Leo Calland

{{Short description|American football and basketball player and coach (1901–1984)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Leo Calland

| image = Leo Calland.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Calland, c. 1925

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1901|2|24}}

| birth_place = Ohio, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1984|3|17|1901|2|24}}

| death_place = La Jolla, California, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Football

| player_years2 = 1920–1922

| player_team2 = USC

| player_positions = Guard (football)

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1924

| coach_team2 = USC (assistant)

| coach_years3 = 1925–1926

| coach_team3 = Whittier

| coach_years4 = 1927–1928

| coach_team4 = USC (assistant)

| coach_years5 = 1929–1934

| coach_team5 = Idaho

| coach_years6 = 1935–1941

| coach_team6 = San Diego State

| coach_sport7 = Basketball

| coach_years8 = 1927–1929

| coach_team8 = USC

| coach_sport9 = Baseball

| coach_years10 = 1926

| coach_team10 = Whittier

| admin_years1 = 1929–1934

| admin_team1 = Idaho

| overall_record = 62–61–5 (football)
38–10 (basketball)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships = Football
2 SCC (1936–1937)
Basketball
1 PCC (1928)

| awards =

| coaching_records =

| module =

{{Infobox military person

| embed = yes

| allegiance = {{USA}}

| branch = {{flag|United States Navy}}

| rank = 15px Commander

| battles = World War II

| unit = Training

| serviceyears = 1942–1945

| resting_place =

| awards =

}}

}}

Leo Blakely Calland (February 24, 1901 – March 17, 1984) was an American college football and college basketball player and coach who later became a San Diego city parks administrator. He was the head football coach at Whittier College {{nowrap|(1925–1926),}} the University of Idaho {{nowrap|(1929–1934),}} and San Diego State College {{nowrap|(1935–1941),}} compiling a career college football head coaching record record of {{nowrap|62–61–5.}} For two seasons, Calland was also the head basketball coach at the University of Southern California (USC), his alma mater, tallying a mark of {{nowrap|38–10}} from 1927 to 1929.

Early years

Born in Ohio, the son of Cory Lee Calland and poet Annice Calland, Calland moved with his family as a child to western Washington, where he attended school in a log cabin on Lopez Island, in the San Juan Islands near the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where all of the other students were Native Americans. He was an outstanding athlete at Broadway High School in Seattle, where he played football under coach Gus Henderson.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qJtfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ljEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3092%2C54530 |newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho)|agency=Associated Press |title=Calland named to coach Idaho in Erb's stead |date=March 1, 1929|page=10}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZO0UAAAAIBAJ&sjid=keIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6157%2C354466|newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington)|title=Calland to head Idaho athletics |date=March 2, 1929 |page=14}}

Henderson became the head football coach at USC in Los Angeles in 1919, and Calland followed him south. He lettered as a guard for three seasons {{nowrap|(19201922)}} and as a senior was named both team captain and most inspirational player on USC's first Rose Bowl team. Calland was named player of the game in the Trojans' {{nowrap|14–3}} victory over Penn State on New Year's Day, the first bowl game in the current namesake stadium, and also lettered in basketball at USC.

Coaching career

After graduating from USC in 1923, Calland became an assistant coach there, leading the Trojan freshman squads in football, basketball, and baseball. He left in 1925 to lead nearby Whittier College for two seasons in multiple sports, then returned to USC as head basketball coach in 1927. Calland posted a {{nowrap|38–10}} record over two seasons, winning the Pacific Coast Conference title in his first year with a {{nowrap|{{winning percentage|22|4|record=y}}}} mark. His {{winning percentage|38|10}} career winning percentage remains the highest by a USC basketball coach. In these two seasons he was also an assistant football coach.

