John B. Eckstorm
 Eckstorm pictured in Makio 1901, Ohio State yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 22, 1874[1] South Bend, Minnesota |
| Died | October 28, 1964 (aged 90) Marysville, Ohio |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
| Playing career | |
| 1894–1897 | Dartmouth[2] |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1898 | Kenyon |
| 1899–1901 | Ohio State |
| 1902 | Ohio Medical[3] |
| 1903–1904 | Kenyon |
| 1905–1906[4] | Ohio Medical |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 22–4–3 |
John Bernard Christian Eckstorm (October 22, 1873 – October 28, 1964)[5] was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Ohio State University from 1899 to 1901, compiling a record of 22–4–3. Eckstorm was the first Ohio State Buckeyes football coach to have a winning record at the school. In his first season in 1899, the Buckeyes went 9–0–1 giving OSU their first undefeated season in school history. The next season, he led Ohio State to a tie against Michigan in the second meeting of the two schools.
During the 1901 season, captain John Sigrist endured an injury during a game with Western Reserve University. Forty-eight hours later, he was pronounced dead and it very nearly led to the abolishment of football at Ohio State. It remains the only death because of injuries sustained during play in Ohio State history.[6] A resolution to cancel the remainder of the season was defeated by an 18–8 vote, but it proved difficult for the Buckeyes to emotionally recover. They lost three of the last four games and Coach Eckstorm decided to leave his post at the end of the season.
Eckstorm was later a physician in Ohio and Chief Medical Officer at the Ohio Penitentiary. He died in Marysville, Ohio in 1964.[7]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State Buckeyes (Independent) (1899–1901) | |||||||||
| 1899 | Ohio State | 9–0–1 | |||||||
| 1900 | Ohio State | 8–1–1 | |||||||
| 1901 | Ohio State | 5–3–1 | |||||||
| Ohio State: | 22–4–3 | ||||||||
| Total: | 22–4–3 | ||||||||
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ http://www.lostcolleges.com/#!ohio-medical-university/crac
- ^ http://digital.kenyon.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2417&context=collegian
- ^ [3]
- ^ SmashThroughToVictory.com
- ^ "Football Coach At OSU Early In Century Dies", Portsmouth Times, October 29, 1964, Portsmouth, Ohio