Earl Jay "Fuzz" Merritt (August 9, 1896 – July 7, 1986) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Pomona College in Claremont, California, from 1935 to 1958, compiling a record of 93–67–13. Merritt also coached basketball and baseball at Pomona.[1]
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 9, 1896 Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | July 7, 1986 (aged 89) La Verne, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1923–1924 | Pomona |
| Basketball | |
| c. 1924 | Pomona |
| Baseball | |
| c. 1924 | Pomona |
| Track | |
| c. 1924 | Pomona |
| Position(s) | Quarterback (football) Center fielder (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1925–1934 | Pomona (freshmen) |
| 1935–1958 | Pomona/Pomona-Claremont |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 93–67–13 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 6 SCC/SCIAC (1938, 1942, 1950, 1953–1955) | |
Early life and education
editMerritt attended Pomona, where he lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He played quarterback on the football team and as a center fielder on the baseball team. In track, he participated in the hammer throw, discus throw, and pole vault.[2]
Coaching career
editFollowing his graduation in 1925, Merritt joined Pomona's coaching staff. He coached the freshman football team for ten seasons before succeeding Eugene W. Nixon as head coach of the varsity football team in 1935.[3][4]
Death and legacy
editIn December 1960, Merrit was elected to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.[5] He died on July 7, 1986.[6] The football field of the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens was renamed Merritt Field in his honor in 1991.[7][8]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pomona Sagehens (Independent) (1935–1937) | |||||||||
| 1935 | Pomona | 5–2–1 | |||||||
| 1936 | Pomona | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1937 | Pomona | 6–2–1 | |||||||
| Pomona/Pomona-Claremont Sagehens (Southern California Conference / Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1938–1958) | |||||||||
| 1938 | Pomona | 6–0–1 | 4–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1939 | Pomona | 4–3–1 | 2–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1940 | Pomona | 4–4 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1941 | Pomona | 2–5 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1942 | Pomona | 3–3–1 | 2–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1943 | Pomona | 2–3–2 | |||||||
| 1944 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1945 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1946 | Pomona | 1–5–2 | 1–1–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1947 | Pomona | 3–3–1 | 1–2–1 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1948 | Pomona | 6–2 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1949 | Pomona | 6–2 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1950 | Pomona | 4–3–1 | 3–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1951 | Pomona | 1–7 | 1–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1952 | Pomona | 2–5 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1953 | Pomona-Claremont | 7–1 | 3–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1954 | Pomona-Claremont | 8–0 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1955 | Pomona-Claremont | 7–1 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1956 | Pomona-Claremont | 4–3–1 | 2–1–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1957 | Pomona-Claremont | 3–4 | 2–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1958 | Pomona | 3–5–1 | 1–3 | 4th | |||||
| Pomona / Pomona-Claremont: | 93–67–13 | ||||||||
| Total: | 93–67–13 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Mills Succeeds Merritt As Sagehen Grid Coach". Progress Bulletin. Pomona, California. April 13, 1959. p. 16. Retrieved December 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ ""Fuzz" Merritt Joins Sagehen Coaching Staff". Progress Bulletin. Pomona, California. May 20, 1925. p. 6. Retrieved December 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Merritt Shifted To Sagehen Varsity Gridiron Post". Progress Bulletin. Pomona, California. January 18, 1935. p. 14. Retrieved December 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Meet the Coach - Merritt, Sagehens". Los Angeles Times. September 18, 1955. p. 16. Retrieved August 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Merritt Joins Hall of Fame". The San Bernardino County Sun. December 10, 1960. p. 29. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ "Names In The News". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. July 11, 1986. p. 46. Retrieved December 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "1935". Pomona College Timeline. Pomona College. November 7, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Athletic History". Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
