Chester Pittser
{{Short description|American sports coach (1893–1978)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Chester Pittser
| image = CPittser.png
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1893|7|29}}
| birth_place = Gunnison, Colorado, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1978|10|17|1893|7|29}}
| death_place = Chula Vista, California, U.S.
| alma_mater =
| coach_sport1 = Football
| coach_years2 = 1919
| coach_team2 = Golden HS (CO)
| coach_years3 = 1920–1921
| coach_team3 = Montana Mines
| coach_years4 = 1922–1923
| coach_team4 = Illinois (assistant)
| coach_years5 = 1924–1931
| coach_team5 = Miami (OH)
| coach_years6 = 1934–1942
| coach_team6 = Montclair State
| coach_sport7 = Basketball
| coach_years8 = 1920–1922
| coach_team8 = Montana Mines
| coach_years9 = 1934–1944
| coach_team9 = Montclair State
| coach_sport10 = Baseball
| coach_years11 = 1925–1931
| coach_team11 = Miami (OH)
| coach_years12 = 1935–1943
| coach_team12 = Montclair State
| overall_record = 82–45–5 (college football)
123–67 (college basketball)
129–67–2 (college baseball)
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record =
| championships = Football
1 OAC (1927)
| awards =
| coaching_records =
}}
File:Coach Chester M. Pittser in uniform 1925 (3191845437).jpg
Chester Matthias Pittser (July 29, 1893 – October 17, 1978) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach at the college level. He served as the head football coach at the Montana State School of Mines—now known as Montana Technological University—from 1920 to 1921, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, from 1924 to 1931, and at Montclair State Teachers College—now known as Montclair State University—from 1934 to 1942, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 82–45–5. Pittser was also the head basketball coach at Montclair State from 1934 to 1944, tallying a mark of 123–67, and the head baseball coach at Miami (1925–1931) and Montclair State (1935–1943), amassing a career college baseball record of 129–67–2.
Education and playing career
Pittser graduated from the University of Illinois in 1924 and received his master's degree from Columbia University in 1931. He was also an all-league fullback and pitcher at Colorado School of Mines. In addition to football and baseball, Pittser competed on the Colorado School of Mines basketball and track and field teams.{{cite web |title=MSC Honor For Pittser |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-montclair-times-msc-honor-for-pittse/159539001/ |publisher=The Montclair Times |access-date=22 November 2024 |page=26 |date=16 Jul 1970}}
Coaching career
=Miami=
Pittser served as football coach for Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, from 1924 through 1931 with a record of 41–25–2. Pittser came to Miami from Montana School of Mines where he coached football and basketball.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/whoswhoinamerica00unse|title=Who's Who in American Sports|publisher=Marquis|year=1928|access-date=August 16, 2018}} While at Miami, he mentored future Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches, Paul Brown and Weeb Ewbank.
Pittser's was the baseball coach during this same period he was football coach. During his tenure, the baseball teams captured three Buckeye Athletic Association (BAA) titles and shared two others in compiling a record of 77–21. He has the highest winning percentage (.786) of any Miami head coach. He was inducted into the Miami Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970.
=Montclair State=
After leaving Miami, he coached football, basketball, and baseball at Montclair State Teachers College in Montclair, New Jersey, from 1934 to 1944. In 1934, Pittser became the fourth head football coach in school history and had a career record of 41–20–3. His best year was his first when he led Montclair to a record of 5–1. For the season, Pittser's defense only allowed 12 points with the lone loss coming to Trenton State College, 6–0. Pittser also had a 52–46–2 record as a baseball coach and is a charter member of the Montclair State College Athletic Hall of Fame.
Death
Pittser died on October 17, 1978, in Chula Vista, California, at the age of 85.{{cite news |title=Chester Pittser |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dnYUAAAAIBAJ&pg=2274,2324543 |newspaper=The Blade |location=Toledo, Ohio |date=October 19, 1978 |page=38 |accessdate=September 16, 2010 |via=Google News }}
Head coaching record
=College football=
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Miami Redskins
| conf = Ohio Athletic Conference
| startyear = 1924
| endyear = 1925
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1924
| name = Miami
| overall = 2–6
| conference = 1–5
| confstanding = 7th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1925
| name = Miami
| overall = 5–3
| conference = 3–2
| confstanding = T–8th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Miami Redskins
| conf = Ohio Athletic Conference / Buckeye Athletic Association
| startyear = 1926
| endyear = 1927
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1926
| name = Miami
| overall = 5–2–1
| conference = 4–2–1 / 1–2–1
| confstanding = T–8th / 4th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1927
| name = Miami
| overall = 8–1
| conference = 7–1 / 3–1
| confstanding = T–1st / 2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Miami Redskins
| conf = Buckeye Athletic Association
| startyear = 1928
| endyear = 1931
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1928
| name = Miami
| overall = 6–2
| conference = 3–2
| confstanding = 3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1929
| name = Miami
| overall = 7–2
| conference = 3–2
| confstanding = 3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1930
| name = Miami
| overall = 4–4–1
| conference = 1–3
| confstanding = 4th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1931
| name = Miami
| overall = 4–5
| conference = 1–4
| confstanding = 5th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Miami
| overall = 41–25–2
| confrecord = 23–21–1
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Montclair State Indians
| conf = Independent
| startyear = 1934
| endyear = 1942
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1934
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 5–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1935
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 5–1–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1936
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 4–3
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1937
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 5–2–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1938
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 4–2–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1939
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 5–2
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1940
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 6–3
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1941
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 5–4
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1942
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 2–2
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Montclair State
| overall = 41–20–3
| confrecord =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 82–45–5
| bowls = no
| poll = no
| polltype =
| legend = no
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{navboxes|list=
{{Montana Tech Orediggers football coach navbox}}
{{Miami RedHawks football coach navbox}}
{{Miami RedHawks baseball coach navbox}}
{{Montclair State Red Hawks football coach navbox}}
{{1923 Illinois Fighting Illini football navbox}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pittser, Chester}}
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:American football fullbacks
Category:Forwards (basketball)
Category:Colorado Mines Orediggers baseball players
Category:Colorado Mines Orediggers men's basketball players
Category:Colorado Mines Orediggers football players
Category:Montana Tech Orediggers football coaches
Category:Montana Tech Orediggers men's basketball coaches
Category:Miami RedHawks baseball coaches
Category:Miami RedHawks football coaches
Category:Montclair State Red Hawks baseball coaches
Category:Montclair State Red Hawks football coaches
Category:Montclair State Red Hawks men's basketball coaches
Category:Colorado Mines Orediggers men's track and field athletes
Category:High school football coaches in Colorado
Category:Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni
Category:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
Category:People from Gunnison, Colorado
Category:Coaches of American football from Colorado
Category:Players of American football from Colorado
Category:Baseball players from Colorado
Category:Basketball coaches from Colorado