George McLaren (American football)
{{Short description|American athlete and coach (1896–1967)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = George McLaren
| image = George McLaren.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1896|8|29}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1967|11|13|1896|8|29}}
| death_place = Towson, Maryland, U.S.
| alma_mater =
| player_sport1 = Football
| player_years2 = 1915–1918
| player_team2 = Pittsburgh
| player_positions = Fullback
| coach_sport1 = Football
| coach_years2 = 1919
| coach_team2 = Kansas State Normal
| coach_years3 = 1920–1921
| coach_team3 = Arkansas
| coach_years4 = 1922–1926
| coach_team4 = Cincinnati
| coach_years5 = 1927–1929
| coach_team5 = Wyoming
| coach_sport6 = Basketball
| coach_years7 = 1928–1930
| coach_team7 = Wyoming
| overall_record = 32–55–8 (football)
28–10 (basketball)
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record =
| championships =
| awards = Consensus All-American (1918)
First-team All-American (1917)
| coaching_records =
| CFBHOF_year = 1965
| CFBHOF_id = 1322
}}
George W. "Tank" McLaren (August 29, 1896 – November 13, 1967) was an American college football and college basketball player and coach. Playing at the University of Pittsburgh under legendary football coach Pop Warner, McLaren was an All-American in 1917 and 1918. During his playing career, he was never stopped for a loss on a running play. McLaren served as head football coach at Emporia State University, then known as Kansas State Normal College, (1919), the University of Arkansas (1920–1921), the University of Cincinnati (1922–1926), and the University of Wyoming (1927–1929), compiling a career college football head coaching record of 32–55–8. He also coached basketball at Wyoming for two seasons (1928–1930), tallying a mark of 28–10. McLaren was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1965.
Early life
McLaren grew up in Pittsburgh, where graduated from Peabody High School. He played football at Peabody and competed in several other sports including track, basketball, and swimming.{{Citation | title = GET McLAREN AS COACH.; Panthers' Great Full Back Engaged by Kansas State. | newspaper = New York Times Section: Sports | pages = 16 | date = May 2, 1919 | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B07EFDB1E3BEE3ABC4A53DFB3668382609EDE}}
University of Pittsburgh
McLaren attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he was considered one of the greatest all-around athletes that Pitt ever produced. In addition to being a football All-American, he was also a two-year member of the basketball and track teams.{{cite web | url = http://pittsburghpanthers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/052306aaa.html | title = Pitt Football's All-Time First Team All-Americans | publisher = University of Pittsburgh Athletic Department | access-date = 2008-07-20 | archive-date = 2007-11-01 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071101161650/http://pittsburghpanthers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/052306aaa.html | url-status = dead }} McLaren played four varsity seasons as fullback at Pittsburgh from 1915 to 1918. While playing for the Panthers he only lost one game while winning thirty decisions. He was a member of three national championship-winning teams under head coach Glenn "Pop" Warner. In 1916, the Panthers beat several national powers while not giving up a single point. During the next two seasons McLaren won All-America honors. In 1917 season, McLaren helped the Panthers to a 10–0 record. That season, he established single season school records when he scored 13 touchdowns and rushed for 782 yards including a then record 91-yard touchdown against Syracuse University.
Pitt's undefeated 1917 team was known as "The Fighting Dentists" because on occasion every position was filled by dental students.{{cite news | title = 50th Anniversary: Last Unbeaten Pitt Team, 1917 'Fighting Dentists', Will Be Honored Saturday | publisher = Daily Courier | date = 1967-11-02}} The dental students on the 1917 team included McLaren,{{cite news | title = PITT CRACK ATHLETES SECURE COACHING JOBS | work = Altoona Mirror | date = 1919-04-30}} (McLaren "graduates from the university dental school in June.") Katy Easterday,{{cite news | title = All-American Gridder: Former Wildcat Mentor Retires | publisher = LEADER.TIMES, KITTANNING, PA | date = 1959-07-06}} (Easterday graduated from Pitt in 1919 with a degree in dentistry.) Skip Gougler,{{cite news | title = 'SKIP' GOUGLER NEW COACH IS TRAINING BACKFIELD PLAYER | publisher = The Lafayette Weekly | date = 1921-10-05}} (Gougler completed his education in dentistry at Pitt in 1920.) "Jake" Stahl,{{cite news | title = Dr. Stahl was dentist in Hampton | work = North Hills News Record | date = 1966-10-12}} and Jock Sutherland.{{cite news | title = Jimmy Phelan to Fulfill Promise Of Coaching Job | work = Nevada State Journal | date = 1936-12-22}}
In 1918, his senior season, he served as Captain of the Panther football team and was also president of his senior class.{{cite web | url = {{College Football HoF/url|id=1322}} | title = Hall of Famers: George "Tank" McLaren | publisher = National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame | access-date = 2008-07-20}} He still ranks among the University of Pittsburgh all-time leaders in both scoring (183 points) and rushing (1,920 yards). One of McLaren's most noted achievements was that he was never stopped for a loss on a running play.