In February 1929, Calland was named head football coach and athletic director at the University of Idaho in Moscow, also {{nowrap|in the PCC.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ts5XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r_QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6380%2C412814 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|location=(Washington)|title=Calland undecided upon his assistant |date=March 2, 1929 |page=1, sec. 2 }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qZtfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ljEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4794%2C121443 |newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho)|agency=Associated Press |title=Calland will have charge of sports |date=March 2, 1929|page=10}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8K9fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zzIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1381,6549046 |newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho)|title=Coach Leo Calland resigns as director of athletics at University of Idaho |agency=Associated Press |date=December 16, 1934 |page=9}}{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/uidahodigital/docs/gem1933/200 |publisher=Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook |title=1932 football season |year=1933 |page=200}}}} {{nowrap|He compiled}} a {{nowrap|{{winning percentage|21|30|record=y}}}} record in six seasons on the Palouse, but his overmatched Vandals were just {{nowrap|{{winning percentage|5|25|record=y}}}} in conference play, defeating only Montana. He resigned after the 1934 {{nowrap|season,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xfFXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-_QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6613%2C3718431 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|location=(Washington)|agency=Associated Press |title=Leo Calland resigns as coach |date=December 15, 1934 |page=1}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xvFXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-_QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7097%2C4225558|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|location=(Washington)|title=Gonzaga coach looks at Idaho |date=December 17, 1934 |page=15}}}} then returned to southern California at San Diego State College, where he posted a {{nowrap|{{winning percentage|34|22|4|record=y}}}} record in seven seasons. His Aztecs won consecutive SCIAC championships (1936, 1937), with players including John D. Butler, a future mayor of {{nowrap|San Diego}} {{nowrap|(1951–1955).}}

Military career and later life

In his early forties, Calland entered the U.S. Navy during World War II, and served as a recreation officer at the 11th Naval District in San Diego. In 1945, he became director of San Diego's Department of Parks and Recreation; during his fifteen years in the post, he oversaw the development of Mission Bay Park and Torrey Pines Golf Course. Calland became managing director of the San Diego Hall of Champions in 1960 and remained in that position until retiring in 1977,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NFBPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yQIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3459%2C6881657 |newspaper=Toledo Blade |location=(Ohio)|agency=Associated Press |title=Deaths elsewhere: Leo Calland |date=March 21, 1984 |page=16 }} and was himself inducted into the Hall in 1974.

Death

Calland died at age 83 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in La Jolla. He was survived by his wife Sarah, two daughters and a son, and was buried in Fairhaven Cemetery in Santa Ana.

Head coaching record

=Football=

{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Whittier Poets

| conf = Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

| startyear = 1925

| endyear = 1926

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1925

| name = Whittier

| overall = 3–5

| conference = 2–2

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1926

| name = Whittier

| overall = 4–4–1

| conference = 4–2–1

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Whittier

| overall = 7–9–1

| confrecord = 6–4–1

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Idaho Vandals

| conf = Pacific Coast Conference

| startyear = 1929

| endyear = 1934

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1929

| name = Idaho

| overall = 4–5

| conference = 1–4

| confstanding = T–7th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1930

| name = Idaho

| overall = 4–7

| conference = 0–5

| confstanding = 10th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1931

| name = Idaho

| overall = 3–4

| conference = 1–4

| confstanding = 8th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1932

| name = Idaho

| overall = 3–5

| conference = 1–4

| confstanding = T–8th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1933

| name = Idaho

| overall = 4–4

| conference = 1–4

| confstanding = 9th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1934

| name = Idaho

| overall = 3–5

| conference = 1–4

| confstanding = 8th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Idaho

| overall = 21–30

| confrecord = 5–25

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = San Diego State Aztecs

| conf = Southern California Conference

| startyear = 1935

| endyear = 1938

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1935

| name = San Diego State

| overall = 3–4–1

| conference = 2–2–1

| confstanding = T–3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1936

| name = San Diego State

| overall = 6–1–1

| conference = 5–0

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1937

| name = San Diego State

| overall = 7–1

| conference = 4–1

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1938

| name = San Diego State

| overall = 5–2–1

| conference = 2–1–1

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = San Diego State Aztecs

| conf = California Collegiate Athletic Association

| startyear = 1939

| endyear = 1941

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1939

| name = San Diego State

| overall = 2–7

| conference = 0–2

| confstanding = 4th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1940

| name = San Diego State

| overall = 5–3–1

| conference = 1–1–1

| confstanding = T–2nd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1941

| name = San Diego State

| overall = 6–4

| conference = 0–3

| confstanding = 4th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = San Diego State

| overall = 34–22–4

| confrecord = 14–10–3

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 62–61–5

| bowls = no

| poll = no

| polltype =

}}

References

{{Reflist}}

=Additional sources=

  • Laurence, Robert P. "Leo Calland dies; grid star, coach." The San Diego Union, March 19, 1984, pp. B1-2.