Gus Zitrides
Biographical details
Born(1915-04-04)April 4, 1915
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedJanuary 27, 1987(1987-01-27) (aged 71)
Langhorne, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Playing career
1936–1938Dartmouth
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1939–1941Cornell (assistant)
1947–1949Brown (line)
1950Brown
Head coaching record
Overall1–8

Gregory George "Gus" Zitrides (April 4, 1915 – January 27, 1987) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Brown University for one season, in 1950, compiling a record of 1–8.[1] Zitrides also spent time as an assistant coach at Brown and Cornell University. He played as a guard at Dartmouth under Earl Blaik from 1936 to 1938.

Early life

Born to a family of Greek descent,[2] Zitrides attended Central High School in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he played high school football from 1932 to 1935.[3] Zitrides then attended Dartmouth College, where he played for the football team as a guard from 1936 to 1938 under head coach Earl Blaik.[4]

Coaching career and military service

Zitrides then served for three years as an assistant coach at Cornell University.[5] In 1942, Zitrides resigned his position to enter the United States Navy and earn a reserve commission through the V-5 program, which ran physical fitness programs around the country to train Navy pilots.[6]

After the War, Zitrides returned to his alma mater as a line coach in 1947 under head coach Rip Engle.[7] Before the 1950 season, Engle left to take over at Penn State, and he offered to bring along his assistants, Zitrides and Bill Doolittle.[8] Zitrides declined the offer because Brown University offered him the head coaching position.[8] Doolittle elected to remain at Brown as Zitrides's assistant.[8] Zitrides was relieved after recording only one win to eight losses in his first season.[9][10]

Later life

After his coaching career, Zitrides entered government service in 1951, in which he worked until his retirement in 1973.[3] He died in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, on January 27, 1987, at the age of 71.[11] Manchester Central High School inducted him into its hall of fame in 1996.[3]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Brown Bears (Independent) (1950)
1950 Brown 1–8
Brown: 1–8
Total:1–8

References

  1. ↑ All-Time Coaching Records, Brown University, retrieved June 20, 2010.
  2. ↑ In the Wake of the News, The Chicago Tribune, November 28, 1938.
  3. 1 2 3 CHS Hall of Fame Archived May 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Manchester Central High School, retrieved June 20, 2010.
  4. ↑ DARTMOUTH IS FAVORITE; Hanoverians Expected to Defeat Brown Eleven Today, The New York Times, October 16, 1937.
  5. ↑ Gus Zitrides Quits Coaching for Navy, The Hartford Courant, March 21, 1941.
  6. ↑ Navy Claims Sports Stars and Coaches, The St. Petersburg Times, April 14, 1942.
  7. ↑ Zitrides Appointed To Succeed Engle As Brown University Football Coach, The Hartford Courant, April 25, 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 Gene Collier, Joe Paterno, and Mike Bynum, The Paterno Legacy, p. 1951, Epic Sports, 1997, ISBN 0-9660788-0-2.
  9. ↑ Zitrides Is Probably Relieved, But Brown AC Mum, The Harvard Crimson, December 12, 1950.
  10. ↑ Brown Names Alva Kelley As Head Football Coach; Yale Line Mentor Succeeds Gus Zitrides, Whose Team Won Only One Game Out of Nine Last Fall; Assumes New Duties Monday New Brown Coach, The Hartford Courant, January 21, 1951.
  11. ↑ DEATHS HERE, The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 31, 1987.
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