Elvin Clarence Hutchison (October 14, 1912 – May 24, 2001, often misspelled as Hutchinson) was an American football player, coach, and

official An official is someone who holds an office (function or Mandate (politics), mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual Office, working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (eithe ...

. He played professionally as a halfback with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) in 1939 and the

Los Angeles Bulldogs The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948 (the last year as the Long Beach Bulldogs). Formed with the intention of joining the National Football League in 1937 (and turned down in favor o ...

of the

Pacific Coast Professional Football League The Pacific Coast Professional Football League (PCPFL), also known as the Pacific Coast Football League (PCFL) and Pacific Coast League (PCL) was a professional American football minor league based in California. It operated from 1940 through 19 ...

(PCPFL) between 1938 and 1946. Hutchison served as the head football coach at

Citrus College Citrus College is a public community college in Glendora, California. The Citrus Community College District, which supports the institution, includes the communities of Azusa, Claremont, Duarte, Glendora, and Monrovia. Citrus Union High Scho ...

Glendora, California Glendora is a city in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California, east of Los Angeles. As of the 2020 census, the population of Glendora was 52,558. World-famous Route 66 runs through the city. Known as the "Pride of the Footh ...

from 1940 to 1941. He officiated the NFL from 1952 to 1959 and in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

(NFL) from 1960 to 1969.

Early life and education

Hutchison was born October 14, 1912, in

Guthrie Center, Iowa Guthrie Center is a city in Guthrie County, Iowa, United States, along the Raccoon River, South Raccoon River. The population was 1,593 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Guthrie County, Iowa, Gut ...

. He graduated from Red Oak High School in

Red Oak, Iowa Red Oak is a city in, and the county seat of, Montgomery County, Iowa, United States, located along the East Nishnabotna River. The population was 5,596 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 6,197 population in 2000. History Red Oak derives ...

and went on to

Whittier College Whittier College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic-serving institution, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of spring 2024, had 815 ...

, where he played football as a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

and known as the "Red Oak Express" the football team before graduating in 1937. Hutchison later earned a Master of Education from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(USC) in 1948.

Career

Following his collegiate football career, Hutchison played professionally as a halfback for the

of the

(NFL) in 1939, and as a wingback for the

of the

(PCPFL) from 1939 to 1946. In 1940, Hutchison was hired at

as head coach in football and basketball and mathematics instructor. He left Citrus in 1942 to enlist in the physical educator corps of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and was assigned to

Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Ham ...

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

. Hutchison was an assistant football coach and chief petty officer at

Doane College Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha. Established in 1872, Doane is the oldest private university in the state of Nebraska. History Doane College was founded on July 11, ...

Crete, Nebraska Crete is the most populous city of Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,099 at the 2020 census. The city is home to Doane University. History The railroad reached Crete in 1870, attracting new settlers. In 1871, two c ...

before earning a commission in the U.S. Navy as a

lieutenant (junior grade) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), i ...

in 1944. Hutchison coached football at Burbank High School, in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

, in 1947. He officiated in the NFL from 1952 through 1959, and in the

for its entire existence, from 1960 through 1969. In 1959, Hutchison was named principal of Kaiser Junior High School in

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...

Family and death

Hutchison married Lois Evelyn Walters in May 1943. They had two daughters, Sandra and Sharon. Hutchison died on May 24, 2001.

Awards

* Whittier College Athletic Hall of Fame

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchison, Elvin 1912 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American educators 20th-century American naval officers American football halfbacks American football quarterbacks American Football League officials American school principals Citrus Owls football coaches Citrus Owls men's basketball coaches Citrus College faculty Detroit Lions players Doane Tigers football coaches NFL officials Whittier Poets football players High school football coaches in California United States Navy non-commissioned officers United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II University of Southern California alumni People from Guthrie Center, Iowa People from Red Oak, Iowa Coaches of American football from Iowa Players of American football from Iowa Military personnel from Iowa Pacific Coast Professional Football League players