Emil Smith "Liz" Liston (August 21, 1890 – October 26, 1949) was an American athletic coach and administrator. He coached

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, football 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 ...

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

and

Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. The College of Ar ...

. He was the founder of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

, organized the NAIA college basketball tournament in 1937 and served as the first executive director of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stud ...

(predecessor to the NAIA) from 1940 to 1949. He was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975.

Early years

A native of

Stockton, Missouri Stockton is a city in Cedar County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,683 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cedar County. History Stockton was platted in 1846. It was originally named Lancaster, but was renamed Fremont in 1 ...

, Liston attended

in Kansas. From 1916 to 1918, he was the athletic director at Michigan College of Mines (which is now known as Michigan Technological University). According to some accounts, he also played football at Michigan College of Mines.

Wesleyan

In September 1918, Liston was hired by

as coach of the school's

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all-s ...

. He left Wesleyan in June 1919 to play professional baseball for the

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

team in the Western League. After spending the summer playing baseball in Wichita, Liston returned to Wesleyan as the head football coach in the fall of 1919. In two years as Wesleyan's football coach, Liston compiled a 10–3 record. His .769 winning percentage at Wesleyan remains the highest of any Wesleyan football coach with at least ten games as coach. Liston also coached the basketball and baseball teams at Wesleyan. In April 1920, Liston announced his resignation from Wesleyan.

Baker

After resigning from Wesleyan, Liston announced he was through with the coaching profession and that it was his intention to move to Kansas to work on the farm of his father-in-law. He returned to coaching in 1920 with

Baldwin City, Kansas Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States, about south of Lawrence. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,826. The city is home to Baker University, the state's oldest four-year university. History ...

. He coached both football and basketball at Baker. He was the coach of the basketball team from 1930 to 1945 and led the school to Kansas Conference championships in 1930 and 1937. He also coached Baker's football teams and was for many years the school's winningest football coach with 97 wins; the career wins record was broken in 1992 by

Charlie Richard Charles Allen Richard (May 30, 1941 – December 13, 1994) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Baker University from 1980 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 1994, compiling a record of 123–28–1. Ric ...

. The university named their football stadium Liston Stadium in his honor.

NAIA/NAIB

Liston was also the founder of the

, organized the NAIA college basketball tournament, and a close friend of

James Naismith James Naismith (; November 6, 1861November 28, 1939) was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach, best known as the inventor of the game of basketball. After moving to the United States, he wrote ...

. In 1945, Liston resigned his coaching position at Baker University to become the NAIB's first executive director; he held that position until his death in 1949. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. Liston's biography at the Basketball Hall of Fame states: "With sheer initiative, drive, and foresight, Emil Liston fought for uniformity and equality in college athletics. A dedicated administrator, Liston envisioned a small college, national tournament and organized the NAIB (now known as the NAIA). The first NAIA tournament was played in Kansas City with an eight-team field in 1937."

Later years and death

Liston died of a heart attack, on October 26, 1949, while reading at his home in

Baldwin, Kansas Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States, about south of Lawrence. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,826. The city is home to Baker University, the state's oldest four-year university. History ...

Head coaching record

College football

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Liston, Emil 1890 births 1949 deaths Baker Wildcats athletic directors Baker Wildcats football coaches Baker Wildcats football players Baker Wildcats men's basketball coaches Colorado Springs Millionaires players Emporia Bidwells players Michigan Tech Huskies athletic directors Michigan Tech Huskies football players Wesleyan Cardinals athletic directors Wesleyan Cardinals baseball coaches Wesleyan Cardinals men's basketball coaches Wesleyan Cardinals football coaches Wichita Witches players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees High school basketball coaches in the United States People from Baldwin City, Kansas People from Stockton, Missouri Coaches of American football from Missouri Players of American football from Missouri Basketball coaches from Missouri