Walter E. Marks (February 16, 1905 – November 24, 1992) was an
American football,
basketball, and
baseball player, coach, college athletics administrator, sports official, and university instructor. Marks played football, basketball, and baseball at the
University of Chicago. Between 1927 and 1955 he served as the head football, basketball, baseball, and
golf coach at
Indiana State University, with hiatuses from 1930 to 1931, when he earned a master's degree at
Indiana University, and from 1942 to 1945, when he served in the
United States Army Air Forces during
World War II. Marks was best known for his football and baseball coaching career(s); though his tenure as basketball coach was highlighted by the Sycamores' run to the semifinals of the 1936 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Marks also served as the Indiana State's
athletic director. In total, Marks spent 44 years at Indiana State rising from instructor to the Dean of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, now known as the College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services. He held two degrees from the University of Chicago, a BA and a PhD, and three from Indiana University, an MA, a doctorate in physical education, and a doctorate of education. At his retirement in 1971, Indiana State's home
track and field venue was dedicated in his honor. Marks reached the rank of
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in the
United States Army Air Forces and spent 44 months in the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forc ...
.
Playing career
At the
University of Chicago, Marks was an outstanding athlete. A three-sport performer, he earned a total of eight varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball, was an ROTC Cadet Major, and held membership in several honorary fraternities. He played varsity football for three years under the Maroons' coach,
Amos Alonzo Stagg. As a sophomore, he played
fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to:
Sports
* A position in various kinds of football, including:
** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position
** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
for Chicago's last
Big Ten Conference football championship team in 1924. He was a regular
halfback on the 1925 and 1926 Maroon teams and captained the 1926 team. For two years, he was a regular starting
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
on the Maroons' basketball team. As a
pitcher and an
outfielder, he played on Chicago's baseball team for three years and had a .399 batting average as a sophomore. Marks also played professional baseball. While pitching for Terre Haute of the
Three-I League, he defeated
Carl Hubbell
Carl Owen Hubbell (June 22, 1903 – November 21, 1988), nicknamed "the Meal Ticket" and "King Carl", was an American Major League Baseball player. He was a pitcher for the New York Giants of the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained o ...
of Decatur in a 17-inning masterpiece.
Head coaching career
Football
Marked finished his career as the leader in wins (he currently stands at #2). His 1933 team finished at 7–1 record. This record still ranks as the second best in the school's history; trailing Coach Jerry Huntsman's 1968 team (9–1). His homecoming record was 8–5.
Basketball
He finished his career as the leader in wins (he currently stands at #7). Led the Sycamores to a semifinal finish in the 1936 U.S. Olympic Trials. His 1929–30 team finished at 16–2; it still ranks among the finest season performances of any ISU team with its .888 winning percentage.
Baseball
He finished his career as the leader in wins (he currently stands at #4). He led the Sycamores to
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference
The Indiana Intercollegiate Conference (IIC) was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1922 to 1950. It consisted of schools in Indiana.
The charter members of the conference were Indiana State University, Butler University, DeP ...
titles in 1930, 1946, 1947 and 1949.
Officiating and military athletics instruction
Marks was a
Big Ten Conference official for twenty years with tenures of eight years in basketball and 16 years in football. He officiated the
1960 Rose Bowl
The 1960 Rose Bowl was the 46th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Friday, January 1, 1960, at the end of the 1959 season. This was the first Rose Bowl appearance by the Huskies since 19 ...
and retired at the close of the 1964 football season. In 1954, and again in 1960, he was named by the Big Ten and the
United States Department of Defense as a member of an instructional staff presenting football officiating clinics for United States military personnel in Germany.
Honors
*
Indiana Football Hall of Fame
The Indiana Football Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in Richmond, Indiana. It honors persons associated with high school, college and professional American football in Indiana. It also works to establish scholarships and endowments ...
(1974)
* Indiana State University Hall of Fame (1982)
Head coaching record
Football
Basketball
Baseball
See also
*
List of college football head coaches with non-consecutive tenure
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marks, Walter E.
1905 births
1992 deaths
American football fullbacks
American football halfbacks
American football officials
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Baseball pitchers
Baseball outfielders
Basketball coaches from Iowa
Basketball players from Iowa
College men's basketball referees in the United States
Guards (basketball)
Chicago Maroons baseball players
Chicago Maroons football players
Chicago Maroons men's basketball players
Indiana State Sycamores athletic directors
Indiana State Sycamores baseball coaches
Indiana State Sycamores football coaches
Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball coaches
College golf coaches in the United States
Indiana State University faculty
United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II
United States Army Air Forces officers
People from Ottumwa, Iowa
Military personnel from Iowa