John Godfrey (American football)
{{Short description|American football player and coach (1921–2008)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = John Godfrey
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1921|8|13}}
| birth_place = Port Angeles, Washington, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2008|9|14|1921|8|13}}
| death_place = Tualatin, Oregon, U.S.
| alma_mater =
| player_years1 = 1942
| player_team1 = Washington State
| player_years2 = 1946–1947
| player_team2 = Washington State
| player_positions = Guard
| coach_sport1 = Football
| coach_years2 = 1948–1949
| coach_team2 = Punahou (HI) (line)
| coach_years3 = 1950
| coach_team3 = Farrington HS (HI)
| coach_years4 = 1952–1953
| coach_team4 = Punahou (HI)
| coach_years5 = 1954–1955
| coach_team5 = Bellingham HS (WA)
| coach_years6 = 1957–1959
| coach_team6 = Whittier (assistant)
| coach_years7 = 1960–1979
| coach_team7 = Whittier
| coach_sport8 = Track
| coach_years9 = 1963
| coach_team9 = Whittier
| overall_record = 118–68–6 (college football)
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record = 0–1 (NAIA playoffs)
| championships = Football
9 SCIAC (1960–1964, 1967–1969, 1972)
| awards =
| coaching_records =
}}
John Henry "Tiger" Godfrey (August 13, 1921 – September 14, 2008) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Whittier College in Whittier, California from 1960 to 1979, compiling a record of 118–68–6.
A native of Tacoma, Washington, Godfrey played college football at the State College of Washington—now known as Washington State University—Was a guard. He first lettered in 1942 during Babe Hollingbery's final year as head coach of the Washington State Cougars. Godfrey served as an infantryman in the United States Army during World War II, in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Japan. He returned to Washington State after the war and played two more seasons for the Cougars under head coach Phil Sarboe. Godfrey was co-captain of the 1947 Washington State Cougars football team and played in the Hula Bowl in 1948.
Godfrey began his coaching career in 1948 as an assistant football coach at the Punahou School in Honolulu. After two years as line coach at Punahou under head coach Fritz Minuth, Godfrey was appointed head football coach at Honolulu's Farrington High School. Godfrey spent 1951 on active military service duty and resumed coaching in 1952 as head football coach at Punahou.{{cite news |author= |title=John Godfrey Plans To Use T and Single Wing |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64462902/honolulu-star-bulletin/ |newspaper=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |location=Honolulu, Hawaii |date=January 2, 1952 |page=17 |access-date=December 2, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} Godfrey returned to the Washington in 1954 as head football coach at Bellingham High School in Bellingham.{{cite news |author= |title=Godfrey Accepts New Grid Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64465202/the-honolulu-advertiser/ |newspaper=The Honolulu Advertiser |location=Honolulu, Hawaii |date=February 13, 1954 |page=8 |access-date=December 2, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} He moved on to Whittier in 1957 and served as an assistant football coach under Don Coryell for three seasons before succeeding him as head coach in 1960.{{cite news |author= |title=John Godfrey New Whittier Football Coach |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64462571/the-los-angeles-times/ |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles, California |date=February 3, 1960 |page=70 |access-date=December 2, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}
Godfrey died on September 14, 2008, in Tualatin, Oregon, from complications of Parkinson's disease.{{cite news |last=Sprague |first=Mike |title=Ex Whittier College football coach dies |url=https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2008/09/29/ex-whittier-college-football-coach-dies/ |newspaper=Pasadena Star-News |location=Pasadena, California |date=September 29, 2008 |access-date=December 2, 2020 }}
Head coaching record
=College football=
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Pomona/Whittier Poets
| conf = Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
| startyear = 1960
| endyear = 1979
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1960
| name = Whittier
| overall = 8–2
| conference = 4–1
| confstanding = T–1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1961
| name = Whittier
| overall = 9–1
| conference = 4–0
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname = NAIA Semifinal
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1962
| name = Whittier
| overall = 8–1
| conference = 3–0
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1963
| name = Whittier
| overall = 6–2–1
| conference = 2–1
| confstanding = T–1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1964
| name = Whittier
| overall = 9–1
| conference = 4–0
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1965
| name = Whittier
| overall = 4–5
| conference = 2–2
| confstanding = T–3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1966
| name = Whittier
| overall = 3–5–2
| conference = 3–1–1
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1967
| name = Whittier
| overall = 4–6
| conference = 4–1
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1968
| name = Whittier
| overall = 5–4
| conference = 4–1
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1969
| name = Whittier
| overall = 5–5
| conference = 4–0
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1970
| name = Whittier
| overall = 4–6
| conference = 2–2
| confstanding = T–3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1971
| name = Whittier
| overall = 5–4–1
| conference = 3–2
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1972
| name = Whittier
| overall = 7–2–1
| conference = 5–0
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1973
| name = Whittier
| overall = 6–3
| conference = 3–2
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1974
| name = Whittier
| overall = 7–2
| conference = 4–1
| confstanding = 2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1975
| name = Whittier
| overall = 3–6–1
| conference = 2–3
| confstanding = T–3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1976
| name = Whittier
| overall = 6–4
| conference = 2–3
| confstanding = T–4th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1977
| name = Whittier
| overall = 8–2
| conference = 4–1
| confstanding = 2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1978
| name = Whittier
| overall = 6–3
| conference = 3–2
| confstanding = 3rd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1979
| name = Whittier
| overall = 5–4
| conference = 3–2
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Whittier
| overall = 118–68–6
| confrecord = 65–25–1
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 118–68–6
| bowls = no
| poll = no
| polltype =
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Whittier Poets football coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey, John}}
Category:American football guards
Category:Washington State Cougars football players
Category:Whittier Poets athletic directors
Category:Whittier Poets football coaches
Category:College track and field coaches in California
Category:High school football coaches in Hawaii
Category:High school football coaches in Washington (state)
Category:Whittier College faculty
Category:United States Army personnel of World War II
Category:People from Port Angeles, Washington
Category:Coaches of American football from Washington (state)
Category:Players of American football from Tacoma, Washington
Category:Deaths from Parkinson's disease in the United States