Raymond O. Courtright (September 19, 1891 – August 1979) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, 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 tea ...

player, coach of football, basketball,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, and college athletics administrator. Courtright attended the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

where he played halfback for the football team from 1911 to 1913 and also competed in baseball, basketball and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. He was the head football coach at

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 ...

(1915–1917), the

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...

(1919–1923), and Colorado School of Mines (1924–1926). Courtright was also an assistant football coach (1927–1936), head golf coach (1929–1944) and head wrestling coach (1942–1944) at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

University of Oklahoma

Courtright was a multi-sport athlete at the

competing in football, baseball, basketball and

. He played halfback for

Bennie Owen Benjamin Gilbert Owen (July 24, 1875 – February 26, 1970) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Washburn College, now Washburn University, in 1900, at Bethany C ...

Oklahoma Sooners football The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma (variously "Oklahoma" or "OU"). The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (forme ...

team from 1911 to 1913. In November 1911, he helped Oklahoma break a nine-game losing streak to

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 ...

with a long run that set up a field goal for the game's only points in a 3–0 win. He was also reported to be one of the "Sooner stars" in a 14–6 win over

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in 1911. In November 1912, he scored all six of the Sooners' points on two field goals in the fourth quarter of a 6–5 win over Kansas. One Oklahoma newspaper noted:

"Oklahoma owes her victory to the educated toe of Raymond Courtright, who left a sick bed that he might give his team the advantage of his kicking in a pinch. For ten days he has not been in a football suit until Saturday."

And as a senior in 1913, he scored one of the Sooners' two touchdowns in a 14–3 win over

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

in a game played in five inches of mud in front of a crowd of 5,000 at

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

. He was reportedly selected as an All-Southwestern halfback for three consecutive years. In 1919, one sports writer noted that Courtright was "considered the best halfback ever developed at Oklahoma." Courtright was also a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for Oklahoma's baseball team. He once pitched a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

against

, and on another occasion he pitched 20 innings in a 1–1 game against

Oklahoma A&M Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

. He also received

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. Description ...

s for basketball and

(as a hurdler). He graduated

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

from Oklahoma in 1914.

Early years as coach

After graduating from Oklahoma, Courtright started his coaching career either at Oklahoma Preparatory, or at Atlanta Union Preparatory School. In 1915, he was hired by Kansas State Normal School at Pittsburg (now known as

). He served as the head football coach at Pittsburg for three seasons from 1915 to 1917, compiling a record of 15–11–2. Courtright also served as the

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 ...

at Pittsburg.

University of Nevada, Reno

In April 1919, Courtright was hired by the

as its director of athletics and head coach of the football, basketball, baseball and track teams. Courtright was Nevada's football coach for five years from 1919 to 1923. During his years at Nevada, Courtright was "affectionately known as 'Corky'." In his first year as Nevada's coach, Courtright led the team to an 8–1–1 record, doubling the highest season win total of any prior Nevada football team. The only loss came in the first game of the season, a 13–7 loss to the California freshman team. Courtright's 1919 Nevada team outscored its opponents 450 to 32, including scores of 132–0 over Pacific, 102–0 over the Mare Island Marines, and 56–0 over

UC Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

. At the time, Courtright called the 1919 Nevada team "the best team I ever had," and others called it the "best team that ever played on Mackay Field." At the end of the 1919 season, the ''Reno Evening Gazette'' wrote:

"It was a good move when the students and regents decided last spring to go east and get one of the best men to come to Nevada and build up a football team. In selecting a coach they also demanded an all-round man, who could coach basket ball, track, baseball and put into operation a regular system of physical culture for all the students as well. Coach Courtright fitted the requirements and the football season proves the wisdom of the selection ..."

In 1920, Courtright's team finished with a record of 7–3–1 with wins over both the

Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' ...

(14–7) and

Utah State Aggies The Utah State Aggies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Utah State University, located in Logan. The school fields 16 sports teams – seven men and nine women – and compete in the Mountain West Conference. Sports spon ...

(21–0), and losses to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

(79–7),

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

(38–7), and Santa Clara (27–21). Courtright never reached the same level of success after the 1920 season, finishing 4–3–1 in 1921, 5–3–1 in 1922 and 2–3–3 in 1923. However, his most notable game at Nevada was a scoreless tie with California on November 3, 1923. The 1923 California team was known as the "Wonder Team." It had gone through three full seasons without a loss, and had outscored its opponents 151 to 0 in the first seven games of the 1923 season. Nevada had only 15 men on its football team in 1923 and was considered to be a decided underdog. When Courtright returned to the Nevada campus in 1961, he was shown souvenirs of his time at the school.

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the las ...

