Rex Edward Enright (March 19, 1901 – April 6, 1960) 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 ...
player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played
college football and
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...
in the 1920s. After graduating from Notre Dame in 1926, he played professional football in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
with the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
for two seasons. Enright served as the head football coach at the
University of South Carolina from 1938 to 1942 and again from 1946 to 1956, compiling a record of 64–69–7. He was also the head basketball coach at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
from 1931 to 1938 and at South Carolina for one season in 1942–43, tallying a career college basketball coaching record of 82–62.
Early life and playing career
Enright was the son of James E. Enright (March 1871 – ?) and May C. Billick (January 1882 – ?). He was born in
Rockford, Illinois. He graduated from Central High School in Rockford, where he played on the 1918 state champion basketball team, and was team captain and played running back on the football team. He then graduated from the University of Notre Dame where he played running back for
Knute Rockne
Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is use ...
on the football team, and also played on the Irish basketball team. Enright played
fullback for the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
in 1926 and 1927.
Coaching career
In the early 1930s, Enright was an assistant football coach at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which r ...
. From 1931 to 1938, he was the head basketball coach at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
and assistant football coach. In 1938, he was hired as head football coach and athletic director at the
University of South Carolina. After the 1942 season, he joined the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
serving as a
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
and working mostly in their athletic program in the United States. He completed his service in the navy in 1946, and returned to the Gamecocks as head football coach succeeding
John D. McMillan
John Dickson McMillan (January 27, 1919 – November 20, 1981) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of South Carolina in 1945, Erskine College from 1947 to 1951, and The ...
, and remained until 1955 when he resigned for health reasons. He hired
Warren Giese as his successor, and continued as athletic director until 1960. The Rex Enright Athletic Center on the South Carolina campus was named for him and the Rex Enright Award (also known as the Captain's Cup) given to the football captains of the previous season. He was considered one of the "ring leaders" in the formation of the
Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953.
Personal life, death, and honors
Enright was to married Alice Thoren (1903–1971). They had daughters: Jean (1926–2015), Joyce, and Alice. Enright died on April 6, 1960, from
peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a break in the inner lining of the stomach, the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while one in the first part of the intestines ...
s and rheumatic heart lesions, at Columbia Hospital in
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the ci ...
. He had been admitted to the hospital a week earlier.
Enright is a member of the
South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2009, the University of South Carolina recognized Enright as the winningest football coach in school history. His record 64 wins was highlighted during the halftime show of South Carolina's football game versus
Florida Atlantic on September 19, where Enright's daughter, Jean Smith, and great-grandson, Brian Garrett, accepted the presentation in his memory. That record lasted only two more years until
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his ...
passed him in 2011.
Head coaching record
Football
See also
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Enright, Rex
1901 births
1960 deaths
American football fullbacks
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Illinois
Basketball players from Illinois
Forwards (basketball)
Georgia Bulldogs basketball coaches
Georgia Pre-Flight Skycrackers football coaches
Green Bay Packers players
North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players
Players of American football from Illinois
South Carolina Gamecocks athletic directors
South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches
South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball coaches
Sportspeople from Rockford, Illinois
United States Navy officers
United States Navy reservists
Military personnel from Illinois