Joseph Edward Raycroft (November 15, 1867 – September 30, 1955) was the head men's basketball coach for the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

between 1906–07 and 1909–10. In his four seasons as coach, the

Chicago Maroons The Chicago Maroons are the intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Chicago. They are named after the color maroon. Team colors are maroon and gray, and the Phoenix is their mascot. They now compete in the NCAA Division III, mostly as ...

compiled an overall record of 66 wins and 7 losses. His teams won four

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

championships (then known as the Western Conference), and the 1907, 1908, and 1909 teams were all retroactively named national champions by the

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

; his 1909 team was also retroactively named the national champion by the

Premo-Porretta Power Poll The Premo-Porretta Power Poll is a retroactive end-of-year ranking for American college basketball teams competing in the 1895–96 through the 1947–48 seasons. The Premo-Porretta Polls are intended to serve collectively as a source of informa ...

. His 90.4% career winning percentage is the highest all-time at Chicago. Prior to his time at Chicago, Raycroft also served as

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...

's head football coach for the 1894 season and compiled a 3–2 record. Raycroft also served as head football coach at Stevens Point Normal School—now known as the

University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (UW–Stevens Point or UWSP) is a public university in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and grants associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees, as well as ...

—for two seasons, from 1895 to 1896. Raycroft later served as

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

's Chairman of the Department of Health and Physical Education from 1911 until his retirement in 1936. Raycroft developed a comprehensive student health program based in large measure upon

intramural athletics Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, or a set geographic region. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' meaning " ...

, with participation rates approaching 90 percent of Princeton's undergraduate class.John Daye, ''Encyclopedia of Armed Forces Football: The Complete History of the Glory Years.'' Haworth, NJ: St. Johann Press, 2014; pg. 8.

Head coaching record

Football

Basketball

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raycroft, Joseph 1867 births 1955 deaths American football quarterbacks American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Vermont Basketball players from Vermont Chicago Maroons football players Chicago Maroons men's basketball coaches Chicago Maroons men's basketball players Lawrence Vikings football coaches People from Williamstown, Vermont Princeton University faculty Rush Medical College alumni Worcester Academy alumni Wisconsin–Stevens Point Pointers football coaches Basketball players from Trenton, New Jersey