James Roland Kitts (June 14, 1900 – December 13, 1952) 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 ...
,
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 ...
, 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 ...
player and coach. He served as head football coach at the
University of Dallas
The University of Dallas is a private Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The university comprises four academic units: the Braniff Graduate School ...
from 1924 to 1925, Rice Institute—now known as
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...
–from 1934 to 1939, and at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI)—now known as
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
—in 1941 and from 1946 to 1947. Kitts was also the head basketball coach at Rice from 1932 to 1938, tallying a mark of 58–56, and the head baseball coach at Dallas from 1924 to 1926 amassing a record of 26–15. Kitts was inducted into the
Texas Sports Hall of Fame
The Texas Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made "lasting fame and honor to Texas sports". It was established in 1951 by the Texas Sports Writers Association. Once it made its first induction (baseball ...
in 1956.
Coaching career
Kitts was hired as the head football coach at the
University of Dallas
The University of Dallas is a private Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The university comprises four academic units: the Braniff Graduate School ...
in December 1923.
From 1934 to 1939, Kitts coached at Rice, and compiled a 33–29–4 record. His 1934 team went 9–1–1, however his 1939 team went 1–9–1.
Death
Kitts died on December 13, 1952 in
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
.
Head coaching record
College football
See also
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References
External links
*
1900 births
1952 deaths
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Texas
Basketball players from Dallas
Dallas Crusaders baseball coaches
Dallas Crusaders men's basketball coaches
Dallas Hilltoppers football coaches
Ottumwa Naval Air Station Skyers football coaches
Rice Owls men's basketball coaches
Rice Owls football coaches
SMU Mustangs football players
SMU Mustangs men's basketball players
Virginia Tech Hokies football coaches
High school basketball coaches in the United States
High school football coaches in Texas
Sportspeople from Dallas
Coaches of American football from Texas
Players of American football from Dallas
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