Prex Merrill

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1884–1935)}}

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

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Prex Merrill

| image = PrexMerrill.png

| alt =

| caption = Merrill pictured in Monticola 1913, West Virginia University yearbook

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1884|1|15}}

| birth_place = De Kalb Junction, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1935|2|23|1884|1|15}}

| death_place = Elkins, West Virginia, U.S.

| alma_mater = Colgate University
West Virginia University
Yale University

| player_years1 = 1909

| player_team1 = West Virginia

| player_positions = Back

| coach_years1 = 1910

| coach_team1 = Broaddus

| overall_record = 1–3

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Austin Cook "Prex" Merrill (January 15, 1884 – February 23, 1935) was an American college football coach.http://mssa.library.yale.edu/obituary_record/1925_1952/1935-36.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609033334/http://mssa.library.yale.edu/obituary_record/1925_1952/1935-36.pdf |date=June 9, 2019 }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}} He was the head football coach at Alderson–Broaddus College in Philippi, West Virginia for one season, in 1910, compiling a record of 1–3.{{Cite web

|last=DeLassus

|first=David

|title=Broaddus College Coaching Records

|publisher=College Football Data Warehouse

|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/discontinued/b/broaddus/coaching_records.php

|accessdate=February 16, 2012

|archive-date=December 11, 2011

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211212715/http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/discontinued/b/broaddus/coaching_records.php

|url-status=dead

}} Merrill also coached at Bethany College in West Virginia. He later worked as a lawyer.{{Cite web|url=http://worldhistory.com/1953/11/22/charleston-gazette/page-51|title = World History Encyclopedia}}

Merrill attended West Virginia University, graduating in law in 1912 as well as Yale University, where he received his A.B.{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/monticola13west#page/n271/mode/2up/search/merrill|title = The Monticola|year = 1896|publisher = Chicago, A.L. Swift & Co}}{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/bethanian1912beth#page/116/mode/2up/search/merrill|title = Bethanian, 1912|year = 1912|publisher = Bethany College}} He was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi and Theta Nu Epsilon fraternities while at WVU.http://phikappapsi.archeios.com/files/2012/03/1914-15_vol-35_no-1-6.pdf{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

Merrill died of a heart attack due to coronary thrombosis in 1935.{{cite web| url = http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view2.aspx?FilmNumber=1953838&ImageNumber=2949| title = West Virginia Vital Research Records - Record Image}} At the time of his death, Merrill was serving as a Clerk for the U.S. District Court for Northern West Virginia."Austin C Merrill, U.S. Court Clerk, Is Dead, Charleston Gazette, February 23, 1935, Charleston, West Virginia