Henry Russell Sanders

College coach infobox
Name = Henry Russell Sanders


Caption =
DateOfBirth = birth date|1905|3|7
Birthplace = flagicon|North Carolina Asheville, NC
DateOfDeath = death date and age|1958|8|14|1905|3|7
Deathplace = Los Angeles, California
Sport = Football
College =
Title = Head coach
CurrentRecord =
OverallRecord = 102-41-3
Awards = See Below
Championships = 3 PCC Conference Championships
(1953, 1954, 1955)
National Championship (1954) UPI
CFbDWID = 2060
Player = Y
Years = 1923-1927
Team = Vanderbilt University
Position = Quarterback
Coach = Y
CoachYears = 1940-1942
1946-1948
1949-1957
CoachTeams = Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt
UCLA
FootballHOF = 1996
CollegeHOFID = 50097

Henry Russell ("Red") Sanders (born March 7, 1905 in Asheville, North Carolina – died August 14, 1958 in Los Angeles, California) was an American college football head coach at UCLA and Vanderbilt. Known for being witty and hard driving, he used the single-wing formation to bring the two universities to great success. He is widely credited with coining the saying, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing". [Sayre, Joe] He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Vanderbilt

Sanders attended college at Vanderbilt University. He was a four-year letterman both in football and baseball. He was captain of the baseball team in his senior year. He was the quarterback on the football team. His coach, Dan McGugin, said of him, "Red Sanders has one of the best football minds I have ever known."

He also had a successful stint as head coach at Vanderbilt having compiled a 36-22-2 (.617) record there, its best overall record while a member of the Southeastern Conference. Highlights included
*A stunning upset of #7 ranked Alabama on November 22, 1941, in a driving rainstorm in Nashville [Alabama Crimson Tide 1941 Season Summary (PDF copy at [http://www.rolltide.com www.rolltide.com] )] ; only the second time in Commodore history where they defeated a ranked team.
*The first top-20 ranking in the school history in 1947, where the team was ranked #10 after opening the season with two wins. The team defended its ranking with a defeat of #18 Mississippi, the first time Vanderbilt played a ranked school while ranked.
*An eight game winning string to end the 1948 season, including a ranking in the final poll and a defeat of arch rival Tennessee. This still stands as the longest single-season win streak in Vanderbilt football history.

UCLA

Sanders coached the Bruins from 1949 to 1957. He was arguably the best coach in school history, having compiled a record of 66-19-1 (.773) at UCLA and earning the school its only national championship in football. As head coach of the Bruins, Sanders took them to three Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) titles, two Rose Bowls ('53 and '55 seasons) and to a 6-3 record over arch-rival USC.

Sanders instituted the distinctive football uniforms worn by the Bruins when he replaced the navy blue jerseys with "powderkeg blue" and added the shoulder stripe to give the impression of motion.

The 1954 Bruins compiled a 9-0 record and climbed to the top of the UPI poll, winning the national championship that year and sharing it with Ohio State, winner of the AP Poll's championship. Due to the PCC's early "no repeat" rule, the undefeated Bruins were unable to compete in the Rose Bowl that season despite being the PCC champion. Second-place USC (who the Bruins defeated 34-0), played in the Rose Bowl in their stead and were soundly defeated by Big Ten champion and eventual co-national champion Ohio State.

Sanders died suddenly of a heart attack on August 14 1958, just before the 1958 season. His assistant coach George W. Dickerson rushed in to take his place for the first three games and was replaced by William F. Barnes.

Quotes

Winning isn't every thing, it's the only thing

Sanders actually spoke two different versions of the quote. In 1950, at a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo physical education workshop, Sanders told his group: "Men, I'll be honest. Winning isn't everything. (Long pause.) Men, it's the only thing!" [Rosenbaum, Art - INDIANS FAR FROM BASHFUL AT CHOW, Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Oct 18, 1950. p. C3 (1 page)] In 1955, in a Sports Illustrated article preceding the 1956 Rose Bowl, he was quoted as saying "Sure, winning isn't every thing, It's the only thing." [Sayre, Joe - He Flies On One Wing. Sports Illustrated, December 26, 1955]

Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death, It's more important than that

While at UCLA, another famous quote was attributed to Sanders regarding the UCLA-USC rivalry, "Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death, it's more important than that." [ [http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/trojan_family/autumn04/F2_USCvsUCLA.html The Start of Something Big: USC vs. UCLA] by Lonnie White, marking 75 years of the UCLA-USC rivalry] [Burke, Anne (Editor) - [http://www.magazine.ucla.edu/year2004/summer04_09_03.html Summer 2004 Bruin Walk: Rah-rah Boo-hiss] . UCLA Magazine, summer 2004] In 1981, famed Liverpool F.C. coach Bill Shankly paraphrased this quote during an interview, and the phrase "It's Much More Important Than That" became the title of Shankly's autobiography.

