach_team4 = Washington State

| coach_sport5 = Basketball

| coach_years6 = 1939–1949

| coach_team6 = Michigan State (assistant)

| coach_years7 = 1949–1950

| coach_team7 = Michigan State

| coach_sport8 = Baseball

| coach_years9 = 1940–1950

| coach_team9 = Michigan State (assistant)

| overall_record = 13–25–2 (football)
4–18 (basketball)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Alton S. Kircher (December 5, 1909 – November 1, 2004) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach.{{cite news |url=http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/utils/getfile/collection/evergreens/id/18772/filename/print/page/download |newspaper=WSC Daily Evergreen |last=Vautier |first=Mike |title=Life, times of Al Kircher |date=November 19, 1954 |page=4 |access-date=2014-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011010248/http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/utils/getfile/collection/evergreens/id/18772/filename/print/page/download |archive-date=2014-10-11 |url-status=dead}}

Early years

Born in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, Kircher grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Gladstone. He was a star athlete at Gladstone High School and then attended Michigan State College in East Lansing,{{cite news |url=http://www.dailypress.net/page/content.detail/id/543562/Gladstone-High-School-announces-2013-Athletic-Hall-of-Fame-Class.html?nav=5007 |newspaper=Daily Press |location=Escanaba, Michigan |title=Gladstone High School announces 2013 Athletic Hall of Fame class |date=August 20, 2013 |access-date=October 7, 2014}} where he earned nine letters in football, basketball, and baseball for the Spartans.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lOVXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QvYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6939%2C4696342 |newspaper=Seattle Daily Chronicle |title=Al Kircher accepts Washington State football post |date=January 15, 1952 |page=13}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G2gRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4416%2C251389 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Boni |first=Bill |title=When Kircher scored all the points |date=August 2, 1960 |page=2}} Kircher was the quarterback on the football team and the captain of the basketball team.{{cite web |url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/201314MBBmediaguide.pdf |publisher=Michigan State University Athletics |title=Basketball: media guide |date=2014 |page=152 |access-date=October 7, 2014 |archive-date=November 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131118170007/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/201314MBBmediaguide.pdf |url-status=dead }} An outfielder in baseball, he had a batting average of .430 (37 for 86) in 1933.{{cite web |url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/2014recordbook-16-21.pdf |publisher=Michigan State University Athletics |title=Baseball: record book |date=2014 |page=17 |access-date=October 7, 2014 |archive-date=February 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213190712/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-basebl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/2014recordbook-16-21.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Coaching career

Kircher began his coaching career in Michigan at Trout Creek High School in 1935 as the basketball coach, and won two state titles (class D), in 1935 and 1937.{{cite news |url=http://www.mhsaa.com/sports/boysbasketball/yearlychampions.aspx |publisher=Michigan High School Athletic Association |title=Boys Basketball Champions 1925-2014 |access-date=October 7, 2014 |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626175750/http://www.mhsaa.com/sports/boysbasketball/yearlychampions.aspx |url-status=dead }}[http://www.upshf.com Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame] Kircher moved to Marquette in 1937 and coached at Marquette High School (Graveraet).

Kircher returned to his alma mater, Michigan State, as an assistant coach in three sports from 1939 to 1950, and was head basketball coach for 1949–50 season.{{cite web |title=Former Cougar Grid Coach Kircher Passes Away |publisher=Washington State University Athletics |date=December 8, 2004 |url=http://wsucougars.cstv.com/genrel/120804aaa.html |access-date=April 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130120044205/http://wsucougars.cstv.com/genrel/120804aaa.html |archive-date=2013-01-20 |url-status=dead}} During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and was wounded during the Normandy invasion, earning a Purple Heart. He was later awarded a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars.

When fellow Spartan assistant Forest Evashevski was hired as the head football coach at Washington State College of the Pacific Coast Conference in 1950,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r3tWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=o-UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6646%2C5897674 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=It's official! Washington State names Evashevski to head grid job |date=January 31, 1950 |page=15}} Kircher followed him west and joined his staff in Pullman as backfield coach. In Evashevski's second season in 1951, the Cougars were 7–3, their best record since 1932. Evashevski left for Iowa of the Big Ten Conference in January 1952 and Kircher planned to go east with him,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=keVXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QvYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5032%2C3839716 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |title=Evy to receive $15,000 at Iowa |date=January 11, 1952 |page=8}} but was promoted and stayed on the Palouse as the 20th head coach of the Cougar football program.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=McReAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zjEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1877%2C1124947 |newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Kircher accepts head football position at Washington State on 5-year basis |date=January 16, 1952 |page=8}}

Kircher's Cougars were 4–6 in each of his first three seasons, but fell to 1–7–2 in 1955 and he was fired days after the final game, a loss to rival Washington.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=siBYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sPYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7083%2C3860256 |newspaper=Seattle Daily Chronicle |title=WSC may revise policy on gridiron contracts |date=November 22, 1955 |page=19}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RXIpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=918%2C4298469 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Boni |first=Bill |title=WSC opens coach hunt |date=November 23, 1955 |page=15}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6_FVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d-IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6711%2C4281011 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |title=Cougars fire Kircher after miserable year |date=November 22, 1955 |page=3B}}[http://sports.miamiherald.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=miami2&page=cfoot/teams/direct628.htm Miami Herald] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714082553/http://sports.miamiherald.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=miami2&page=cfoot%2Fteams%2Fdirect628.htm |date=2011-07-14 }} Washington State University all-time football records His overall record for four seasons was 13–25–2.[http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/pac10/washington_state/coaching_records.php Washington State Cougars coaching records] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115190601/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/pac10/washington_state/coaching_records.php |date=2014-11-15 }}

After coaching

Kircher was relieved of his head coaching duties in November 1955 with a year remaining on his five-year contract, at $12,500 per year. He opted to stay in Pullman and acquired a motel-restaurant, the Hilltop Lodge, in early 1956.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SQNYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q_YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1127%2C4657570 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |title=Kircher to run Pullman motel |date=January 26, 1956 |page=17}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iJpSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AxAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5030%2C1833808 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |title=Kircher has more at 'steak' now |date=March 13, 1956 |page=4, part 2}} He and his family operated it for nearly two decades, then moved to Las Vegas and later to Salem, Oregon.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=ncf&id=1941882 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |title=Former Washington State coach Al Kircher dies |date=December 8, 2004 |access-date=October 6, 2014}}{{cite news |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/cougars/2002112485_coug08.html |newspaper=Seattle Times |last=Smith |first=Craig |title=Notebook: Former WSU coach Kircher, 95, dies |date=December 8, 2004 |access-date=October 6, 2014}}

Death

Kircher died in 2004 at a nursing home in Salem, at age 94.

Honors and awards

Kircher was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in Michigan in 1985. He was added to the Gladstone High School hall of fame in 2013.