, then a sports columnist, accompanied Courtright and wrote: "Courtright chuckled when he saw a huge framed layout of newspaper headlines from 1923 – when Nevada tied the great California 'Wonder Team.' 'Yep, that WAS quite a game,' he chortled." Courtright compiled a record of 26–13–7 while at Nevada, and his teams outscored opponents by a combined total of 993 to 464. Shortly before his resignation in 1924, the ''Nevada State Journal'' credited Courtright with having "brought the Nevada eleven from the class of a second rate team to its present rank among the best of the western college football squads." Courtright was also the head basketball coach at Nevada and led the basketball team to championships of the California-Nevada Basketball League in both 1920 and 1921.("The climax of his work in Nevada came during the past season when the Wolf pack held California to a 0 to 0 tie.") Courtright's teams finished with records of 6–2 and 10–3 in 1920 and 1921, but suffered losing seasons in 1922 and 1923. In four seasons as Nevada's basketball coach, Courtright compiled a record of 25 wins and 29 losses.

Colorado School of Mines

In March 1924, Courtright was hired away from Nevada by the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. At the time, the School of Mines had an enrollment of 450 students. Courtright was given a three-year contract at an advanced salary with a promise of a raise after the first season. Courtright stated that he regretted leaving Nevada but could not turn down the offer made by the Colorado school. He was the head football coach at the Colorado School of Mines from 1924 to 1926 and compiled a record of 7–17–1.

University of Michigan

In September 1927, Courtright was hired as an assistant football coach at the

. He served in that capacity from 1927 to 1936. Courtright was also the head golf coach at Michigan from 1929 to 1944.(University of Michigan records indicate that

Thomas Trueblood Thomas Clarkson Trueblood (April 6, 1856 – June 5, 1951) was an American professor of elocution and oratory and the first coach of the University of Michigan golf and debate teams. He was affiliated with the University of Michigan for 67 year ...

was listed officially as the head golf coach until 1935. However, Trueblood had retired to professor emeritus status in 1926 at age 70. By the time Trueblood "officially" retired and was given the title of "coach emeritus" in 1935, he was nearly 80. As some sources list Courtright as the head coach starting in 1929, it is unclear what the precise division of responsibilities were between Courtright and Trueblood from 1929 to 1935.) His teams won two

NCAA National Championships Listed below are the colleges or universities with the most NCAA Division I-sanctioned team championships, individual championships, and combined team and individual championships, as documented by information published on official NCAA websites. ...

(1934–1935), and he coached two NCAA individual champions,

Johnny Fischer John W. Fischer (March 10, 1912 – May 25, 1984) was an American amateur golfer in the 1930s. Fischer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He won the 1932 NCAA individual golf championship and the Big Ten Conference individual championship in 1932 ...

(1932) and

Chuck Kocsis Charles R. Kocsis (January 27, 1913 – May 30, 2006) was an American amateur golfer. Kocsis was introduced to the game as a caddie at the Phoenix Country Club, which is now Rogell Municipal Golf Course. One of fourteen children, he grew up in the ...

(1936). His 1943 Michigan golf team was also the runner up in the NCAA National Championship. In 1942, he was also appointed as the head coach of Michigan's wrestling team while regular coach

Cliff Keen Clifford Patrick Keen (June 13, 1901 – November 4, 1991) was an American coach who served as the head coach of the University of Michigan collegiate wrestling team from 1925 to 1970. He led the Michigan Wolverines to 13 Big Ten Conference cha ...

was serving in the military. In addition to the NCAA golf championship, Courtright's teams won eight

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 ...

golf championships and one Big Ten wrestling championship. In August 1944, Courtright reported that he had received notice from the University of Michigan that his coaching position was being terminated, effective November 1, 1944, for economic reasons.

Fresno State

In May 1946, Courtright was hired by Fresno State College (now known as California State University, Fresno) as an assistant football coach. Fresno State's head football coach, Jimmy Bradshaw, had been Courtright's top ground gainer when Courtright was the head coach at Nevada. The

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

finished with an 8–4 record in 1946.

Head coaching record

Football

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtright, Ray 1891 births 1979 deaths American football halfbacks American male hurdlers American men's basketball players Baseball pitchers College golf coaches in the United States Colorado Mines Orediggers football coaches Colorado Mines Orediggers men's basketball coaches Fresno State Bulldogs football coaches High school football coaches in Oklahoma Michigan Wolverines football coaches Michigan Wolverines wrestling coaches Nevada Wolf Pack athletic directors Nevada Wolf Pack football coaches Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball coaches Nevada Wolf Pack track and field coaches Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Oklahoma Sooners football players Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players Oklahoma Sooners men's track and field athletes Pittsburg State Gorillas football coaches Pittsburg State Gorillas men's basketball coaches