- Muddy Waters (American football)
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Frank "Muddy" Waters 
Coach Waters at Michigan State University Sport(s) Football Biographical details Born January 30, 1923 Place of birth Chico, California Died September 20, 2006 (aged 83) Place of death Saginaw, Michigan Playing career 1946–1949 Michigan State Position(s) Fullback Coaching career (HC unless noted) 1954–1973
1975–1979
1980–1982Hillsdale
Saginaw Valley State
Michigan StateHead coaching record Overall 173–96–7 Statistics College Football Data Warehouse Accomplishments and honors Championships 7 MIAA (1954–1960)
1 GLIAC (1979)Awards NAIA Coach of the Year (1957)
Michigan Coach of the Year (8 times)
NAIA Coach's Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2000 (profile)Frank "Muddy" Waters (January 30, 1923 – September 20, 2006) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Hillsdale College (1954–1973), Saginaw Valley State University (1975–1979), and Michigan State University (1980–1982), compiling a career college football record of 173–96–7. Waters was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2000.[1]
Contents
Early years and playing career
Waters was born in Chico, California and grew up in Wallingford, Connecticut, where he attended The Choate School. He played fullback for Michigan State from 1946 to 1949 under coaches Charlie Bachman and Clarence "Biggie" Munn.
Coaching career
Hillsdale
His Hillsdale Dales/Chargers teams won 34 consecutive games from 1953 to 1957 while participating in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In 1955, his 9–0 team refused to play in the Tangerine Bowl when game officials prohibited the team's black players from participating. He was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 1957, a year in which the team played in the Holiday Bowl and was chosen by the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club as the best small college team in the country. In his final year at the school, its stadium was renamed Frank Waters Stadium.
Saginaw Valley State
After leaving Hillsdale with a 138–47–5 record, Waters went on to serve as the first head coach of the Saginaw Valley State University Cardinals from 1975 to 1979, posting a 25–26–2 record and capturing a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in his final season.
Michigan State
In 1980, Michigan State hired Waters as head football coach after an NCAA probation. Waters coached for three seasons, but got fired after a 10–23 record in three seasons.[2] Despite his firing just before the last game of the season, Waters was popular enough with players and fans to be carried off the field after his final 24–18 loss to Iowa.
Later life and death
After leaving MSU's head coach position, Waters continued to live in East Lansing and participate as member of the MSU community for the next two decades. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000 in the Small College category. Waters died of congestive heart failure at age 83 in Saginaw, Michigan.
Head coaching record
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP° Hillsdale Chargers (Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association/Independent) (1954–1973) Hillsdale: 138–47–5 Saginaw Valley State Cardinals (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1975–1979) 1975 Saginaw Valley State 3–7 1–3 1976 Saginaw Valley State 4–7 0–5 1977 Saginaw Valley State 6–5 2–3 1978 Saginaw Valley State 4–5–1 1–3–1 1979 Saginaw Valley State 8–2–1 4–0–1 1st Saginaw Valley State: 25–26–2 8–14–2 Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten Conference) (1980–1982) 1980 Michigan State 3–8 2–6 9th 1981 Michigan State 5–6 4–5 T–6th 1982 Michigan State 2–9 2–7 T–8th Michigan State: 10–23 8–18 Total: 173–96–7 National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title #Rankings from final Coaches' Poll.
°Rankings from final AP Poll.References
External links
- Muddy Waters at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Muddy Waters at the College Football Data Warehouse
Hillsdale Chargers head football coaches No coach (1891–1895) • D. M. Martin (1896) Nate Duffy (1897) • D. M. Martin (1898) No coach (1899–1903) • Harry McRae (1904) • No coach (1905) • William Boone (1906) • James Whipple (1907) • Herbert C. Reed (1908–1910) • Claude J. Hunt (1911–1912) • Charles Firth (1913) • Leroy Buchiet (1914–1917) • Lawrence Manson (1918) • Samuel Taylor (1919) • William J. Rennie (1920–1921) • Louis Ost (1922) • Howard Jefferson (1923–1924) • Elroy Guckert (1925–1926) • Dwight Harwood (1927–1945) • David M. Nelson (1946–1947) • Gib Holgate (1948) • Jack Petoskey (1949–1950) • Irv Wisniewski (1951) • Henry Fallon (1952) • Charlie Bachman (1953) • Muddy Waters (1954–1973) • Jack McAvoy (1974–1977) • Ron Lynch (1978–1979) • Dick Lowry (1980–1996) • Dave Dye (1997–2001) • Keith Otterbein (2002– )
Saginaw Valley State Cardinals head football coaches Muddy Waters (1975–1979) • Jim Larkin (1980–1982) • George Ihler (1983–1993) • Jerry Kill (1994–1998) • Randy Awrey (1999–2007) • Jim Collins (2008– )
Michigan State Spartans head football coaches Henry Keep (1897–1898) • Charles Bemies (1899–1900) • George Denman (1901–1902) • Chester Brewer (1903–1910) • John Macklin (1911–1915) • Frank Sommers (1916) • Chester Brewer (1917) • George Gauthier (1918) • Chester Brewer (1919) • George Clark (1920) • Albert Barron (1921–1922) • Ralph Young (1923–1927) • Harry G. Kipke (1928) • Jim Crowley (1929–1932) • Charlie Bachman (1933–1946) • Clarence Munn (1947–1953) • Duffy Daugherty (1954–1972) • Denny Stolz (1973–1975) • Darryl Rogers (1976–1979) • Muddy Waters (1980–1982) • George Perles (1983–1994) • Nick Saban (1995–1999) • Bobby Williams (2000–2002) • Morris Watts # (2002) • John L. Smith (2003–2006) • Mark Dantonio (2007– )
Pound sign (#) denotes interim coach.Categories:- 1923 births
- 2006 deaths
- Hillsdale Chargers football coaches
- Michigan State Spartans football coaches
- Michigan State Spartans football players
- Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football coaches
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Choate Rosemary Hall alumni
- People from Chico, California
- People from Saginaw, Michigan
- People from Wallingford, Connecticut
- Cardiovascular disease deaths in Michigan
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