Ralph Fielding "Hutch" Hutchinson (February 19, 1878 – March 30, 1935) 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 ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player. He served as the head football coach at

Dickinson College Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...

(1901), the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

(1903–1905), the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

(1911–1916),

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...

(1918), the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

(1919), and the Idaho Technical Institute (now

Idaho State University Idaho State University (ISU) is a Public university, public research university in Pocatello, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1901 as the Academy of Idaho, Idaho State offers more than 250 programs at its main campus in Pocatello and locations ...

) (1920–1927), compiling a career

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 ...

record of 62–55–6. Hutchinson was also the head basketball coach at New Mexico (1910–1917), Idaho (1919–1920), and Idaho Technical (1926–1927), amassing a career

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

record of 56–18, and the head baseball coach at Texas from 1904 to 1906 and at New Mexico from 1910 to 1917, tallying a career

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

mark of 69–44–2.

Playing career

Born in

Elmira, New York Elmira () is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. ...

, Hutchinson played varsity football and baseball and ran track at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. In football, he was 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 later played the position as a

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

for the

Greensburg Athletic Association The Greensburg Athletic Association was an early organized football team, based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, that played in the unofficial Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit from 1890 until 1900. At times referred to as the Greensb ...

, an early professional football team out of

Greensburg, Pennsylvania Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 14,976 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southeast of Pittsburgh, Greensburg is a part of the Greater Pittsbu ...

, in

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...

. Hutchinson also played

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

. He played for the 1902 Flandreau Indians of the Iowa-South Dakota League. There, his manager was Art Hillebrand, who played college football with Hutchinson at Princeton and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Coaching career

Dickinson

Hutchison was the third head football coach at

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census ...

, serving for one season, in the 1901.

Texas

From 1903 to 1905, Hutchinson coached at

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where he compiled a 16–7–2 record.

New Mexico

Hutchinson was the first basketball coach at the

, compiling a 32–8 record from 1910 to 1917. New Mexico played games only sporadically before the 1920s, with no regular schedule.

Washington & Jefferson

Hutchinson was hired in August 1918 as head coach at Washington & Jefferson, south of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Idaho

Hutchinson was the head football coach at the

for the 1919 season. A "shorter than normal" season, his team posted a record. He also coached the

basketball team Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

for the 1919–20 season.

Idaho Technical Institute

In 1920, Hutchinson moved south to the Idaho Technical Institute in

Pocatello Pocatello () is the county seat of and the largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, containing the city's airport. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metro ...

. He coached through the 1927 season, tallying a record at the two-year school, which was renamed the "University of Idaho–Southern Branch" in 1927. It was renamed "Idaho State College" in 1947 after gaining four-year status and became

in 1963. On November 4, 1922, the Idaho Tech football team played its first game on Hutchinson Field, named in his honor. The field was used until partway through the 1936 season, when football games moved to the " Spud Bowl". The former Hutchinson Field area continues to be known as the Hutchinson Memorial Quadrangle.

After coaching

After eight years in Pocatello, Hutchinson returned to the University of Idaho in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 1928, where he was the athletic director for a year, as well as the head track coach and an assistant football coach. After the hiring of

Leo Calland Leo Blakely Calland (February 24, 1901 – March 17, 1984) was an American college football and college basketball player and coach who later became a San Diego city parks administrator. He was the head football coach at Whittier College the Un ...

in 1929, Hutchinson was the athletic trainer and a professor of physical education, and the head coach of minor sports. Following a brief illness, he died at the age of 57 on March 30, 1935, of a heart attack at his Moscow home. In 1980, Hutchinson was inducted to Idaho State's athletic hall of fame.

Head coaching record

1921 Idaho Technical Tigers football team

College football

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchinson, Ralph 1878 births 1935 deaths 19th-century players of American football American football quarterbacks Basketball coaches from New York (state) Greensburg Athletic Association coaches Greensburg Athletic Association players Idaho Vandals athletic directors Idaho Vandals men's basketball coaches Idaho Vandals football coaches Idaho State Bengals football coaches Idaho State Bengals men's basketball coaches New Mexico Lobos athletic directors New Mexico Lobos baseball coaches New Mexico Lobos football coaches New Mexico Lobos men's basketball coaches Princeton Tigers baseball players Princeton Tigers football coaches Princeton Tigers football players Texas Longhorns baseball coaches Texas Longhorns football coaches Washington & Jefferson Presidents football coaches Sportspeople from Elmira, New York Sportspeople from Moscow, Idaho Players of American football from New York (state) Flandreau Indians players Princeton Tigers men's track and field athletes Le Mars Blackbirds players Sioux City Soos players Grand Forks Forkers players