 Crisp at Alabama | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1896-12-10)December 10, 1896 Crisp, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 1970(1970-01-23) (aged 73) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1915–1916 | Hampden–Sydney |
| 1917–1920 | VPI |
| Position(s) | Tackle,running back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1921–1941 | Alabama (line) |
| 1945 | Alabama (line) |
| 1946 | Miami Seahawks (assistant/HC) |
| 1947–1949 | Tulane (line) |
| 1950–1957 | Alabama (line) |
| Basketball | |
| 1924–1942 | Alabama |
| 1945–1946 | Alabama |
| Baseball | |
| 1928 | Alabama |
| Track | |
| 1921–1927 | Alabama |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1930–1940 | Alabama |
| 1954–1957 | Alabama |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 264–133 (basketball) 12–7–2 (baseball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Basketball Premo-Porretta National (1930) SoCon regular season (1930) SEC tournament (1934) 2SEC regular season (1939, 1940) | |
Henry Gorham Crisp (December 10, 1896 – January 23, 1970) was anAmerican football,basketball,baseball andtrack coach and college athletics administrator. In spite of an accident when he was 13 years old that resulted in the loss of his right hand, Crisp went on toletter in football, basketball and track at bothHampden–Sydney College andVirginia Tech – then known primarily asVPI.
After completing his collegiate career, Crisp began his long coaching career at theUniversity of Alabama. There he served as the headbasketball coach (1924–1942, 1945–1946),baseball coach (1928), track coach (1921–1927), as aline coach with thefootball team (1921–1941, 1945, 1950–1957) and asathletic director (1930–1940, 1954–1957). Crisp also served as an assistant and interim head coach with theMiami Seahawks (1946) and as a line coach atTulane (1947–1949).
Henry "Hank" Gorham Crisp was born on December 10, 1896, atCrisp,North Carolina.[1] At the age of five, Crisp moved with his family toFalkland, North Carolina where his father operated a retail store.[2][3] At the age of 13, he lost his right hand as a result of an accident that occurred as he helped his father fill asilo.[2] After he graduated fromBlackstone Military Academy in 1914, Crisp enrolled atHampden–Sydney College where he played underCharles A. Bernier on theTigers' football team.[2] After his first game againstVMI, one of the Keydets' coaches, impressed by Crisp's performance, told coach Bernier, "Why don't you cut one hand off all your players?"[2]
After two years at Hampden–Sydney, Crisp transferred to VPI (nowVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University or Virginia Tech) after the 1916 season and followed coach Bernier who took the position as the Gobblers head coach.[3] While at VPI, Crisplettered four years in football, three in basketball, one in track and also played as apitcher on the baseball team.[1][4]
As a member of theGobblers football team, he was the team captain (MVP) for theSouth Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SAIAA) champion1918 VPI squad.[5][6] The season was considered the best in VPI's history at the time.[7] They did not win seven straight games again until 1967.[8] Crisp was thequarterback on the1919 team.[9] In recognition of his accomplishments as an athlete at VPI, in 1987 Crisp was inducted into theVirginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.[10]
Crisp was hired by his former head coach Charles A. Bernier, who had resigned from VPI to become the head basketball coach and athletic director at Alabama, in February 1921.[3] His first position on the Crimson Tide football staff was as line coach underXen C. Scott for the1921 team.[1]The next season, he was the head coach of the freshman team, and in1923 he was retained by new head coachWallace Wade as the line coach once again through the end of his tenure at Alabama in 1930.[1] During the Wade era, Crisp was an assistant coach for the1925,1926 and1930 squads that each captured a share of thenational championship.[1][11]
After Wade's resignation, Crisp was again retained on the football staff.[12] Working underFrank Thomas, Crisp continued in his role of line coach, and again won a share of the national championship after the1934 season.[1][11] Under Thomas, Crisp's role outside of his duties as the line coach was that of the team disciplinarian to complement the soft-spoken, diplomatic style of Thomas.[13] He continued in his role as line coach through the end of the1941 season when he took aleave of absence to serve as a civilian physical training instructor for theU.S. Navy pre-flight school at theUniversity of Georgia.[3] He then returned to Alabama and again served as line coach for the1945 season, before he left to take an assistant coaching position with theMiami Seahawks.[14]
On June 29, 1946, the owner of theAll-America Football Conference's (AAFC)Miami Seahawks Harvey Hester announced Crisp had been hired as the last member of the inaugural Seahawks staff.[14][15] Hired as the line coach, Crisp served under head coachJack Meagher and alongside assistantsHamp Pool andRalph Jordan for the1946 season.[14] After the squad opened the season with only one win and six losses (1–6) Meagher resigned as head coach of the Seahawks on October 22.[16] At the time of his resignation, Harvey Hester announced both Crisp and Pool were to serve as co-head coaches for the remainder of the season.[16]
On February 22, 1947, Crisp was hired to serve as line coach atTulane under head coachHenry Frnka.[17] At the time of the announcement, Crisp indicated he would maintain his permanent residence and familyservice station inTuscaloosa and report toNew Orleans for spring practices and the regular season in the fall.[18] He remained at Tulane through the end of the 1949 season, and on December 27, 1949, officially returned to Alabama as line coach.[19]
