Earl Jay "Fuzz" Merritt (August 9, 1896 – July 7, 1986) was an
American football,
basketball, and
baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at
Pomona College in
Claremont, California
Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popul ...
, from 1935 to 1958, compiling a record of 93–67–13. Merritt also coached basketball and baseball at Pomona.
Early life and education
Merritt attended Pomona, where he lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and
track
Track or Tracks may refer to:
Routes or imprints
* Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity
* Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across
* Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
. He played
quarterback on the football team and as a
center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...
on the baseball team. In track, he participated in the
hammer throw,
discus throw, and
pole vault.
Coaching career
Following his graduation in 1925, Merritt joined Pomona's coaching staff. He coached the freshman football team for ten seasons before succeeding
Eugene W. Nixon as head coach of the varsity football team in 1935.
Death and legacy
In December 1960, Merrit was elected to the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
He died on July 7, 1986.
The football field of the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens was renamed Merritt Field in his honor in 1991.
Head coaching record
See also
*
List of Pomona College people
Pomona College ( ) is an elite private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, and the founding member of the Claremont Colleges consortium. Many notable individuals have been affiliated with the college as graduates, non-graduating att ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merritt, Earl J.
1896 births
1986 deaths
American football quarterbacks
American male discus throwers
American male hammer throwers
American male pole vaulters
Baseball outfielders
Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens baseball coaches
Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens baseball players
Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens football coaches
Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens football players
Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens men's basketball coaches
Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens men's basketball players
College men's track and field athletes in the United States
Pomona College alumni
Sportspeople from Duluth, Minnesota