Laurence A. "Moon" Mullins (June 13, 1908 – August 10, 1968) 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, coach and

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

. He played fullback under

Knute Rockne Knut (Norwegian and Swedish), Knud (Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used whi ...

at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. He served as the head coach at St. Benedict's College from 1932 to 1936,

Loyola University of New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a private Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit founder, Saint Ignat ...

from 1937 to 1939, and

St. Ambrose University St. Ambrose University is a private Catholic university in Davenport, Iowa. It was founded as a school of commerce for young men in 1882. History Foundation St. Ambrose was founded as a seminary and school of commerce for young men in 1882, know ...

in 1940 and 1947 to 1950. Mullins was the athletic director at

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

and

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

Early life

Mullins was born in

South Pasadena, California South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in the West San Gabriel Valley. It ...

on June 13, 1908. He attended the

, where he played on the

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 ...

under head coach

as a fullback from 1928 to 1930. The 1929 and 1930 teams won consecutive

national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

, and those teams finished with perfect untied and undefeated records. He graduated from the school with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1931.Mullins, Irish star in 1929-30, dies
''The Rochester Sentinel'', Aug. 12, 1968. Mullins was one of 6 team members to carry Knute Rocknes' casket to the grave .(Ref Find Grave.com)

Coaching career

After college, Mullins began his coaching career at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. His first position was as the backfield assistant under head coach

Homer Woodson Hargiss Homer Woodson "Bill" Hargiss (September 1, 1887 – October 15, 1978) was an American athlete and coach. He played American football and basketball and also competed in track and field events. Additionally, Hargis coached athletics in Kansas an ...

in 1931 for a salary of $4,000. The following season, he became head football coach and

at St. Benedict's, a small college in

Atchison, Kansas Atchison is a city and county seat of Atchison County, Kansas, United States, along the Missouri River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 10,885. The city is named in honor of US Senator David Rice Atchison from Missouri an ...

with 600 students at the time, for a salary of about $3,500. While there, he led his teams to a 38–5–1 record.

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

accounted for two of the five losses. His final season there in 1936, St. Benedict's finished undefeated and untied.Moon Mullins Goes To Loyola
''The Telegraph-Herald'', January 20, 1937. In January 1937, the

hired Mullins as its head coach.Larry Mullins is Hired by Loyola
''Lawrence Journal-World'', January 19, 1937. During his three-year tenure, he compiled an 11–16–1 record at Loyola. The Wolves finished the 1939 season with a 5–5 mark, which was sufficient to capture the

Dixie Conference The Dixie Conference was the name of two List of college athletic conferences, collegiate athletic leagues in the United States The first operated from 1930 until the United States' entry into World War II in 1942. The second conference to use the ...

championship. In December 1939, he announced that he would not seek renewal of his expiring contract. Two weeks later, the school discontinued its football program. In 1940, he became head coach at

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

, where he led the football team to an undefeated season.Year-by-Year Coaching Records
(PDF), St. Ambrose University, 2008. After American entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Mullins entered the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

. He was sworn in as a lieutenant senior grade in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

on March 23, 1942, and then attended a month-long course in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

prior to service in the Navy's physical training program. The following year, he assisted Lieutenant Colonel

Bernie Bierman Bernard W. Bierman (March 11, 1894 – March 7, 1977) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. He coached from 1919 to 1950 except for a span during World War II when he served in the U.S. armed forces. Bierman was th ...

, the athletic director and football coach at the Iowa Preflight School. During the 1943 season, he served as the Iowa Pre-Flight backfield coach. By December 1944, Mullins had attained the rank of lieutenant commander and was Iowa Pre-Flight athletic director. In August 1945, he was made a staff officer of the Naval Air Intermediate Training Command in

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "'' Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patrici ...

. While there, Mullins coached the Naval Air Station football team.Santa Clara Names Mullins
''The Spokesman-Review'', Nov 6, 1945. On November 5, 1945,

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...

appointed him as its head coach of its football program, which had been temporarily suspended during the war. However, Mullins tendered his resignation on May 7, 1946, after his abortive five-month search for a residence for his wife and six children in the midst of housing shortage. Mullins returned to Corpus Christi to enter the

sporting goods Sports equipment, sporting equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear used to compete in a sport and varies depending on the sport. The equipment ranges from balls, nets, and protective gear like helmets. ...

business, but soon reentered the coaching ranks. In 1947, he returned to St. Ambrose, where he served for four more seasons. Mullins led the Bees to another undefeated finish in 1949 with an 8–0 record, and was named the "Little All-American Coach of the Year". In 1950, St. Ambrose finished 12–1. The grueling 13-game schedule culminated in a victory over Loras to capture the

Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference. From 1927 until August 9, 2018, it was known officially as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) and commonly as the Iowa Conference. History The A ...

championship. Mullins' career total at the school was 40–7–1.

Administrative career and later life

In February 1951,

appointed Mullins as its athletic director with a $9,000 salary. In 1956, Mullins took the same position at

with a substantial pay raise. The university, which discontinued football and track in 1960, dismissed Mullins on January 31, 1962.Mullins Dismissed As Marquette AD
''The Washington Observer'', May 13, 1961. Mullins died of cancer in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on August 10, 1968, at the age of 60. His body was interred in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mullins, Larry 1908 births 1968 deaths American football fullbacks Basketball coaches from California Benedictine Ravens athletic directors Benedictine Ravens football coaches Benedictine Ravens men's basketball coaches Corpus Christi Naval Air Station Comets football coaches Florida Gators football coaches Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football coaches Kansas Jayhawks football coaches Kansas State Wildcats athletic directors Loyola Wolf Pack football coaches Marquette Golden Eagles athletic directors Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Santa Clara Broncos football coaches Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California St. Ambrose Fighting Bees football coaches People from South Pasadena, California Players of American football from California Military personnel from California