Alvin Peter "Pix" Pierson (1898 – 1974) was an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Fresno State College—now known as

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

—in 1945 and again in 1949, compiling a record of 7–14–2.

Early life

Pierson was born in 1898 in

Carthage, South Dakota Carthage is a city in Miner County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 127 at the 2020 census. History Carthage was platted in 1883. It was named after Carthage, New York. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, t ...

. He family moved to

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

in 1901 and later

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

and

Turlock Turlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Its estimated 2019 population of 73,631 made it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County after Modesto. History Founded on December 22, 1871, by prominent grain farmer Jo ...

. Pierson graduated from

Turlock High School Turlock High School (THS) is a comprehensive high school located in Turlock, in the heart of the northern San Joaquin Valley in the U.S. state of California. It is a 40+ acre campus, in the midst of a long established residential neighborhood, c ...

College

Pierson played tackle on the freshman squad for Pomona College in 1917. He suffered a severe concussion during a game against Pomona High School on October 13, 1917. Pierson played for coach Andy Smith's

California Golden Bears football The California Golden Bears football program represents the University of California, Berkeley in college football as a member of the Pac-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division I FBS level. The team plays its home games at Californi ...

"wonder teams" of the early 1920s. He then played for the

Nevada Wolfpack The Nevada Wolf Pack are the athletic teams that represent the University of Nevada, Reno. They are part of NCAA's Division I's Mountain West Conference. It was founded on October 24, 1896 with football as the Sagebrushers in Reno, Nevada. Hi ...

Coaching career

Florida

Pierson was an assistant for coaches Tom Sebring and

Charlie Bachman Charles William Bachman Jr. (December 1, 1892 – December 14, 1985) was an American college American football, football player and head coach. Bachman was an Illinois native and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, where he played colleg ...

for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, part of the staff on its 1928 team.

Tampa

Pierson assisted fellow former Florida assistant

Nash Higgins Alfred Nash Higgins (February 29, 1896 – October 29, 1984) was an American football and track and field coach as well as athletic director, the first in the history of the University of Tampa. He later worked as superintendent of recreation for t ...

when he became head coach of the

Tampa Spartans The Tampa Spartans are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tampa, located in Tampa, Florida, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Spartans compete as members of the Sunshine State Conference for all sports besides beach ...

Fresno State

Pierson was hired as head coach of

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

Head coaching record

References

External links

* 1898 births 1974 deaths American football guards American football tackles California Golden Bears football players Coaches of American football from California Colorado Mines Orediggers football coaches Florida Gators football coaches Fresno State Bulldogs football coaches Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball coaches Nevada Wolf Pack football players People from Miner County, South Dakota Sportspeople from Turlock, California Players of American football from Stanislaus County, California Players of American football from Sacramento, California Players of American football from Modesto, California Tampa Spartans football coaches {{1920s-collegefootball-coach-stub