Elmer Dayton Mitchell (September 6, 1889 – June 15, 1983)
[}] 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 wit ...
and
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 ...
coach in
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
who is considered the father of
intramural sports
Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, or a set geographic region. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' meaning " ...
. He was the first
varsity
Varsity may refer to:
*University, an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in various academic disciplines
Places
*Varsity, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
* Varsity Lakes ...
basketball coach at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
at
Ann Arbor
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
and the founder of that school's intramural sports program. Through 2010, he has the highest winning percentage of any head coach in
Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball
The Eastern Michigan Eagles men's basketball team represents Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The team currently competes in the West division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). They have appeared in four NCAA Division I to ...
history.
Mitchell also coached at
Union High School in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
, received a Medal of Honor from
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
for his work in the field of intramural athletics.
[, and was elected into the National Academy of Kinesiology (née American Academy of Physical Education) in 1930 as Fellow #26.
]
Early years
Mitchell attended the University of Michigan, where he played on the varsity baseball team for three years, under head coach and eventual Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball ...
member Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also creat ...
. He usually played center field, or occasionally first base, and he was the team captain in 1912, his senior year.
Immediately after graduating from Michigan, Mitchell managed the Negaunee baseball team, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
, for a summer. In the fall of 1912, he was hired as a teacher and coach at Union High School, where " developed state title contenders in baseball, football, and basketball".[ In the 1914–15 season, his last at the high school, the basketball team posted a 14–1 record.][
]
Coaching career
Michigan State Normal
In 1915, Mitchell was hired as an assistant professor of physical education at Michigan State Normal College (MSNC)—now known as Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United St ...
—in Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan.
As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, an ...
. While at MSNC, Mitchell taught physical education courses geared toward the school's future teachers, covering such topics as playground direction and athletic coaching, and he co-wrote a book about basketball.[ He was also a successful coach in basketball, football, and baseball.][
Mitchell was the head football coach for the "Michigan State Normalites" for the 1915 and 1916 seasons, compiling a record of 5–4–2.
Mitchell was also the head coach for the "Michigan State Normalites" men's basketball team for the 1915–16 and 1916–17 seasons. His coaching record at the program was 25–5.] Elton Rynearson
Elton James Rynearson Sr. (April 7, 1893 – February 8, 1967) was an American athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was affiliated with Eastern Michigan University (known as Michigan State Normal College prior to 1956) for mos ...
was the team captain for the 1916–17 season, and succeeded Mitchell as the head coach. Although the team finished undefeated in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) is an athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. There are nine teams in the conference, all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate ...
play in the 1916–17 season, Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College, also known as Kalamazoo, K College, KC or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, Kalamazoo is the oldest private college in ...
was also undefeated, and is recorded by the MIAA as the champion for that year.
Michigan
As a result of public and alumni demand for a basketball team, the University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, in Ann Arbor
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
, fielded a team of members of the then-current student body and achieved a 1–4 record for the 1908–09 season. However, after three years of demanding a basketball program the student body did not attend the games and the program was terminated due to low attendance. Basketball returned in 1917 in what was considered the inaugural season of varsity
Varsity may refer to:
*University, an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in various academic disciplines
Places
*Varsity, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
* Varsity Lakes ...
basketball, and Mitchell was hired to coach the team. The team finished 6–12 overall (0–10, Western Conference). The following year Mitchell led the team to a 16–8 (5–5) record.[ While at Michigan, Mitchell also coached the freshman football and baseball teams.]
Intramural sports
Mitchell is credited with instituting intramural athletics at the University of Michigan, and he was named the school's first Director of Intramural Athletics in 1919. Mitchell is considered the father of intramural sports and taught a class in intramural sports taken by William Wasson, founder of the National Intramural Association (NIA), the forerunner to the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA).
Mitchell later wrote ''Intramural Athletics '' (ED Mitchell - AS Barnes, 1928) and ''Intramural Sports'', and co-authored ''Intramural Sports'' with Pat Mueller.[New York, Ronald Press Co. 1960]
Head coaching record
Football
Basketball
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Elmer
1889 births
1983 deaths
Baseball outfielders
Baseball first basemen
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Eastern Michigan Eagles baseball coaches
Eastern Michigan Eagles football coaches
Eastern Michigan University faculty
Michigan Wolverines baseball players
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball coaches
High school baseball coaches in the United States
High school basketball coaches in Michigan
High school football coaches in Michigan
People from Negaunee, Michigan
Coaches of American football from Michigan
Baseball coaches from Michigan
Baseball players from Michigan
Basketball coaches from Michigan