Ira Liston Pierce (September 1874 – July 16, 1906) was an American chemist and college sports coach. He served as the head baseball coach of the
University of Delaware
The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...
in 1895 and as football coach in 1896.
Pierce was born in September 1874 and grew up in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
University of Delaware
The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...
. He graduated from the University of Delaware with a master's degree in science, and later served as a chemistry instructor at the school. After retiring from there, he became a chemist in
Gibbstown, New Jersey
Gibbstown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Greenwich Township, in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the CDP's population was 3,739.
While at the University of Delaware, he also coached their
baseball team
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 te ...
in 1895, and their
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-st ...
in 1896, going winless in six games in football.
Pierce was killed in an explosion at the Atlantic Dynamite Company, where he worked as a superintendent, on July 16, 1906. His funeral was held on July 20.