Personal awards

*1946 Blue-Gray Game, Montgomery, Alabama, Coach
*1951 East-West Shrine Game, San Francisco, California, Coach
*1952 College All-Star Game, Chicago, Illinois, Coach
*1952 North-South Shrine Game, Miami, Florida, Coach
*1953, 1954, and 1957 Football Coach of the Year - Los Angeles Times National Sports Awards Dinner
*1954 Coach of the Year - National Collegiate Football Coaches' Association and the Touchdown Club of Washington, D.C.
*1984 UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame (Charter Member)
*1996 College Football Hall of Fame

Coaching record

CFB Yearly Record Start
type = coach
team =
conf =
bowl =
poll = bothCFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Vanderbilt
conf = Southeastern Conference
startyear = 1940
endyear = 1942CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1940
name = Vanderbilt
overall = 3-6-1
conference = 0-5-1
confstanding = 11th
ranking =
ranking2 =
bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1941
name = Vanderbilt
overall = 8-2-0
conference = 3-2-0
confstanding = 6th
ranking =
ranking2 =
bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1942
name = Vanderbilt
overall = 6-4-0
conference = 2-4-0
confstanding = 8th
ranking =
ranking2 =
bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Vanderbilt
conf = Southeastern Conference
startyear = 1946
endyear = 1948CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1946
name = Vanderbilt
overall = 5-4-0
conference = 3-4-0
confstanding = 7th
ranking =
ranking2 =
bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1947
name = Vanderbilt
overall = 6-4-0
conference = 3-3-0
confstanding = 5th
ranking =
ranking2 =
bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1948
name = Vanderbilt
overall = 8-2-1
conference = 4-2-1
confstanding = 4th
ranking =
ranking2 =
12

bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Vanderbilt
overall = 36-22-2
confrecord = 15-20-2CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = UCLA
conf = Pacific Coast Conference
startyear = 1949
endyear = 1957CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1949
name = UCLA
overall = 6-3-0
conference = 5-2-0
confstanding = 2nd
ranking =
ranking2 =
bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1950
name = UCLA
overall = 6-3-0
conference = 5-2-0
confstanding = 3rd
ranking =
ranking2 =
bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1951
name = UCLA
overall = 5-3-1
conference = 4-1-1
confstanding = 2nd
ranking =
17

ranking2 =
17

bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1952
name = UCLA
overall = 8-1-0
conference = 5-1-0
confstanding = 2nd
ranking =
6

ranking2 =
6

bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1953
name = UCLA
overall = 8-2-0
conference = 6-1-0
confstanding = 1st
ranking =
4

ranking2 =
5

bowlname = Rose
bowloutcome = L
bcsbowl = yesCFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = national
year = 1954
name = UCLA
overall = 9-0-0
conference = 6-0-0
confstanding = 1st
ranking =
1

ranking2 =
2

CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1955
name = UCLA
overall = 9-2-0
conference = 6-0-0
confstanding = 1st
ranking =
4

ranking2 =
4

bowlname = Rose
bowloutcome = L
bcsbowl = yesCFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1956
name = UCLA
overall = 7-3-0
conference = 5-2-0
confstanding = T 2nd
ranking =
ranking2 =

CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1957
name = UCLA
overall = 8-2-0
conference = 5-2-0
confstanding = 3rd
ranking =
18

ranking2 =
bowlname =
bowloutcome = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = UCLA
overall = 66-19-1
confrecord = 47-11-1CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 102-41-3
bcs =
poll = two

References

Bibliography

* Adam Karon, [http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/db/issues/00/01.20/sports.championship.html Red Scare] , "The Daily Bruin", January 20 2000.
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,868760,00.html Milestones] , "Time", August 25 1958.
* Sayre, Joe - "He Flies on One Wing," "Sports Illustrated", Dec. 26, 1955.
* University of California: In Memoriam: Henry Russell Sanders - University of California (System) Academic Senate. April 1960.
*UCLA Bruins football media guide (PDF copy available at [http://www.uclabruins.com www.uclabruins.com] )
*Vanderbilt Commodores football media guide (PDF copy available at [http://www.vucommodores.com www.vucommodores.com] )
*Rose, Adam - [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bruin/2007/08/august-14-1958-.html August 14, 1958: The saddest date in UCLA football history] . Los Angeles Times Blogs, "What's Bruin?", August 13, 2007

ee also

*1954 Rose Bowl
*1956 Rose Bowl