John Wesley Beckett (January 5, 1892 – July 26, 1981) was an American football player and coach and United States Marine Corps officer. He played college football as a tackle at University of Oregon and for the Mare Island Marines. Beckett was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1972.
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 5, 1892 Eightmile, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | July 26, 1981 (aged 89) La Jolla, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1913–1916 | Oregon |
| 1917 | Mare Island Marines |
| 1920 | Buffalo All-Americans |
| 1922 | Columbus Panhandles |
| Position(s) | Tackle, halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1920 | Mare Island Marines |
| 1921–1924 | Quantico Marines |
| 1925 | San Diego Marines |
| 1926–1928 | Navy (assistant) |
| 1931–1932 | San Diego Marines |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 56–19–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1972 (profile) | |
Early life
editBorn in rural northeastern Oregon, Beckett attended Eugene High School in Eugene before enrolling at the University of Oregon.[1]
University of Oregon
editAlthough primarily used as an tackle, Beckett excelled at several positions, occasionally playing halfback and punter.[1] Beckett was the team captain in his senior year of 1916 and was named to the all-Pacific Coast Conference team.[1][2] He led the team to an undefeated record and tie for the conference championship with the University of Washington. Oregon was chosen to represent the conference in the 1917 Rose Bowl where they defeated Pennsylvania, 14–0, with Beckett later named the game's most valuable player.[1][3] Beckett stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and weighed 191 pounds (87 kg).
U.S. Marine Corps service
editWith the United States' entry in World War I, Beckett joined the Marines in his senior year, and was assigned to the Marine base at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California.[1] He joined the Mare Island football team, coached by Beckett's Oregon coach Hugo Bezdek, and was selected as team captain.[1] With the U.S. at war, the 1918 Rose Bowl featured two service teams: Beckett's Mare Island team and the U.S. Army's Camp Lewis team, with Mare Island winning, 19–7. Beckett is the only person to have been the captain of two different Rose Bowl teams.[1]
Beckett served 50 years in the Marines, coaching Marine teams at Mare Island, Quantico, and San Diego, amassing an overall coaching record of 56–19–3.[1] He achieved a final rank of brigadier general.[1]
Professional career
editBeckett also spent two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Buffalo All-Americans and Columbus Panhandles.[4][5]
Legacy
editBeckett was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972, and was a charter member of both the University of Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992,[3] and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.[6] He died in La Jolla, California, in 1981.
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mare Island Marines (Independent) (1920) | |||||||||
| 1920 | Mare Island Marines | ||||||||
| Quantico Marines Devil Dogs (Independent) (1921–1924) | |||||||||
| 1921 | Quantico Marines | 8–0 | National Service champions[7] | ||||||
| 1922 | Quantico Marines | 8–0 | National Service champions[7] | ||||||
| 1923 | Quantico Marines | 7–2–1 | |||||||
| 1923 | Quantico Marines | 7–0–1 | |||||||
| Quantico Marines: | 30–2–2 | ||||||||
| San Diego Marines (Independent) (1925) | |||||||||
| 1925 | San Diego Marines | ||||||||
| San Diego Marines (Independent) (1931–1932) | |||||||||
| 1931 | San Diego Marines | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1932 | San Diego Marines | ||||||||
| Total: | 56–19–3 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "John "Jack" Beckett". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
- ^ "All-Pacific Coast Conference Selections". GoDucks.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
- ^ a b "John Beckett". GoDucks.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2007.
- ^ "JACK BECKETT". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
- ^ "Jack Beckett". Retrieved September 12, 2014.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Roll of Honor Members". Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Quantico Football 1918 thru 1942 ROSTERS" (PDF). jarheadjocks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2019 – via Wayback Machine.
External links
edit- John Beckett at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference