Wes Fesler

Wes Fesler

Fesler from The Owl, 1947
Sport(s) Football, basketball, baseball
Biographical details
Born (1908-06-29)June 29, 1908
Youngstown, Ohio
Died July 30, 1989(1989-07-30) (aged 81)
Laguna Hills, California
Playing career
Football
1928–1930 Ohio State
Position(s) End (football)
Guard (basketball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1931–1932 Ohio State (assistant)
1933–1940 Harvard (assistant)
1941–1942 Wesleyan
1945 Princeton (assistant)
1946 Pittsburgh
1947–1950 Ohio State
1951–1953 Minnesota
Basketball
1933–1941 Harvard
1945–1946 Princeton
Head coaching record
Overall 41–40–8 (football)
67–108 (basketball)
Bowls 1–0

Statistics

Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 Big Ten (1949)
Awards
All-American, 1928
All-American, 1929
All-American, 1930
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1954 (profile)

Wesley Eugene "Wes" Fesler (June 29, 1908 – July 30, 1989) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach of football and basketball. He was a three-sport athlete at Ohio State University and a consensus first-team selection to the College Football All-America Team three straight years (1928–1930). Fesler was later the head football coach at Wesleyan University (1941–1942), the University of Pittsburgh (1946), Ohio State (1947–1950), and the University of Minnesota (1951–1953), compiling a career record of 41–40–8. He was also the head basketball coach at Harvard University (1933–1941) and Princeton University (1945–1946), tallying a mark of 67–108. Fesler was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1954.

Playing career

Fesler came to Ohio State from Youngstown, Ohio. At Ohio State, Fesler was a member of both Pi Kappa Alpha and Phi Beta Kappa, earning a total of nine varsity letters in baseball, basketball, and football. He was a charter inductee in the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1977.

Football

Many believe Fesler's greatest talents were in football. He primarily played end and was a consensus first-team All-America selection in 1928 and 1929 and a unanimous first-team All-America selection in 1930. Depending on the game situation, he would sometimes move into the backfield as a fullback. In 1930, he was voted the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten.

Jock Sutherland, the University of Pittsburgh coach, called Fesler "a one man team. It is unbelievable how that boy can do so many things." In 1939 Grantland Rice listed Fesler at end on his all-time college football team. Fesler was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

In 1934, high-speed photographer "Doc" Edgerton took the now-classic photograph "Wes Fesler Kicking a Football." The stroboscope photograph demonstrated the dent in the ball at the point of contact.

Basketball

In basketball Fesler was a guard. He was the basketball captain as a junior in the Spring of 1930, and the football captain as a senior in the Autumn of that year. He was Ohio State's first consensus first-team All-America selection in basketball in 1931.

Coaching career

Fesler ignored interest from teams of the National Football League and instead pursued a career in coaching. He began his coaching career as an assistant to his Ohio State football coach, Sam Willaman, in 1931 and 1932. In 1933, Fesler accepted an offer from Harvard University as head coach of the basketball team and backfield coach of the football team. He stayed at Harvard until 1941. His stint at Harvard turned out to be the longest tenure of his career.

In 1941, Fesler accepted an offer from Wesleyan University to be the head coach of their football team. Unfortunately, the Wesleyan football program was interrupted in after the 1942 season by World War II. In 1945, Fesler accepted an offer from Princeton as head basketball coach and assistant football coach. He was later the head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh (1946), Ohio State (1947–1950) and the University of Minnesota (1951–1953).

Fesler's 1949 Ohio State team was the Big Ten Conference co-champion and beat California in the Rose Bowl. Fesler developed the talents of 1950 Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz at Ohio State and two-time Big Ten MVP Paul Giel at Minnesota.

Fesler had a stronger record as a football coach than as a basketball coach. His combined record as a major college football head coach, at Pitt, Ohio State, and Minnesota, was 34–31–8. His combined record as basketball head coach at Harvard and Princeton was 67–108.

Head coaching record

Football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Wesleyan Cardinals (Little Three) (1941–1942)
1941 Wesleyan 4–4
1942 Wesleyan 3–5
Wesleyan: 7–9
Pittsburgh Panthers (NCAA University Division independent) (1946)
1946 Pittsburgh 3–5–1
Pittsburgh: 3–5–1
Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Conference) (1947–1950)
1947 Ohio State 2–6–1 1–4–1 9th
1948 Ohio State 6–3 3–3 4th
1949 Ohio State 7–1–2 4–1–1 T–1st W Rose 6
1950 Ohio State 6–3 5–2 T–2nd 10 14
Ohio State: 21–13–3 13–10–2
Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten Conference) (1951–1953)
1951 Minnesota 2–6–1 1–4–1 7th
1952 Minnesota 4–3–2 3–1–2 T–4th
1953 Minnesota 4–4–1 3–3–1 T–5th
Minnesota: 10–13–4 7–8–4
Total: 41–40–8
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title
#Rankings from final Coaches Poll.
°Rankings from final AP Poll.

References

    External links


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