Adolph Frederick Bechdolt (November 16, 1846 – May 6, 1938) was a

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...

-born American college football coach and educator. He was the first football coach for the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...

, serving for one season, in 1894, and compiling a record of 2–2. Bechdolt was also a professor of English at the university from 1892 to 1895. Born in the

, Bechdolt moved at the age of six with his family to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. He attended

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General La ...

, from which he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1866 and a Master of Arts degree in 1869. He received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from

Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankl ...

in 1890. Bechdolt began teaching in 1869 at Mercersburg Academy—now known as Mercersburg College—in

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Mercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, located near the southern border of Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively large percentage ...

. He was a professor of chemistry and German there until 1876. From 1876 to 1880 and again from 1885 to 1892, Bocholt served as superintendent of city schools in

Mankato, Minnesota Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...

. In the interim, from 1880 to 1885, he was a professor of chemistry at Mankato Normal School—now known as

Minnesota State University, Mankato Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is t ...

. In 1895, Bechdolt became a professor of English language and literature at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seat ...

. Bechdolt was appointed the superintendent of schools in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census ...

in 1901. He then taught at Whatcom High School in

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (lo ...

for 19 years, serving successively at head of the school's English, foreign language, and history departments before resigning in 1923. Bechdolt was the father of two well-known writers,

Frederick R. Bechdolt Frederick Ritchie Bechdolt (July 27, 1874 – April 12, 1950) (also known as Fred or Bech) was an American journalist, Western fiction writer, and pioneer member of the Carmel art colony. He is best known as a Western writer for the works ''When ...

(1874–1950) and Jack Bechdolt (1884–1954). He died suddenly, on May 6, 1938, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Head coaching record

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* 1846 births 1938 deaths 19th-century American educators 20th-century American academics Franklin & Marshall College alumni Lafayette College alumni Minnesota State University, Mankato faculty North Dakota Fighting Hawks football coaches University of North Dakota faculty University of Washington faculty School superintendents in Minnesota School superintendents in Oregon Schoolteachers from Pennsylvania Schoolteachers from Washington (state) People from the Grand Duchy of Baden Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Württemberger emigrants to the United States {{1890s-collegefootball-coach-stub