Gordon Townsand McEachron (January 19, 1919 – April 23, 1993) was an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

coach and

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

officer. He served as the head football coach at

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

from 1953 to 1954 and the

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

1955 to 1958, compiling a career coaching record of 15–31–1.

Biography

A native of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Mac was born on January 19, 1919, and served in the

. ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'' described him as "tall, blondish, personable, and a convincing speaker." In 1945, at the rank of captain, he was held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. He attended

Pepperdine College Pepperdine University () is a private Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking ...

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; ; ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about west of downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching along the Pacific Ocean coa ...

and graduated in 1948.Dowell Is Happy
''The Modesto Bee'', January 22, 1953. McEachron then joined the athletic staff at his alma mater as a trainer. In 1952, he was an assistant coach to Robert "Duck" Dowell, the Pepperdine basketball coach who had temporarily also taken over responsibilities for the football team. McEachron succeeded Dowell the following season. He served as the head football coach from 1953 to 1954 and compiled a 9–8 record. He accepted the same position at

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

in 1955 for a $7,300 salary. The university had demoted its football program from major college football status in 1951 due to a budget deficit, and had struggled to remain competitive. In 1956, the Nevada alumni association raised $4,500 for a part-time work program for football players. The initiative, however, failed, and in October 1957, McEachron supported the players in their petition for a renewal of free room and board for the team during the season. They offered to work part-time campus jobs in exchange. McEachron said, "We're not trying to go big-time again, just to compete on an equal basis."Nevada Gridders Win; Seek Free Room and Board
''Eugene Register-Guard'', October 16, 1957. McEachron offered his resignation on October 30, 1957, which reportedly "came as a complete surprise" to 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 a ...

. Art Broten said, "But I am totally indifferent—Mac took the job with the understanding we gave no aid to athletes."Nevada Coach Offers to Quit
''Lewiston Morning Tribune'', October 30, 1957. McEachron remained on for one more year, and resigned for good in 1959. He had compiled a 6–23–1 record at Nevada.
''The New York Times'', April 12, 1959.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McEachron, Gordon 1919 births 1993 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American prisoners of war in World War II Nevada Wolf Pack football coaches Pepperdine University alumni Pepperdine Waves football coaches Sports coaches from Los Angeles United States Army Air Forces officers Coaches of American football from California World War II prisoners of war held by Germany