John Bain Sutherland (March 21, 1889 – April 11, 1948) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player and coach. He coached

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 ...

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

(1919–1923) and the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

(1924–1938) and professional football for the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

(1940–1941) and

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

(1946–1947). He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 1951.

Biography

A native of Coupar Angus in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, Sutherland got his start in football by playing end at the

, commonly known as Pitt, under legendary coach Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner. Sutherland was named an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

and played on Pitt's national championship teams in 1915 and 1916. Sutherland also played on Pitt's undefeated 1917 team. The 1917 team was known as "The Fighting Dentists" because on occasion every position was filled by dental students. The dental students on the 1917 team included Sutherland, Katy Easterday, Skip Gougler, "Tank" McLaren and "Jake" Stahl. Sutherland also lettered in

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

and captained the track and field team at Pitt for which he specialized in the

hammer throw The hammer throw (HT for short) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The hammer used in this sport is not like any of the tools a ...

, discus, and

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

. He was also a member of the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternities. The fraternity has 244 active undergraduate chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has ...

fraternity, Psi Omega national dental fraternity,

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is an American collegiate honor society that recognizes leadership and scholarship. It was founded in 1914, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and has chartered more t ...

, and the Druids Society, a secret society at the university. Sutherland graduated from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Dentistry, where he also held a professorship in the instruction of bridge and crown.

Coaching

In 1919, Sutherland played in a few games with the

Massillon Tigers The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the " Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championshi ...

of the

Ohio League The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct p ...

, which was the direct predecessor to the modern

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 ...

. However, he soon left the team and began his head coaching career at

from 1919 to 1923, leading the Leopards to the 1921 Eastern Collegiate Championship.

University of Pittsburgh

In 1924, Sutherland replaced "Pop" Warner, his former coach and mentor, as head coach at Pitt. Sutherland, who was described as "a national hero" in a ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'' article, became a highly admired and influential coach at the university while compiling a record of 111–20–12. On offense, he ran a double-wing formation known as the " Sutherland Scythe". He was known for his calm and direct demeanor, never shouting or ranting to motivate his team. During his tenure, Sutherland's teams were named Eastern football champions seven times including 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, and 1937. During this time, Pitt appeared in four Rose Bowl games (1928, 1930, 1933, and 1937) and turned down a bid for the 1938 Rose Bowl. Sutherland's teams were named "National Champions" by various selectors for nine different seasons including 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, and 1938. Of these, the University of Pittsburgh officially recognizes five of those years as national championship seasons (1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, and 1937), while one of them, 1937, includes the Associated Press national championship designation which, at the time, was only the second instance in which the AP poll had been published. Sutherland coached the famed "Dream Backfield" of John Chickerneo, Dick Cassiano, Harold Stebbins, and Marshall Goldberg, which at the time was considered to be the best backfield in history by some, including Don Miller, a member of The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame. After years of struggling with the university for sustained financial support, Sutherland resigned in 1938 because the school's Chancellor, John Gabbert Bowman, instituted a policy of de-emphasis for the football program, eliminating athletic scholarships, student athlete stipends, and the recruiting funds. Bowman's moves, which resulted in Sutherland's departure, were controversial among students and supporters of the football program. As of 2009, his career coaching record of 144–28–14 in 20 seasons at the collegiate level, an .812 winning percentage, is the 25th best winning percentage in all divisions of college football and 11th best among coaches from the top division, currently known as the Division I FBS. His .812 winning percentage is also the 5th best such mark during the first 20 years of any coaches' career. He is also tied for the 23rd fewest games to reach 100 victories, accomplished in his 132nd game as coach.

Professional football and military service

Sutherland later coached in the National Football League with the

for two seasons, 1940–41, before leaving the team to serve the United States during World War II. During the war, Sutherland served in 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 achieved the rank of Lieutenant commander. Upon returning to the United States, Sutherland landed with the

, where he was head coach and team vice president. He led the Steelers to their first playoff appearance in 1947.

Sudden illness and death

While on a scouting trip for the Steelers in April 1948, Sutherland was found in his car in Bandana, Kentucky, where he was experiencing confusion and was then taken to a hospital in

Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( , sometimes ) is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois, Alexander County. A river city, Cairo has the lowest elevation of any location in Illinois and is the only Illinoi ...

, where he was initially diagnosed with "nervous exhaustion". He was flown back to Pittsburgh for further treatment. An exploratory surgery was required to determine whether he was suffering from a hemorrhage or a tumor. Sutherland died in Pittsburgh on April 11, 1948, following surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor. He is interred in Pittsburgh's Homewood Cemetery.

Honors

Sutherland was inducted into the

in 1951 as a coach. He is memorialized on the Pitt campus with a street, Sutherland Drive, and the student residence Sutherland Hall.

Head coaching record

College

David DeLassus
All-Time Coaching Records:Dr. John B. "Jock" Sutherland
, College Football Data Warehouse, August 5, 2010. *The Pittsburgh Panthers claim a share of the 1934 national championship per a 1970 ''Sports Illustrated'' study on national championships that the school has used since its publication as the basis of its claims. However, this championship is not included in the Official NCAA Records Book's list of national champions.

References

Bibliography

* * * ''Jock Sutherland: Architect of Men''. Harry G. Scott. New York, NY: Exposition Press, 1954.

Citations

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland, Jock 1889 births 1948 deaths American football ends Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) coaches Lafayette Leopards football coaches Massillon Tigers players Pittsburgh Panthers football coaches Pittsburgh Panthers football players Pittsburgh Panthers men's track and field athletes Pittsburgh Panthers wrestlers Pittsburgh Steelers coaches Pittsburgh Steelers executives All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II Sportspeople from Perth and Kinross British emigrants to the United States Scottish players of American football Deaths from brain cancer in Pennsylvania Burials at Homewood Cemetery Pittsburgh Steelers head coaches