On December 27, 1949, university officials announced the return of Crisp to the Alabama coaching staff for the1950 season under head coachHarold Drew.[19] In1953, the Alabama Alumni Association recognized Crisp's 25 years of service with a halftime ceremony in their October game againstTulsa.[20] At that ceremony, he was presented with an automobile and government bonds from the Association and was able to reflect on his career with the 18,000 fans in attendance that day.[20] Crisp was again retained as line coach after the resignation of Drew and the hiring ofJennings B. Whitworth in December 1954.[21] As a result of only winning four games during Whitworth's three-year tenure, Crisp resigned his position and retired as a coach afterBear Bryant was hired as the new Alabama head coach.[22] At the request of Bryant, Crisp stayed on staff and oversaw recruiting as Bryant did not officially take over as head coach until afterTexas A&M's loss in the Gator Bowl.[22]
Crisp served as theAlabama men's basketball coach from 1924 through 1942 and again from 1945 to 1946.[23] During his tenure, Crisp compiled an overall record of 264 wins and 133 losses (264–133), and won theSoCon Championship in 1930, theSEC tournament championship in 1934 and the SEC Regular Season Championship in 1939 and 1940.[23]
During his first stint with the Crimson Tide, Crisp led Alabama to runner-up of national championNorth Carolina in the SoCon tournament in 1924. The team was led by All-Southern centerSlim Carter. Crisp led Alabama to their only undefeated season in 1930 en route to a 20–0 record, the SoCon Championship, and retroactive recognition as the national champion by thePremo-Porretta Power Poll.[24][25][26] The squad also included Alabama's firstAll-American, centerLindy Hood.[25]
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Crimson Tide(Southern Conference)(1923–1932) | |||||||||
| 1923–24 | Alabama | 12–4 | 5–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1924–25 | Alabama | 15–4 | 5–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1925–26 | Alabama | 10–11 | 6–6 | 11th | |||||
| 1926–27 | Alabama | 5–8 | 4–5 | 12th | |||||
| 1927–28 | Alabama | 10–10 | 5–5 | T–9th | |||||
| 1928–29 | Alabama | 16–10 | 10–6 | 8th | |||||
| 1929–30 | Alabama | 20–0 | 10–0 | 1st | Premo-Porretta National Champions | ||||
| 1930–31 | Alabama | 14–6 | 11–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1931–32 | Alabama | 16–4 | 11–3 | 4th | |||||
| Alabama Crimson Tide(Southeastern Conference)(1933–1942) | |||||||||
| 1932–33 | Alabama | 14–5 | 12–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1933–34 | Alabama | 16–2 | 13–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1934–35 | Alabama | 9–8 | 8–7 | 5th | |||||
| 1935–36 | Alabama | 15–9 | 9–6 | 6th | |||||
| 1936–37 | Alabama | 11–10 | 7–8 | 9th | |||||
| 1937–38 | Alabama | 4–13 | 4–12 | 12th | |||||
| 1938–39 | Alabama | 16–5 | 13–4 | 1st | |||||
| 1939–40 | Alabama | 18–5 | 14–4 | 1st | |||||
| 1940–41 | Alabama | 14–8 | 11–7 | 4th | |||||
| 1941–42 | Alabama | 18–6 | 13–4 | 2nd | |||||
| Alabama Crimson Tide(Southeastern Conference)(1945–1946) | |||||||||
| 1945–46 | Alabama | 11–5 | 8–4 | 4th | |||||
| Alabama: | 264–133 | ||||||||
| Total: | 264–133 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
After the arrival ofJimmy R. Haygood as the new coach of the track team in the spring of 1928, Crisp became Alabama's head baseball coach.[12] During his only season as head coach, he only lost one series (againstGeorgia) and completed the season with a record of twelve wins, seven losses and two ties (12–7–2, 12–5 in the SoCon).[27]
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Crimson Tide(Southern Conference)(1928) | ||||||||||
| 1928 | Alabama | 12–7–2 | 12–5 | |||||||
| Alabama: | 12–7–2 | 12–5 | ||||||||
| Total: | 12–7–2 | 12–5 | ||||||||
On April 10, 1930, Chairman of the Athletic Committee J. J. Doster announced that Crisp was to become Alabama'sathletic director.[12] Effective September 1, 1930, his appointment to the position was made as a replacement for the departingWallace Wade.[12] By 1932, his efforts as athletic director to expand athletic programs to all students at the university was recognized byAmateur Sports magazine.[28] He remained in the position of athletic director through March 1940 when he was granted a leave of absence to regain his health due to a severe sinus issue.[29]Frank Thomas was appointed as athletic director and retained the position upon the reinstatement Crisp from his leave in August 1940.[30]
Crisp was later appointed as interim athletic director at Alabama in March 1954 after the resignation ofPete Cawthon.[31] He held the title of interim athletic director through February 1955 when University PresidentOliver Carmichael announced his full-time appointment to the position.[32] During his second tenure, Crisp hiredJennings B. Whitworth as football coach in 1954 andEugene Lambert as basketball coach in 1956.[21][33] In 1957, he resigned his post and hiredBear Bryant as his replacement as athletic director at Alabama.[22]
After his retirement as coach and athletic director in 1957, Crisp remained active at the university and served as director of intramural athletics through 1967.[1] In 1970, he was inducted into theAlabama Sports Hall of Fame in recognition for his contributions to sport in the state. However, on the eve of his induction, Crisp died atUniversity Hospital inBirmingham as a result of aheart attack he suffered at the Hall of Fame banquet on January 23, 1970.[34] The Hank Crisp Indoor Facility on the University of Alabama campus, which was completed in October 1986, was renamed in honor of Crisp in April 1991.[35][36]
