Russell Edwards Sprong (July 4, 1894 – February 9, 1956) was an American football and

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 ...

coach. He was the fifth head football coach at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College—now known as

Northwest Missouri State University Northwest Missouri State University is a public university in Maryville, Missouri. It has an enrollment of about 8,505 students. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, its campus is based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis Worl ...

—in

Maryville, Missouri Maryville is a city and county seat of Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. Located in the "Missouri Point" region, As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,633. Maryville is home to Northwest Missouri State University and Northwes ...

, serving for one season, in 1921, and compiling a record of 2–6. Sprong was also the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State for the 1921–22 season, tallying a mark of 0–15. Sprong graduated from Des Moines High School in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

before he attended

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

, where he played

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 ...

. He was the line coach at Drake in 1920. After his stint at Northwest Missouri State, he was the freshman coach 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 ...

, where he also earned a master's degree. Following two years of coaching at Rubidoux Polytechnic High School in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

, Sprong was hired in September 1925 as head football coach and physical education instructor at Long Beach High School in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

Head coaching record

College football

References

External links

* 1894 births 1956 deaths American football centers Basketball coaches from Kansas Drake Bulldogs football coaches Drake Bulldogs football players Northwest Missouri State Bearcats athletic directors Northwest Missouri State Bearcats football coaches Northwest Missouri State Bearcats men's basketball coaches High school football coaches in Missouri People from Leavenworth County, Kansas Sportspeople from Des Moines, Iowa Players of American football from Des Moines, Iowa {{1920s-collegefootball-coach-stub