Zachary Henry Curlin
(January 31, 1890 – June 3, 1970) 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 ...
and
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 ...
player and coach.
Background and career
Curlin attended
Christian Brothers College (now University) in Memphis and the
Webb School. and played piano in the band. He was a
halfback and
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 ...
on
Dan McGugin's
Vanderbilt Commodores football
The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) within the Southe ...
teams from 1910 to 1913, and the starting quarterback in 1912 and 1913, leading Vandy to an
SIAA title in 1912. He made kicks on both
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
and
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. Curlin was pulled for his backup Rabbi Robbins in Vanderbilt's largest win its history,
a 105–0 win over
Bethel
Bethel (, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; ; ) was an ancient Israelite city and sacred space that is frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.
Bet ...
in
1912
This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15.
In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...
, the muddy conditions better suited to the other's talents. Curlin later served as the
Memphis Tigers men's basketball
The Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represents the University of Memphis in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The Tigers have competed in the American Athletic Conference since 2013. As of 2020, the Tigers had the 26th highest winnin ...
coach for many years.
Legacy
Curlin was inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame in 1974 and a street on the east side of the university's campus bears his name. An award is given annually in his name that recognizes the top male student-athlete at the University of Memphis that possesses his "drive, enthusiasm and determination for academics and athletics while maintaining a concern for others."
Head coaching record
Football
References
External links
*
1890 births
1970 deaths
American men's basketball players
American football drop kickers
American football quarterbacks
Memphis Tigers athletic directors
Memphis Tigers baseball coaches
Memphis Tigers football coaches
Memphis Tigers men's basketball coaches
Vanderbilt Commodores football players
Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players
Christian Brothers University alumni
Sportspeople from Mississippi County, Arkansas
Coaches of American football from Tennessee
Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee
Basketball coaches from Tennessee
Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee
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