Thad "Pie" Vann (September 22, 1907 – September 7, 1982) 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 ...

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 ...

coach. He served as the head football coach at the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

—known as Mississippi Southern College prior to 1962—from 1949 to 1968. During his tenure, he compiled a 139–59–2 record and helped transform Mississippi Southern into one of the nation's elite programs. His only losing season came in 1968, after 19 consecutive winning seasons. His 1953 team went 9–2, including a major upset against

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. His 1954 team went 6–4 and upset

once again. He was also the head baseball coach at Mississippi Southern from 1948 to 1949, tallying a mark of 21–21. Van died on September 7, 1982, at Veterans Administration Hospital in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, following long illness. He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 1987.

Head coaching record

Football

References

External links

* * 1907 births 1982 deaths American football tackles Ole Miss Rebels football players Southern Miss Golden Eagles baseball coaches Southern Miss Golden Eagles football coaches College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Magnolia, Mississippi {{1940s-collegefootball-coach-stub