Gordon Townsand McEachron (January 19, 1919 – April 23, 1993) 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 ...

coach and

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

officer. He served as the head football coach at

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

from 1953 to 1954 and the

University of Nevada The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant ...

1955 to 1958, compiling a career coaching record of 15–31–1.

Biography

A native of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, McEachon was born on January 19, 1919, and served in the

. ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' described him as "tall, blondish, personable, and a convincing speaker." In 1945, at the rank of captain, he was held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. He attended

Pepperdine College Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

and graduated in 1948.Dowell Is Happy
''The Modesto Bee'', January 22, 1953. McEachron then joined the athletic staff at his alma mater as a trainer. In 1952, he was an assistant coach to Robert "Duck" Dowell, the Pepperdine basketball coach who had temporarily also taken over responsibilities for the football team. McEachron succeeded Dowell the following season. He served as the head football coach from 1953 to 1954 and compiled a 9–8 record. He accepted the same position at

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

in 1955 for a $7,300 salary. The university had demoted its football program from major college football status in 1951 due to a budget deficit, and had struggled to remain competitive. In 1956, the Nevada alumni association raised $4,500 for a part-time work program for football players. The initiative, however, failed, and in October 1957, McEachron supported the players in their petition for a renewal of free room and board for the team during the season. They offered to work part-time campus jobs in exchange. McEachron said, "We're not trying to go big-time again, just to compete on an equal basis."Nevada Gridders Win; Seek Free Room and Board
''Eugene Register-Guard'', October 16, 1957. McEachron offered his resignation on October 30, 1957, which reportedly "came as a complete surprise" to the

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

. Art Broten said, "But I am totally indifferent—Mac took the job with the understanding we gave no aid to athletes."Nevada Coach Offers to Quit
''Lewiston Morning Tribune'', October 30, 1957. McEachron remained on for one more year, and resigned for good in 1959. He had compiled a 6–23–1 record at Nevada.
''The New York Times'', April 12, 1959.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McEachron, Gordon 1919 births 1993 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American prisoners of war in World War II Nevada Wolf Pack football coaches Pepperdine University alumni Pepperdine Waves football coaches Sportspeople from Los Angeles United States Army Air Forces officers Coaches of American football from California World War II prisoners of war held by Germany