David George Puddington (July 9, 1928 – October 18, 2023) was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Washington University in St. Louis from 1962 to 1967 and at Kent State University from 1968 to 1970, compiling a career

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 ...

coaching record of 45–37–3. Puddington was a native of

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

. He played football and basketball at

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

. After serving in the United States Navy, Puddington began his coaching career as an assistant to Jack Fouts at Fairmont High School in

Kettering, Ohio Kettering is a city in Montgomery county in the U.S. state of Ohio. Almost entirely in Montgomery County, it is an inner suburb of Dayton, Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 57,862 (down slightly from 58,453 in 2010), maki ...

. He was appointed head football coach there in 1958 and led his team to a 9–0 record and a seventh-place ranking among high schools in the state that season. In 1959, Puddington moved to Kent State, where he served as backfield coach under

Trevor J. Rees Trevor J. Rees (October 22, 1913 – January 2, 1999) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. Rees was born on October 22, 1913, in Dover, Ohio. He attended Dover High School (Dover, Ohio), Dover High School, ...

for three seasons. Puddington resigned as head coach at Kent State following the 1970 season, noting "the prevailing contagious negativism on campus and in the community". Four students had been killed that May in the Kent State shootings. Puddington returned to coaching for one season in 1977 at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia. Following his coaching career, Puddington worked in fundraising and public relations for Ohio University, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Thomas Edison State University, and Morrisville State College. He and his wife, Jean, moved to Lowville, New York in 2009. Puddington died on October 18, 2023, at the home of his son, Jim, in

Gainesville, Georgia The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...

. He was 95.

Head coaching record

College

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puddington, Dave 1928 births 2023 deaths American men's basketball players American football centers American football linebackers Kent State Golden Flashes football coaches Ohio University people Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops football players Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops men's basketball players Washington University Bears football coaches High school football coaches in Ohio High school football coaches in Virginia United States Navy officers Coaches of American football from Ohio Players of American football from Canton, Ohio Basketball players from Canton, Ohio Military personnel from Ohio