Gordon C. White was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

and

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 ...

coach. He served as the head football coach at

Roanoke College Roanoke College is a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers 35 majors, 57 minors and concentrations, and pre-professional pr ...

in Salem, Virginia from 1930 to 1941. White was also the head basketball coach at Roanoke from 1930 to 1942 and

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the ...

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

for one season, in 1945–46. White served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and played college football at Roanoke as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

from 1921 to 1924. Following his graduation from Roanoke in 1925, White was 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 an ...

at Salem High School in Salem, Virginia for two years. He returned to Roanoke as an assistant coach in 1927. White succeeded Pinky Spruhan as head coach at Roanoke in 1930 and became athletic director in 1931.Roanoke College Athletics - Maroon Club
In 1938, his football team narrowly lost the Virginia state championship to the VMI. White coached basketball at Roanoke for 12 seasons, compiling an overall record of 116–67, and became affectionately known as "Pop" or "Pap.". His two best seasons were 1937–38 and 1938–39, during which he led his team, called the "Five Smart Boys", to consecutive state titles. Roanoke finished the 1937–38 season 19–2, and the next season 21–3. In 1939, Roanoke gained an appearance in the 1939 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) at Madison Square Garden, although it lost in the first round to . In 1942, White left Roanoke to serve in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and was succeeded as coach by

Buddy Hackman Joseph Sandy "Buddy" Hackman (February 6, 1906 – June 25, 1987) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. Playing years Hackman was a halfback for the Tennessee Volunteers of the University of Tennessee from 1928 ...

. After being discharged as a major in 1945, he was named head basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Gonzaga. During his season at Gonzaga, White tallied a mark of 6–14 (.300). In 1946, Claude McGrath, who had been head coach from 1933 to 1942, returned from military service and resumed the head coaching position.

Head coaching record

Football

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Gordon C. Year of birth missing Year of death missing American football guards Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball coaches Roanoke Maroons athletic directors Roanoke Maroons football coaches Roanoke Maroons football players Roanoke Maroons men's basketball coaches United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I