 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1929-04-05)April 5, 1929 Dearborn, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 2000(2000-12-26) (aged 71) Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1949–1951 | Wisconsin |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1959–1964 | Florida State (assistant) |
| 1965–1966 | Wisconsin (assistant) |
| 1966–1969 | Wisconsin |
| 1970–1975 | Mankato State |
| 1977–1978 | Minnesota (OC/QB) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 38–50–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| First-teamAll-Big Ten (1951) | |
John Coatta (April 5, 1929 – December 26, 2000) was anAmerican football player, coach, and scout. He served as the head coach at theUniversity of Wisconsin from 1967 to 1969 and at Mankato State College—known as nowMinnesota State University, Mankato—from 1970 to 1975, compiling a career head coaching record of 38–50–3.[1] Coatta playedquarterback at Wisconsin from 1949 to 1951 and in 1950, he set theBig Ten Conference season pass completion percentage record (64.2%), a mark that he held until 1977.
In 1959, Coatta left private business inMadison, Wisconsin to accept an assistant football coaching job atFlorida State University underPerry Moss and subsequentlyBill Peterson. From 1959 to 1964, he coached a number of positions at the school. He then returned to Wisconsin as an assistant coach underMilt Bruhn for two seasons after which he was promoted to head coach.[2]
During his head coaching tenure at Wisconsin, Coatta compiled a 3–26–1 (.117) record.[3] He set anNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) record for most consecutive games without a win to begin a career with 23. Coatta did not win a game in his first two seasons. His three wins came in 1969 againstIowa,Indiana, andIllinois. Allegedly, the Badgers passed on futureMichigan head coachBo Schembechler when they hired Coatta. Schembechler was the head coach atMiami University at the time.[4]
After Minnesota State temporarily dropped football after the 1975 season, Coatta joined the staff ofCal Stoll at theUniversity of Minnesota, and served asoffensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1977 to 1978. He later scouted for theNational Football League'sDallas Cowboys andSeattle Seahawks.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Badgers(Big Ten Conference)(1967–1969) | |||||||||
| 1967 | Wisconsin | 0–9–1 | 0–6–1 | T–9th | |||||
| 1968 | Wisconsin | 0–10 | 0–7 | 10th | |||||
| 1969 | Wisconsin | 3–7 | 3–4 | T–5th | |||||
| Wisconsin: | 3–26–1 | 3–17–1 | |||||||
| Mankato State Indians(NCAA College Division independent)(1970) | |||||||||
| 1970 | Mankato State | 7–2–1 | |||||||
| Mankato State Indians(North Central Conference)(1971–1975) | |||||||||
| 1971 | Mankato State | 7–3 | 0–0 | NA | |||||
| 1972 | Mankato State | 6–5 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1973 | Mankato State | 7–4 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1974 | Mankato State | 5–4–1 | 3–3–1 | T–5th | |||||
| 1975 | Mankato State | 3–6 | 2–5 | T–5th | |||||
| Mankato State: | 35–24–2 | 12–15–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 38–50–3 | ||||||||