Orville Pottenger

Pottenger served as the head football coach at his alma mater, Southwest Missouri State University now known as Missouri State University—in Springfield, Missouri, from 1961 to 1964, compiling a record of 24–12–1.{{sfn|FootBall Guide |2019|pp=68, 70, 71, 73, 76, 85}} Pottenger was a three-time letter-winner at Southwest Missouri State, from 1939 to 1941.{{sfn|"MSU Hall of Fame" ||pp=}} He was the head football coach at Lamar High School in Lamar, Missouri from 1952 to 1955 and Parkview High School in Springfield from 1956 to 1960.{{sfn|Sunday News and Leader ||pp=C1 (39)}}

Before that, beginning June 1949, Pottenger was an assistant football coach at Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas, under head coach Spot Collins (1922–1996). Pottenger and Collins were also members of the Marine Corps Reserve unit, Company A (a rifle company), 15th Infantry Battalion, of Austin. Company A was mobilized July 27, 1950, after the outbreak of the Korean War. The company was composed of about 160 men, half of whom had served in World War II. Company A also included Lieutenant John Hargis (1920–1986), a basketball star of the University of Texas.{{sfn|Austin Statesman, July 25,|1950|p=1}} Pottenger served in the Marines during World War II and the Korean War.{{sfn|Springfield Daily News, April 10,|1978|pp=1–2}}

In 1954, Pottenger earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Texas at Austin.{{sfn|Pottenger (master's thesis)||p=}}

In 1968, while serving as director of athletics for the Springfield Public School system, Col. Pottenger relieved Col. Lang Rogers (né Harrison Lang Rogers; 1919–2002) of Joplin as Commanding Officer of the Marine Corps Volunteer Training Unit 9-15. Col. Rogers was also editor and publisher of The Joplin Globe and News Herald.{{sfn|Springfield Leader and Press, June 6, |1968|p=56, col. 5 (bottom)}}

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

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Southwest Missouri State Bears

| conf = Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Association

| startyear = 1961

| endyear = 1964

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1961

| name = Southwest Missouri State

| overall = 4–4–1

| conference = 2–3

| confstanding = T–4th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1962

| name = Southwest Missouri State

| overall = 5–3–1

| conference = 3–2

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1963

| name = Southwest Missouri State

| overall = 9–1

| conference = 5–0

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname = Mineral Water

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1964

| name = Southwest Missouri State

| overall = 6–4

| conference = 3–2

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Southwest Missouri State

| overall = 24–12–1

| confrecord = 13–7

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 24–12–1

| bowls = no

| poll = no

| polltype =

}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|"MSU Hall of Fame" |p=}} |url=https://missouristatebears.com/hof.aspx?hof=146|title=MSU Athletics Hall of Fame: Orville Pottenger|publisher=Missouri State Bears|access-date=January 2, 2020}}

• {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Springfield Leader and Press, June 6, |1968|p=56, col. 5 (bottom)}} |date=June 6, 1968 |title=Pottenger Heads Marine Reserves |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/302297395/ |work=Springfield Leader and Press |volume=36 |issue=19 |location=Springfield, Missouri |access-date=October 16, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}}
• {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Sunday News and Leader |pp=C1 (39)}} |last1= |date=December 18, 1960 |title=Pottenger New SMS Coach |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41671104/springfield_leader_and_press/ |work=Sunday News and Leader |volume=33 |issue=22 |location=Springfield, Missouri |access-date=January 4, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}
• {{cite thesis |ref={{SfnRef|Pottenger (master's thesis)|p=}} |last=Pottenger |first=William Orville |date=1954 |title=Professional Preparation and Work Load of Coaches in Missouri High Schools Not Participating in Interscholastic Football |type=thesis – M.Ed. |publisher=University of Texas |location=Austin |oclc=39156516 |postscript={{space|1}}(includes vitae) }} – {{smallcaps|132 Pages; Incl. 55 Leaves of Illustrations}}

• {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Austin Statesman, July 25,|1950|p=1}} |date=July 25, 1950 |title=Spot Collins, Les Procter Ordered to Marine Duty |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/357870674/ |work=Austin Statesman |volume=79 |issue=365 |edition=City |location=Austin |publisher=American Publishing Company |access-date=October 16, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}}

• {{cite web |ref={{SfnRef|FootBall Guide |2019|pp=68, 70, 71, 73, 76, 85}}|url=https://missouristatebears.com/documents/2019/8/22/2019_MEDIA_GUIDE_V1.pdf|title=2019 Media Guide|year=2019|publisher=Missouri State Bears|access-date=January 2, 2020}}

• {{cite news |ref={{SfnRef|Springfield Daily News, April 10,|1978|pp=1–2}} |date=April 10, 1978 |title=W. Pottenger Dies in Texas Hospital |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/311124197 |work=Springfield Daily News |volume=88 |issue=71 |location=Springfield, Missouri |access-date=October 16, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}}

{{ref end}}

• {{Find a Grave|3279851}}

{{Missouri State Bears football coach navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pottenger, Orville}}

Category:1921 births

Category:1978 deaths

Category:American football centers

Category:Missouri State Bears football coaches

Category:Missouri State Bears football players

Category:High school football coaches in Missouri

Category:Missouri State University alumni

Category:University of Texas at Austin alumni

Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II

Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War