 Sutherland pictured in the1939 Owl, Pitt's annual student yearbook | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | End |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1889-03-21)March 21, 1889[1][2] Coupar Angus, Scotland |
| Died | April 11, 1948(1948-04-11) (aged 59) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College | Pittsburgh |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
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Coaching | |
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Operations | |
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| Awards and highlights | |
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| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  U.S. Navy |
| Years of service | 1941–46 |
| Rank |  Lt. Commander |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
John Bain Sutherland (March 21, 1889[1][2] – April 11, 1948) was a Scottish-Americanfootball player and coach. He coachedcollege football atLafayette College (1919–1923) and theUniversity of Pittsburgh (1924–1938) and professional football for theBrooklyn Dodgers (1940–1941) andPittsburgh Steelers (1946–1947). He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
A native ofCoupar Angus inScotland, Sutherland got his start in football by playingend at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, commonly known as Pitt, under legendary coachGlenn Scobey "Pop" Warner. Sutherland was named anAll-American and played on Pitt's national championship teams in 1915 and 1916.
Sutherland also played on Pitt's undefeated 1917 team. The 1917 team was known as "The Fighting Dentists" because on occasion every position was filled by dental students.[5] The dental students on the 1917 team included Sutherland,[6]Katy Easterday,[7]Skip Gougler,[8]"Tank" McLaren[9] and"Jake" Stahl.[10] Sutherland also lettered inwrestling and captained the track and field team at Pitt for which he specialized in thehammer throw,discus, andshot put. He was also a member of theSigma Chi fraternity, Psi Omega national dental fraternity,Omicron Delta Kappa, and the Druids Society, a secret society at the university.[11] Sutherland graduated from theUniversity of Pittsburgh's School of Dentistry, where he also held a professorship in the instruction of bridge and crown.[6]
In 1919, Sutherland played in a few games with theMassillon Tigers of theOhio League, which was the direct predecessor to the modernNational Football League. However, he soon left the team and began his head coaching career atLafayette College from 1919 to 1923, leading the Leopards to the 1921 Eastern Collegiate Championship.[12]
In 1924, Sutherland replaced "Pop" Warner, his former coach and mentor, as head coach at Pitt. Sutherland, who was described as "a national hero" in aSaturday Evening Post article,[13] became a highly admired and influential coach at the university while compiling a record of 111–20–12. On offense, he ran adouble-wing formation known as the "Sutherland Scythe".[14] He was known for his calm and direct demeanor, never shouting or ranting to motivate his team.[15]
During his tenure, Sutherland's teams were named Eastern football champions seven times including 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, and 1937.[16] During this time, Pitt appeared in fourRose Bowl games (1928, 1930, 1933, and 1937) and turned down a bid for the 1938 Rose Bowl.[14] Sutherland's teams were named "National Champions" by various selectors for nine different seasons including 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, and 1938.[17][18] Of these, the University of Pittsburgh officially recognizes five of those years as national championship seasons (1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, and 1937),[18] while one of them, 1937, includes theAssociated Press national championship designation which, at the time, was only the second instance in which the AP poll had been published. Sutherland coached the famed "Dream Backfield" ofJohn Chickerneo,Dick Cassiano,Harold Stebbins, andMarshall Goldberg, which at the time was considered to be the best backfield in history by some, includingDon Miller, a member ofThe Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.[19]
After years of struggling with the university for sustained financial support, Sutherland resigned in 1938 because the school's Chancellor,John Gabbert Bowman, instituted a policy of de-emphasis for the football program, eliminating athletic scholarships, student athlete stipends, and the recruiting funds. Bowman's moves, which resulted in Sutherland's departure, were controversial among students and supporters of the football program.[20]
As of 2009, his career coaching record of 144–28–14 in 20 seasons at the collegiate level, an .812 winning percentage, is the 25th best winning percentage in all divisions of college football[21] and 11th best among coaches from the top division,[22] currently known as theDivision I FBS. His .812 winning percentage is also the 5th best such mark during the first 20 years of any coaches' career.[23] He is also tied for the 23rd fewest games to reach 100 victories, accomplished in his 132nd game as coach.[24]
Sutherland later coached in the National Football League with theBrooklyn Dodgers for two seasons, 1940–41, before leaving the team to serve the United States during World War II.[25]
During the war, Sutherland served in theUnited States Navy and achieved the rank ofLieutenant commander.[26]
Upon returning to the United States, Sutherland landed with thePittsburgh Steelers, where he was head coach and team vice president.[26] He led the Steelers to their first playoff appearance in 1947.
