Clarence Stasavich

Clarence Stasavich
	Stasavich pictured in The Buccaneer 1963, East Carolina yearbook
Biographical details
Born	February 9, 1913; Illinois
Died	October 24, 1975 (aged 62); Greenville, North Carolina
Playing career
1931–1934	Lenoir–Rhyne
Position(s)	End
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1946–1961	Lenoir–Rhyne
1962–1969	East Carolina
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1963–1975	East Carolina
Head coaching record
Overall	171–64–7
Bowls	5–1
Tournaments	3–1 (NAIA playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	1 NAIA National (1960); 7 North State / Carolinas Conference (1951–1952, 1955–1956, 1958–1961); 1 SoCon (1966)

Clarence Stasavich (February 9, 1913 – October 24, 1975) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Lenoir–Rhyne University from 1946 to 1961 and at East Carolina College—renamed East Carolina University in 1967—from 1963 to 1969, compiling a career college football of 171–64–7. He led Lenoir–Rhyne to the NAIA Football National Championship in 1960. Stasavich was also the athletic director at East Carolina from 1963 to 1975.

East Carolina

Stasavich was the head football coach at East Carolina from 1962 to 1969 and the athletic director from 1963 to 1975. During those eight years Stasavich posted a 50–27–1 record. In 1963 East Carolina was 9–1 and record the program's first bowl game victory, against North Eastern in the Eastern Bowl. In 1964, Stasavich's team again posted a 9–1 record and beat UMass in the Tangerine Bowl, 14–13. The 1965 football season was a repeat of 1964's record and bowl appearance, expect the Pirates won against Maine, 31–0, in the Tangerine Bowl. Also in 1965, Stasavich helped bring East Carolina into the Southern Conference. In 1969, Stasavich was the third-winningest active coach after Bear Bryant of Alabama and Johnny Vaught of Ole Miss.

Death, awards, and honors

Stasavich died October 24, 1975, a day before East Carolina beat North Carolina for the first time.

Stasavich's love for the Southern Conference was honored when the conference named the football championship trophy the Clarence Stasavich Memorial Trophy. Stasavich was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1970, the ECU Hall of Fame in 1976, the National Association of Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame in 1977, and the Florida Citrus Bowl Hall of Fame in 1986. Lenoir-Rhyne and the city of Hickory, North Carolina named one of the campus streets Stasavich Place in honor of his accomplishments. The street runs in front of the gymnasium and is the main entry to Helen and Lenonard Moretz Stadium, the university's football facility.

Head coaching record


Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Lenoir–Rhyne Bears Engineers (North State Conference / Carolinas Conference) (1946–1961)
1946	Lenoir–Rhyne	5–6
1947	Lenoir–Rhyne	5–4–1
1948	Lenoir–Rhyne	6–3–1
1949	Lenoir–Rhyne	7–3
1950	Lenoir–Rhyne	8–2
1951	Lenoir–Rhyne	10–1		1st	W Pythian Bowl
1952	Lenoir–Rhyne	8–1		1st	L Cigar
1953	Lenoir–Rhyne	4–5
1954	Lenoir–Rhyne	2–7–1
1955	Lenoir–Rhyne	9–0–1		1st	W Palmetto Shrine
1956	Lenoir–Rhyne	10–0		1st
1957	Lenoir–Rhyne	8–2–1
1958	Lenoir–Rhyne	9–1		1st
1959	Lenoir–Rhyne	10–1		1st	L NAIA Football National Championship
1960	Lenoir–Rhyne	12–0		1st	W NAIA Football National Championship
1961	Lenoir–Rhyne	8–1–1		1st
Lenoir–Rhyne:		121–37–6
East Carolina Pirates (NCAA College Division independent) (1962–1964)
1962	East Carolina	5–4
1963	East Carolina	9–1			W Eastern Bowl
1964	East Carolina	9–1			W Tangerine
East Carolina Pirates (Southern Conference) (1965–1969)
1965	East Carolina	9–1	3–1	3rd	W Tangerine
1966	East Carolina	4–5–1	4–1–1	T–1st
1967	East Carolina	8–2	4–1	2nd
1968	East Carolina	4–6	2–2	T–2nd
1969	East Carolina	2–7	1–3	5th
East Carolina:		50–27–1	14–8–1
Total:		171–64–7
^†Indicates Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, BCS, or CFP / New Years' Six bowl.

References

External links