Jack Hovater (August 31, 1897 – April 9, 1965) 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 ...

player and high school football coach. He was also once president of the

Alabama State League The Alabama State League was a minor league baseball league that played between 1940 and 1950, with an interruption due to World War II. The Alabama State League was a Class D (baseball), Class D level league. The Alabama State League consisted of ...

. Hovater was a prominent

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

and tackle for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

; twice selected All-Southern and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the 1917 team. He played with two other Hovater brothers on the 1916 team. He and

Ike Boone Isaac Morgan "Ike" Boone (February 17, 1897 – August 1, 1958) was an American professional baseball player. He played eight seasons as a right fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1922 and 1932 for the New York Giants, Boston Red Sox, ...

were ends on the 1919 team. Hovater later coach football and taught at Dothan High School in

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...

. He died on April 9, 1965, at his home in Dothan.

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* 1897 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American educators American football halfbacks American football quarterbacks American football tackles Alabama Crimson Tide football players High school football coaches in Alabama All-Southern college football players People from Russellville, Alabama Coaches of American football from Alabama Players of American football from Alabama Schoolteachers from Alabama {{collegefootball-player-stub