Robert Lee "Jack" Boone (May 28, 1918 – February 6, 1984) was an American football player and coach; most notably he served as head coach for the college football team of East Carolina College (now East Carolina University) for ten years.
 Boone pictured in The Buccaneer 1956, ECU yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 28, 1918 Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 1984 (aged 65) Greenville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1938–1941 | Elon |
| 1942 | Cleveland Rams |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1948–1951 | East Carolina (assistant) |
| 1952–1961 | East Carolina |
| Baseball | |
| 1951–1953 | East Carolina |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 49–45–5 (football) 38–23–2 (baseball) |
| Bowls | 0–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 1 North State (1953) | |
Early years
editBoone was a native of Portsmouth, Virginia, and attended Elon College, where he played on the football team as a halfback from 1938 to 1941, and was co-captain in his senior year.[1][2] After his college career, he was signed by the Cleveland Rams in 1942,[3] and played in two games for them.[4] He later served in the US Navy during World War II.[5]
East Carolina
editBoone joined the coaching staff of East Carolina in September 1948, as assistant football coach.[6] He was the college baseball coach for three seasons. His teams posted a 38–23–2 record, for a .623 winning percentage. [7]
In 1952, Boone became head football coach for East Carolina,[8] the ninth in the program's history. That year, the Pirates saw their first action in the postseason when they played Clarion State College in the Lions Bowl, but lost 13–6. In 1953, the Pirates became the North State Conference champions and played in the Elks Bowl, where they lost 12–0 to Morris Harvey College. Boone was named the Coach of the Year in the North State Conference, after his team finished 8–2.[7] Boone's football coaching career lasted ten years, during which he compiled a 49–45–5 record. He was dismissed as head coach in November 1961.[9]
Later years
editBoone was inducted into the athletic hall of fame of Elon in 1972,[10] and of East Carolina in 1981.[7] He died in February 1984 at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, North Carolina.[5]
Head coaching record
editFootball
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Carolina Pirates (North State Conference / Carolinas Conference) (1952–1961) | |||||||||
| 1952 | East Carolina | 6–3–2 | 4–1–1 | T–2nd | L Lions | ||||
| 1953 | East Carolina | 8–2 | 6–0 | 1st | L Elks[11] | ||||
| 1954 | East Carolina | 5–4–1 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1955 | East Carolina | 4–5 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1956 | East Carolina | 2–6–1 | 2–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1957 | East Carolina | 1–8 | 0–5 | 7th | |||||
| 1958 | East Carolina | 6–4 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1959 | East Carolina | 5–6 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1960 | East Carolina | 7–3 | 4–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1961 | East Carolina | 5–4–1 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| East Carolina: | 49–45–5 | 33–23–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 49–45–5 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ Hayden, Wesley (October 22, 1938). "Elon Pastes Appalachian 7-6 In Thrilling Revenge Battle". The Daily Times-News. Burlington, North Carolina. Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Panthers Seek First Win Over Elon Since 1932; Game Set Here". High Point Enterprise. High Point, North Carolina. October 28, 1941. Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jack Boone Signs With Ram Eleven". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. AP. January 23, 1942. Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jack Boone, WB at NFL.com". NFL. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^ a b "Ex-Pirate coach Boonie Dies". Star-News. AP. February 9, 1984. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ^ "Dole Named ECTC Coach". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. AP. February 8, 1949. Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Jack Boone (1981) - ECU Athletics Hall of Fame".
- ^ "Jack Boone Named Grid Coach At East Carolina". Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. AP. April 20, 1952. Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "East Carolina Coach Jack Boone Dismissed In Surprising Move". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. AP. November 21, 1961. Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Robert L. "Jack" Boone (1972) - Hall of Fame".
- ^ "Harvey Triumphs In Elks Bowl Tilt". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York City. U.P. January 3, 1954. Retrieved March 29, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Pro Football Reference