William C. McCracken (April 11, 1864 – June 13, 1940) was an American college football coach and educator.[1] He served as the head football coach at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania from 1890 to 1896 and Northern State Normal School—now known as Northern Michigan University–in Marquette, Michigan in 1904, compiling a career coaching record of 19–19–1. McCracken chaired the chemistry department at Western Michigan University—in Kalamazoo, Michigan for many years and served as the school's acting president in 1922–23.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 11, 1864 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | June 13, 1940 (aged 75–76) Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1891–1892 | Geneva |
| 1894 | Geneva |
| Position(s) | Guard, tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1890–1896 | Geneva |
| 1904 | Northern State Normal (MI) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 19–19–1 |
Early life and education
editBorn in St. Louis, McCracken attended Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago.[2]
Coaching career
editGeneva
editMcCracken was the first head football coach at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, serving for seven seasons, from 1890 to 1896, and compiling a record of 17–18–1. He also played on Geneva's teams of 1891, 1892, and 1894.[3]
Northern Michigan
editAfter starting the program at Geneva, McCracken went to the newly-formed Normal School of Northern Michigan—now known as now Northern Michigan University—in Marquette, Michigan to teach chemistry and physics.[4][5] Records show that he was on staff at Normal as early as 1901.[6]
In 1904, he was asked to start the program there, making the second school where he was the first coach. His team produced a record of 2–1 in the inaugural 1904 season[7] and played their games at the County Fairgrounds.[8]
Education career
editIn 1907, McCracken took a position as head of the chemistry department at Western State Normal School—now known as Western Michigan University—in Kalamazoo, Michigan.[9] He remained at Western Michigan until his retirement in 1939, also serving as acting university president for the 1922–23 school year.[10] He was the first faculty advisor for the Western Herald student newspaper in 1916.[11]
Death and honors
editMcCracken died on June 13, 1940, at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, following a two-week-long illness.[12] In 1946, the school began plans for McCracken Hall to honor his legacy.[13]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva Covenanters (Independent) (1890–1896) | |||||||||
| 1890 | Geneva | 0–1 | |||||||
| 1891 | Geneva | 4–2 | |||||||
| 1892 | Geneva | 3–3 | |||||||
| 1893 | Geneva | 2–2–1 | |||||||
| 1894 | Geneva | 5–1 | |||||||
| 1895 | Geneva | 0–5 | |||||||
| 1896 | Geneva | 3–4 | |||||||
| Geneva: | 17–18–1 | ||||||||
| Northern State Normal (Independent) (1904) | |||||||||
| 1904 | Northern State Normal | 2–1 | |||||||
| Northern State Normal: | 2–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 19–19–1 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ Science "Scientific Notes And News" June 21, 1940
- ^ "Dr. W. McCracken, Retired Chemistry Instructor, Dies". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. June 14, 1940. p. 33. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Geneva Football Record Book" (PDF). Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania: Geneva College. 2021. pp. 10, 14. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ Michigan Teachers' Directory "Northern State Normal School Faculty" Published by Robert Smith & Co., 1899
- ^ The Decennial Publications of the University of Chicago Published by The University of Chicago Press, 1908
- ^ Biennial Report By State Board for Vocational Education, Michigan State Board of Education, 1903
- ^ Northern Michigan University Varsity Athletics Football-Coaching Records
- ^ Northern Horizons "100 YEARS OF WILDCAT" Fall 2004
- ^ New York Times "Obituaries-William McCracken" June 14, 1940
- ^ Western Michigan University Building Timeline ~ 1944-1953
- ^ Western Herald "Happy Anniversary, Western Herald" By Shawntai Brown, November 3, 2008
- ^ "Dr. William McCracken Expires In Kalamazoo; Funeral Set Saturday". The Herald-Press. St. Joseph, Michigan. Associated Press. June 14, 1940. p. 6. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Western Michigan 1946 Architectural Rendering of McCracken Hall
