Guy Harvey "Pinky" Spruhan (November 9, 1890 – December 31, 1965) was an American college football,

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 ...

coach. Born and raised in

Waveland, Indiana Waveland is a town in Brown Township, Montgomery County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 427 at the 2020 census. History Waveland was platted by John Milligan in 1835. The settlement began as a resting place at a good spring be ...

, Spruhan spent over fifty years of his life involved in Virginia sports, including tenure as a head coach of

Roanoke College Roanoke College is a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers 35 majors, 57 minors and concentrations, and pre-professional pr ...

and the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

. He attended college at

Ohio Northern University Ohio Northern University (Ohio Northern or ONU) is a private United Methodist Church–affiliated university in Ada, Ohio. Founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871, ONU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It offers over 60 programs to ...

as well as the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

, at which he was a standout athlete in football, basketball, and baseball.

Coaching career

Spruhan's coaching career began in 1913 where he joined

in Salem, Virginia as head football, basketball, and baseball coach. He was also the school's head athletic director. His first stint with Roanoke spanned seven seasons, where he led the basketball team to a 65–19 mark.Roanoke Maroons Men's Basketball Coaching Records
/ref> During part of this time he was also the head coach of Salem High School, and captured three consecutive basketball championships from 1916 to 1918, as well as a football title in 1917. Spruhan then moved to the

in Lexington and headed the Keydets' basketball team from 1919 to 1922. He was also an assistant football and baseball coach. In three years, Spruhan's Keydets went 38–9, including two one-loss seasons. The .809 winning percentage remains the best in VMI history, and Spruhan is currently the last Keydet head coach to have a winning overall record. After his stint with VMI, Spruhan returned to Roanoke where he would stay until 1930. His basketball coaching record of 100–81 is sixth all-time in school history.

Personal life

Spruhan was born in 1891 in

.Guy Harvey "Pinky" Spruhan
/ref> He grew up with two sisters, and attended the local Waveland High School where he was an acclaimed multi-sport athlete. His nickname, "Pinky", was given to him after he once showed up on a playing field wearing a faded red shirt, whereupon a nearby person asked, "Who's that little pinky over there?" Spruhan later attended college at

and the

. At both schools, he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. Spruhan was heralded by

for his athletic contributions to the school. In the 1923 version of the ''Rawenoch'', the school's yearbook, Spruhan was praised for his "ceaseless and untiring efforts to turn out teams that will be a credit to the college.""History of Salem, Virginia."
SalemMuseum.org. Retrieved July 14, 2014. Spruhan is credited with establishing Roanoke's Monogram Club and the annual athletic award banquet each winter. The football field was later named Spruhan Field in his honor. Spruhan was married to his wife, Wanetah. He spent the latter part of his life living in Salem, Virginia, and was also the commissioner of the Southwest Virginia Football Officials Association. Spruhan died in a nearby Roanoke hospital on December 31, 1965, due to a lung ailment. He left behind his three children, two sons and one daughter, as well as his two sisters.

Head coaching record

College basketball

Note: This table includes records at the collegiate level only.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spruhan, Pinky 1890 births 1965 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Indiana Basketball players from Indiana Ole Miss Rebels baseball players Ole Miss Rebels football players Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball players Ohio Bobcats baseball players Ohio Bobcats football players Ohio Bobcats men's basketball players Roanoke Maroons baseball coaches Roanoke Maroons football coaches Roanoke Maroons men's basketball coaches VMI Keydets baseball coaches VMI Keydets basketball coaches VMI Keydets football coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States High school basketball coaches in Virginia High school football coaches in Virginia People from Montgomery County, Indiana Sportspeople from Roanoke, Virginia