College coach
McLaren was a college football coach from 1919 to 1929. In 1919, McLaren was named as head football coach at Emporia State University, then known as Kansas State Normal College, in Emporia, Kansas. He got the position based on a recommendation by Pop Warner. He coached at Kansas State Normal for just the 1919 season, leading his team to a record of 1–5–2.{{cite web | url = http://www.emporia.edu/athletics/football/07ESUFBmediaguide.pdf | title = 2007 Emporia State University Hornets Football Media Guide | publisher = www.emporia.edu | access-date = 2008-05-22 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927062323/http://www.emporia.edu/athletics/football/07ESUFBmediaguide.pdf | archive-date = 2011-09-27 | url-status = dead }} He next served as the head football coach at the University of Arkansas, where he compiled an 8–5–3 record. As Arkansas head football coach McLaren personally was a very popular coach but was let go because number of wins did not meet expectations.{{cite book | last = Henry | first = Orville | title = The Razorbacks: A Story of Arkansas Football | publisher = University of Arkansas Press | year = 1996 | isbn = 1-55728-429-6 | page = 36}} From 1922 to 1926, he coached at the University of Cincinnati, where he compiled a 16–26–3 record. From 1927 to 1929, he coached at the University of Wyoming, where he compiled a 7–19 record. His overall record as a college football coach was 32–55–8.
After coaching
After his coaching career, McLaren worked in the industrial relations division of a company in Baltimore. He was inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame in 1965.
Head coaching record
=Football=
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Kansas State Normal Hornets
| conf = Independent
| startyear = 1919
| endyear = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1919
| name = Kansas State Normal
| overall = 1–5–2
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Kansas State Normal
| overall = 1–5–2
| confrecord =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Arkansas Razorbacks
| conf = Southwest Conference
| startyear = 1920
| endyear = 1921
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1920
| name = Arkansas
| overall = 3–2–2
| conference = 2–0–1
| confstanding = 2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1921
| name = Arkansas
| overall = 5–3–1
| conference = 2–1
| confstanding = 3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Arkansas
| overall = 8–5–3
| confrecord = 4–1–1
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Cincinnati Bearcats
| conf = Ohio Athletic Conference
| startyear = 1922
| endyear = 1925
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1922
| name = Cincinnati
| overall = 1–7–1
| conference = 1–3–1
| confstanding = 13th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1923
| name = Cincinnati
| overall = 6–3
| conference = 5–2
| confstanding = T–4th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1924
| name = Cincinnati
| overall = 2–6–1
| conference = 1–4
| confstanding = T–17th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1925
| name = Cincinnati
| overall = 4–5
| conference = 2–3
| confstanding = 14th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Cincinnati Bearcats
| conf = Ohio Athletic Conference / Buckeye Athletic Association
| startyear = 1926
| endyear = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1926
| name = Cincinnati
| overall = 3–5–1
| conference = 2–5–1 / 0–3–1
| confstanding = 16th / 6th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Cincinnati
| overall = 16–26–3
| confrecord = 11–17–2
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Wyoming Cowboys
| conf = Rocky Mountain Conference
| startyear = 1927
| endyear = 1929
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1927
| name = Wyoming
| overall = 4–5
| conference = 1–4
| confstanding = 10th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1928
| name = Wyoming
| overall = 2–7
| conference = 0–5
| confstanding = 11th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1929
| name = Wyoming
| overall = 1–7
| conference = 0–7
| confstanding = 12th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Wyoming
| overall = 7–19
| confrecord = 1–16
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 32–55–8
| bowls = no
| poll = no
| polltype =
| legend = no
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{College Football HoF|1322}}
{{Navboxes
|list =
{{Emporia State Hornets football coach navbox}}
{{Arkansas Razorbacks football coach navbox}}
{{Cincinnati Bearcats football coach navbox}}
{{Wyoming Cowboys football coach navbox}}
{{Wyoming Cowboys basketball coach navbox}}
{{1918 Pittsburgh Panthers football navbox}}
{{1918 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaren, George}}
Category:American football fullbacks
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches
Category:Cincinnati Bearcats football coaches
Category:Emporia State Hornets football coaches
Category:Pittsburgh Panthers football players
Category:Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players
Category:Pittsburgh Panthers men's track and field athletes
Category:Wyoming Cowboys basketball coaches
Category:Wyoming Cowboys football coaches
Category:All-American college football players
Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees
Category:Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania
Category:Players of American football from Pittsburgh
Category:Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania