John William Fuhrer (April 11, 1880 – July 24, 1972) 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 ...

and

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach. He served as the head football coach at

Doane College Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha, as well as online programs. History Doane College was founded on July 11, 1872, by Thomas Doane, chief civil engineer for the Burling ...

from 1904 to 1907 and Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg—referred to commonly at the time as Pittsburg Normal and now known as

Pittsburg State University Pittsburg State University (Pitt State or PSU) is a public university in Pittsburg, Kansas. It enrolls approximately 7,400 students (6,000 undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students) and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents. History P ...

–from 1909 to 1914 and again in 1918, compiling a career college football coaching record of 39–33–2. Fuhrer was also the head basketball coach at Pittsburg Normal from 1909 to 1914, tallying a mark of 21–20. He also competed at the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...

Athletic career

Fuhrer competed in the men's triple jump at the

, where he placed fourth.

Coaching career

Doane

Fuhrer was the tenth head football coach at

Crete, Nebraska Crete is a city in Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,099 at the 2020 census. History The railroad was extended to the area in 1870, bringing settlers. In 1871, two rival towns merged to form a new town, which was name ...

and he held that position for four seasons, from 1904 until 1907. His coaching record at Doane was 13–11. In 1971, a gymnasium at Doane College was named after Fuhrer, with him present at the dedication.

Pittsburg State

Fuhrer was the second head football coach at Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg—referred to commonly at the time as Pittsburg Normal and now known as

–in

Pittsburg, Kansas Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, Kansas, United States, located in southeast Kansas near the Missouri state border. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the ci ...

. He coached from 1909 through 1914, and then returned for the 1918 season for a total of seven seasons. His teams posted a record of 26–22–2. On November 27, 1913 in a game against the

Southwestern Moundbuilders The Southwestern Moundbuilders are the athletic teams that represent Southwestern College (Kansas), Southwestern College, located in Winfield, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ...

coached by

Fred Clapp Fred H. Clapp was an American football and basketball coach. Football Clapp was the fifth head football coach at the Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, serving for five years, from 1909 to 1913, and compiling a record of 24–11–6. Ra ...

, Fuhrer officially launched a formal protest against the appearance of an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

player.

Lincoln Y.M.C.A.

Fuhrer moved to

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

in 1919 to serve as physical director of the Lincoln Y.M.C.A.

Death

Fuhrer died on July 24, 1972, aged 92."John Fuhrer, 1906 Doane Grad, And Crete Native, Dies Monday", ''The Crete News'', July 27, 1972

Head coaching record

Football

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuhrer, John 1880 births 1972 deaths American male triple jumpers Athletes (track and field) at the 1904 Summer Olympics Basketball coaches from Illinois Doane Tigers football coaches Doane Tigers football players Olympic track and field athletes for the United States People from Hancock County, Illinois Pittsburg State Gorillas football coaches Pittsburg State Gorillas men's basketball coaches Players of American football from Illinois