Alfonzo John Sturzenegger (August 22, 1888 – April 8, 1949), sometimes also referred to as Jack Sturzenegger, was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player and coach. He played college football and baseball at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. He later served as an assistant football coach at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(1920–1923),

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

(1924), and

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

(1925–1948). He was also the head coach of the

UCLA Bruins baseball The UCLA Bruins baseball team is the varsity college baseball team of the University of California, Los Angeles. Having started playing in 1920, the program is a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference. It plays its home games at Jackie ...

team from 1927 to 1931, in 1933, and again from 1943 to 1945.

Early years

He was born in

South Bend, Nebraska South Bend is a village in Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 92 at the 2020 census. The main landmark is a pedestrian bridge across the Platte River which leads to Schramm Park State Recreation Area. It was built in 2004 on ...

, in 1888 and attended high school in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. He attended the

and played halfback and fullback for the

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

and 1909 Nebraska Cornhuskers football teams. After graduating from Nebraska, Sturzenegger enrolled at Harvard Law School. He left Harvard to accept a coaching job at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served aboard the USS Neptune as an ensign in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. After being discharged from the Navy in 1919, Sturzenegger returned to South Bend to manage his father's store.

Michigan

In January 1920, he was hired as an assistant football coach under

Fielding H. Yost Fielding Harris Yost (; April 30, 1871 – August 20, 1946) was an American football player, coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at: Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska, the University ...

at the University of Michigan. He was an assistant coach at Michigan from 1920 to 1923. While at Michigan, Sturzenegger served as a scout and as assistant coach responsible for the halfbacks and ends. In October 1921, a University of Michigan publication wrote that Sturznegger's "flat helmet has been a familiar sight on

Ferry Field Ferry Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It opened in 1906 and was home to the Michigan Wolverines football team prior to the opening of Michigan Stadium in 1927. It had a capacity of 46,000. It is currently used as a ta ...

for several seasons. 'Sturz' hails from Nebraska and has an uncanny ability in imparting the fundamentals and tricks of the game to linemen and backs as well."

USC

In April 1924, Sturzenegger was hired by USC as an assistant football coach. He was a resident of Los Angeles at the time of his hiring. At the time, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported: "Coach Sturzenegger is regarded in the Middle West as the best 'scout' of football teams in the country and during his five years at Michigan was in no small degree responsible for the success of the Yost teams. He had charge of the ends and backs and was a particular success at teaching the manly art of blocking to the ends and backs. ... He is famous throughout the country for the manner in which he teaches, as he dons a football suit and personally blocks, tackles and runs with the ball, not to mention letting the boys try their stuff on him."

UCLA

In September 1925, Sturzenegger was hired by

as an assistant football coach under new head coach

William H. Spaulding William H. Spaulding (May 4, 1880 – October 12, 1966) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. Spaulding coached at UCLA from 1925 to 1938. He had a successful tenure, compiling a 72–51–8 () record. H ...

. At the time, ''Los Angeles Times'' columnist Bill Henry wrote that Spaulding had made "a fine move" in hiring "Sturzy." Henry continued: "The gentleman with the lengthy name has one of the finest of reputations in the Middle West as a developer of ends and backs and as a scout. He is a football 'nut.' He has a fine position, which he has held for a long time, with the trust department of a big local bank, but aside from his business he is chiefly interested in football. He goes to every game within reach and returns with every play of both teams accurately diagrammed. When he coaches he doesn't tell 'em he shows 'em. He puts on a uniform and gets out and rough-houses with the boys until they're glad to quit. Sturzenegger continued to serve as an assistant football coach at UCLA for more than 20 years. At the time of his death in 1949, the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote: "Once termed the greatest scout in the game, 'Sturzy', as he was known to everyone at Westwood, became famous for his blackboard chalk talks." In February 1927, Sturzenegger was also assigned the position as UCLA's head baseball coach. He had played baseball at Nebraska and coached it at Rennselaer Polytechnic. He remained the head coach of UCLA's baseball team from 1927 to 1931, in 1933, and again from 1943 to 1945. In October 1929, Sturzenegger added responsibilities as UCLA's assistant graduate manager. In November 1938, Sturzenegger fell gravely ill with pneumonia while traveling with the football team to play

Washington State College Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant univer ...

in Pullman, Washington. Eleven ounces of pneumonia serum were flown from Burbank, California, to

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, to meet the special train carrying Sturzenegger back to Los Angeles. He was hospitalized for several days at Hollywood Hospital after the team returned to Los Angeles and made a full recovery.

Death and family

Sturzenegger died in April 1949. He was survived by his wife Alice Calhoun Sturzenegger and daughters June Sturzengger Rhea and Joann Sturzenegger. After he died, students replaced UCLA's Victory Flag with a new one dedicated to "Sturzy."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sturzenegger, A. J. 1888 births 1949 deaths American football fullbacks American football halfbacks Michigan Wolverines football coaches Nebraska Cornhuskers football players RPI Engineers football coaches UCLA Bruins baseball coaches UCLA Bruins football coaches USC Trojans football coaches United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy officers People from Cass County, Nebraska Players of American football from Nebraska