While on a scouting trip for the Steelers in April 1948, Sutherland was found in his car inBandana, Kentucky, where he was experiencing confusion and was then taken to a hospital inCairo, Illinois, where he was initially diagnosed with "nervous exhaustion".[26][27] He was flown back to Pittsburgh for further treatment. An exploratory surgery was required to determine whether he was suffering from a hemorrhage or a tumor.[26] Sutherland died in Pittsburgh on April 11, 1948, following surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor.[28] He is interred in Pittsburgh'sHomewood Cemetery.
Sutherland was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1951 as a coach. He is memorialized on the Pitt campus with a street, Sutherland Drive, and the student residenceSutherland Hall.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette(Independent)(1919–1923) | |||||||||
| 1919 | Lafayette | 6–2 | |||||||
| 1920 | Lafayette | 5–3 | |||||||
| 1921 | Lafayette | 9–0 | |||||||
| 1922 | Lafayette | 7–2 | |||||||
| 1923 | Lafayette | 6–1–2 | |||||||
| Lafayette: | 33–8–2 | ||||||||
| Pittsburgh Panthers(Independent)(1924–1938) | |||||||||
| 1924 | Pittsburgh | 5–3–1 | |||||||
| 1925 | Pittsburgh | 8–1 | |||||||
| 1926 | Pittsburgh | 5–2–2 | |||||||
| 1927 | Pittsburgh | 8–1–1 | LRose | ||||||
| 1928 | Pittsburgh | 6–2–1 | |||||||
| 1929 | Pittsburgh | 9–1 | LRose | ||||||
| 1930 | Pittsburgh | 6–2–1 | |||||||
| 1931 | Pittsburgh | 8–1 | |||||||
| 1932 | Pittsburgh | 8–1–2 | LRose | ||||||
| 1933 | Pittsburgh | 8–1 | |||||||
| 1934 | Pittsburgh | 8–1 | |||||||
| 1935 | Pittsburgh | 7–1–2 | |||||||
| 1936 | Pittsburgh | 8–1–1 | WRose | 3 | |||||
| 1937 | Pittsburgh | 9–0–1 | 1 | ||||||
| 1938 | Pittsburgh | 8–2 | 8 | ||||||
| Pittsburgh: | 111–20–12 | ||||||||
| Total: | 144–28–14 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
*The Pittsburgh Panthers claim a share of the1934 national championship per a 1970Sports Illustrated study on national championships that the school has used since its publication as the basis of its claims.[30] However, this championship is not included in the Official NCAA Records Book's list of national champions.
Dr. John B. (Jock) Sutherland ... will be 50 years old on March 21
[McLaren] graduates from the university dental school in June.
They ran an offense called the Sutherland Scythe after Coach Jock Sutherland, a titan of his time. It was a precision double-wing attack that ravaged opponents. But more distinctive than its offensive power game was the players' decision at the end of the season to turn down an invitation to play in the Rose Bowl.
Sutherland manages to keep his players at a high level all season by coaching them in a calm, professional manner. Dressing room histrionics have no part in his system. There are no blood-tingling pep talks from the doctor before a game or between halves. Before a game he tells the players what he wants them to do. Between halves he tells them wherein they have failed to do it. If they are trailing at the half he doesn't try to whip them to a fury by yelling at them, pleading with them or shedding tears over the disaster that is about to befall the old school. He merely points out their mistakes...
Coach John B. (Jock) Sutherland, 59, of the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers was in a hospital today reported suffering from either a nervous breakdown or amnesia. Sutherland, on a talent scouting trip through the South, was found in a dazed condition in his mired automobile in Bandana, Ky., yesterday.
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