Lester Cort Belding (December 5, 1900 – May 27, 1965) was an American athlete and coach in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. He was the first football player from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

to be named an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. He was inducted into the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

Hall of Fame in 1963.

Early years

A native of

Mason City, Iowa Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Go ...

, Belding was a star football player for Mason City High School from 1914 to 1917.

University of Iowa

Football

Belding enrolled at the

where he played football for legendary coach Howard Jones. He was a consensus Football All-American at the

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

position in 1919, the first player from the

to receive the honor. Considered "one of the nation's premier collegiate pass catchers of his era," he played on the undefeated 1921 national championship team that outscored opponents 123–15 and included

Gordon Locke Gordon C. Locke (August 3, 1898 – November 9, 1969) was an American college football player and coach He played college football at the University of Iowa, where he was an All-American. Locke served as the head football coach at Western Reserve ...

Aubrey Devine Aubrey Alvin "Aub" Devine (November 21, 1897 – December 15, 1981) was an American football and basketball player, coach, and lawyer. He was the quarterback for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team from 1919 to 1921. He was selected as ...

Glenn Devine Glenn D. Devine (October 22, 1895 – July 1, 1970) was an American college football player and coach. A graduate of Des Moines West High School, Devine coached at Parsons College from 1922 to 1931. He was the brother of star football player Aubre ...

, and

Duke Slater Frederick Wayman "Duke" Slater (December 9, 1898 – August 14, 1966) was an American football player and judge. He was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Centennial Class in ...

. He was also a three-time first-team All-

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 ...

selection.

Track

Belding was also the captain of Iowa's track team in 1921, competing in the 100 and 220-yard dashes.

Coach and athletic director

After graduating from Iowa in 1922, Belding became a coach. He coached at a prep school in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

. In 1923, Belding accepted a coaching position in

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,469 as of 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt Cl ...

, where he coached two state championship football teams. He next accepted a position at the freshman coach at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

. He later served as the high school coach at

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

for seven years. In 1933, Belding returned to Iowa where he was put in charge of high school athletics at

Reinbeck, Iowa Reinbeck is a city in Grundy County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,662 at the 2020 census—a five percent decrease from the population of 1,751 in 2000. It is part of the Waterloo– Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and ...

. From 1934 to 1945, he was the athletic director and head football and basketball coach at Dakota Wesleyan College in

Mitchell, South Dakota Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 census making it the sixth most populous city in South Dakota. Mitchell is the principal city of the Mitchell Micr ...

. He finished his career serving 20 years, from 1945 to 1965, as a track and football coach and athletic director at

North Central College North Central College is a private college in Naperville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and has nearly 70 areas of study in undergraduate majors, minors, and programs through 19 academic departments organized in thre ...

Naperville, Illinois Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was ...

. in 1963, Belding was inducted into the

Hall of Fame. Belding died of a heart attack in 1965 at age 64. He was posthumously inducted into the

University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame The University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame is a sports history museum located in the Roy G. Karro Building in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. The museum pays tribute to the most legendary and influential Iowa Hawkeye sports heroes. Opened in October 2002 ...

in 1991.

Head coaching record

College football

College basketball

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belding, Lester 1900 births 1965 deaths American football ends Basketball coaches from Iowa Dakota Wesleyan Tigers athletic directors Dakota Wesleyan Tigers football coaches Dakota Wesleyan Tigers men's basketball coaches Iowa Hawkeyes football players Iowa Hawkeyes men's track and field athletes North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches North Central Cardinals athletic directors North Central Cardinals men's basketball coaches North Central Cardinals football coaches Rock Island Independents players College track and field coaches in the United States High school football coaches in Colorado All-American college football players People from Mason City, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa High school football coaches in Iowa