Norris Armstrong
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 15, 1898 Fort Smith, Arkansas |
| Died | October 11, 1981 (aged 83) Danville, Kentucky |
| Playing career | |
| 1918–1921 | Centre |
| 1922 | Milwaukee Badgers |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1922 | Centenary (assistant) |
| 1923–1930 | Carroll (WI) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 44–11–6 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| 1x All-Southern (1919) All-time Centre team | |
Phillip Norris "Army" Armstrong (September 15, 1898 – October 11, 1981) was an American football player and coach.
Playing career
Centre
Norris played tackle and halfback for Centre College Praying Colonels in Danville, Kentucky and was a key offensive player[1] during the 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game and was captain of the team that year.[2] He also was a player on the school's basketball team.[3] Centre College honored his contribution to the school's athletic program by inducting him into the college's Athletic Hall of Fame.[4] He was a halfback on Centre's all-time football team chosen in 1935.[5]
Milwaukee Badgers
After graduation from Centre, Norris played professionally for the 1922 season as an offensive tackle for the Milwaukee Badgers[6] of the National Football League[7] alongside his college teammate Bo McMillin.[8]
Coaching career
Centenary
Armstrong's first coaching position was in 1922 at Centenary College.[9] Here he was assistant to his college teammate (and future professional teammate) Bo McMillin[10] where they produced an impressive record of eight wins and one loss[11] while outscoring opponents 295 to 41.[12]
Carroll
After completing one year as an assistant coach, Armstrong was named the 15th head football at Carroll College (now called Carroll University) in Waukesha, Wisconsin[13] and he held that position for eight seasons, from 1923 until 1930. His career coaching record at Carroll College was 44–11–6.[14]
Armstrong oversaw one of the most successful periods of the football team at the college.[15] The university honored his contributions by inducting him into the school's "Hall of Fame" in 1973.[16]
Key games for Carroll under Armstrong included the 1925 victory over Great Lakes Naval by a score of 73–0, and an undefeated 1925 season. The program never had anything but winning seasons under Armstrong, with the worst record being 4–3 in 1929; the worst loss that year was a 46–0 defeat by the Iowa Hawkeyes.[17]
After retiring from coaching, Armstrong remain with Carroll College to become athletic director and later a trustee of the college.[18]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll Pioneers () (1923–1930) | |||||||||
| 1923 | Carroll | 5–3 | |||||||
| 1924 | Carroll | 6–1–1 | |||||||
| 1925 | Carroll | 8–0 | |||||||
| 1926 | Carroll | 5–1–2 | |||||||
| 1927 | Carroll | 6–1–1 | |||||||
| 1928 | Carroll | 5–1–1 | |||||||
| 1929 | Carroll | 4–3 | |||||||
| 1930 | Carroll | 5–1–1 | |||||||
| Carroll: | 44–11–6 | ||||||||
| Total: | 44–11–6 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
References
- ^ College Football Historical Society "Still The Greatest" by Jim Campbell, August 1996
- ^ Centre College Centre vs Harvard
- ^ Big Blue History University of Kentucky Basketball vs Centre College, February 8, 1921
- ^ Centre College Athletics Hall of Fame
- ^ George Trevor (November 25, 1935). "1921 Team Produces Most Stars For Centre's All-Time Eleven". Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Google news.
- ^ JT-SW.com Norris Armstrong
- ^ Database Football Norris Armstrong
- ^ Database Football 1922 Milwaukee Badgers
- ^ The Beta Pi "Gridiron Coaches" Summer 2003
- ^ Pulaski Past Pulaski County Biographies
- ^ College Football Data Warehouse Centenary Yearly Results, 1920-1924
- ^ College Football Data Warehouse Centenary College 1922 Results
- ^ Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune September 19, 1923
- ^ Carroll College Football Coaching Records
- ^ City of Waukesha, Wisconsin "Waukesha's History"
- ^ Carroll College Athletics Hall of Fame
- ^ Carroll University Season by Season Results
- ^ The Evening Independent "A Football Legend is Dead" October 13, 1981
