Karl L. Schlademan (February 11, 1890 – December 22, 1980) was an American college sports coach and athletics administrator. Principally a

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

coach, Schlademan also coached 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 cross country. He served as the head track and field coach at

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the ...

Greencastle, Indiana Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylv ...

in 1914, 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. T ...

from 1919 to 1926, the State College of Washington—now known as

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...

—from 1926 to 1940, and Michigan State University from 1940 to 1958. At Kansas, Schlademan was instrumental in the founding of the

Kansas Relays The Kansas Relays are a three-day track meet every April, held at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Since 1923, the Kansas Relays have attracted runners, throwers, and jumpers from all over the United States of America, bringing in a ...

and was the Jayhawks' fourth head basketball coach in an interim capacity for the first game of the 1919–20 season for

Phog Allen Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen (November 18, 1885 – September 16, 1974) was an American basketball coach. Known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching,"Seafield, Indiana, Schlademn's ancestry traced back to the

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the passengers on the ...

on his mother's side. His father ran a mercantile and grain business in Seafield, and Karl graduated from Monticello High School, where he was a four-year letterman in both track and basketball. He was captain of the track team. Schlademan attended

in Greencastle; he was a member of

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fiftee ...

fraternity, and played football, baseball, and was again a "star trackman." Not having taken up football in high school, Schlademan did well to earn four letters in the sport, and was named on the "All-Western" at the end position. Schlademan was also made captain of the track team, also earning four letters, and added two letters in baseball. Following DePauw, he briefly attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Law School between 1912 and 1913. In 1913 he wed Nell Ramsay, whom he met while at Missouri Wesleyan.

Early coaching career

After graduation, Schlademan went to Missouri Wesleyan College at Cameron, and became head coach and

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 an ...

. He stayed there a year and coached a championship football team. Schlademan returned to DePaul in 1914 to serve as track coach. He next coached track at Arizona in 1916. From 1916 to 1919, Schlademan was the athletic director at

Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. The College of Ar ...

in Baldwin. He served as the head coach and produced championship track and basketball teams.

Kansas

In 1919, he took a position at

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

and stayed for seven years. He first took the position as head track mentor and coach of the freshman football team. After the second year, he was made head line coach for the varsity football team, and after his third year at this position the university won the Old Missouri Valley circuit. As the head track coach, his team won two championships. The conference that KU was in at that time is now known as the "Big Six" conference. In 1919, he coached a single basketball game for the 1919–20 season before

Phog Allen Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen (November 18, 1885 – September 16, 1974) was an American basketball coach. Known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching,"John H. Outland and

Phog Allen Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen (November 18, 1885 – September 16, 1974) was an American basketball coach. Known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching,"Kansas Relays The Kansas Relays are a three-day track meet every April, held at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Since 1923, the Kansas Relays have attracted runners, throwers, and jumpers from all over the United States of America, bringing in a ...

. At the direction of Allen, Schlademan worked with student managers to organize the first event in 1923. Over the years, the Kansas relays have attracted runners, throwers, and jumpers from all over the United States, with athletes ranging from Olympians to high school runners. Olympians such as

Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is an American former world champion track and field athlete and former professional basketball player. She won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 ...

and Maurice Greene competed in the Gold Zone portion of the meet, which attracts thousands of spectators to the relays every year. At the first relays, Schlademan's team, taken together, was sufficient to make the hosting team "the big feature of its own affair" and to secure the inaugural Kansas Relays' title.

Washington State

In the fall of 1926, Schlademan departed for

Washington State College Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant univer ...

in Pullman, and was also the head coach in

for the first two years. He steadily built the Cougar track team of the Pacific Coast Conference into a national contender. Washington State had four top-10 finishes at the

NCAA championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

, including a pair of fourth-place finishes ( 1937 and 1939). The Cougars won seven consecutive Northern Division titles and had a 39–14 dual meet record under Schlademan; his Cougar relay team set a world record in June 1937. Washington State sprinter Lee Orr, a 1936 Olympian for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, won a national collegiate title in the 440-yard dash in 1940, Schlademan's final season in Pullman. While in Pullman, Schlademan also served as the sixth President of the coaches association from 1939-40. He resigned his position in September 1940 when he took the position at Michigan State.

Michigan State

After 14 years on the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, prima ...

of southeastern Washington, Schlademan went east in 1940 to Michigan State College in

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...

. Schlademan's son, Karl, surmised his father accepted the job for a number of reasons including a close relationship with

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 an ...

Ralph Young, the attractiveness of the newly completed

Jenison Fieldhouse Jenison Fieldhouse (alternately referred to in university publications as Jenison Field House) is a 10,004-seat, later reduced to 6,000-seat, multi-purpose arena in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1940 and was named for alumnus Freder ...

, a deep respect for the track programs of the Midwest, and an increase of salary from $4,000 to $7,500. He became track coach in 1941 and took over cross country in 1947. From then until his retirement in 1959, Schlademan led the Spartans to seven Big Ten championships and 11 national championships—six

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

and five

IC4A IC4A Championships (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) is an annual men's competition held at different colleges every year. Association was established in 1875, the competition (started in 1876) served as the top level col ...

(1948–49, 1952, and 1955–56)--in cross country. The Spartans also finished as runners-up in 1950 and 1957. In track, he expanded the Michigan State relays and coached 25 individual Big Ten champions and 4 NCAA individual champions. He won three IC4A titles and produced a number of Olympian distance runners. Schlademan coached olympians such as David Lean, a silver medalist in the 1956 Olympics.

Retirement and later years

After retiring from Michigan State, Schlademan sold Adidas footwear in Lansing, Michigan. In his later years, he moved to

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, where he resided until his death on December 22, 1980.

Personal life

Schlademan married Nell Ramsay in 1913. They met while he was at Missouri Wesleyan, where she was a student. They had two children, Karl Ramsay and Sarah. He and Nell were married for over 67 years.

Career achievements

Track championships

* 11 National championships * Coached 25 individual Big Ten champions * 7 Big Ten championships * 2 Big Six championships

Honors

* Drake Relay Hall of Fame - Inducted 1988 * Michigan State University Athletics Hall of Fame - Class of 1995 * U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame - Class of 2007 * Washington State University Hall of Fame - Class of 2011

Head coaching record

Football

References

External links

U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlademan, Karl 1890 births 1980 deaths American men's basketball coaches Baker Wildcats athletic directors Baker Wildcats football coaches Baker Wildcats men's basketball coaches Baker Wildcats track and field coaches DePauw Tigers baseball players DePauw Tigers football players DePauw Tigers men's track and field athletes Harvard Law School alumni Kansas Jayhawks football coaches Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball coaches Kansas Jayhawks track and field coaches Michigan State Spartans cross country coaches Michigan State Spartans track and field coaches Missouri Wesleyan Owls athletic directors Missouri Wesleyan Owls football coaches Washington State Cougars men's basketball coaches Washington State Cougars track and field coaches People from White County, Indiana Coaches of American football from Indiana Players of American football from Indiana Baseball players from Indiana Basketball coaches from Indiana Track and field athletes from Indiana