 The Illio, 1927 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1901-09-04)September 4, 1901 Aurora, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 20, 1978(1978-12-20) (aged 77) Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Basketball | |
| 1922–1926 | Illinois |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1926 | Batavia HS (IL) |
| 1938–1946 | Tennessee (DB) |
| 1951–1960 | Florida (DB) |
| 1960–1963 | Tennessee (DB) |
| Basketball | |
| 1926–1927 | Batavia HS (IL) |
| 1927–1930 | Kentucky |
| 1930–1938 | Miami (OH) |
| 1938–1947 | Tennessee |
| 1947–1951 | Army |
| 1951–1960 | Florida |
| Baseball | |
| 1938–1942 | Tennessee |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 344–272 (college basketball) 24–23 (college baseball) |
| Tournaments | Basketball 0–1 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
Basketball
Football | |
John W. Mauer (September 4, 1901 – December 20, 1978) was an Americancollege basketball,baseball andfootballcoach and multi-sport college athlete. During the course of his 36-year collegiate coaching career, Mauer was the head basketball coach at theUniversity of Kentucky,Miami University (Ohio), theUniversity of Tennessee, theU.S. Military Academy, and theUniversity of Florida. John was the head coach of theTennessee baseball team. John also served as the defensive backs coach forTennessee under head coachGeneral Robert Neyland. After coaching his college coaching career, John worked underVince Lombardi scouting players for theGreen Bay Packers. Mauer also scouted for theSan Francisco 49ers,Atlanta Falcons, andNew York Giants.
Mauer was born in 1901 atAurora, Illinois. Both of his parents died by the time he was 13 years old, and he was raised by his older sister. With the financial assistance of a local businessman, he attendedBatavia High School inBatavia, Illinois and was able to enroll in college.
Mauer attended theUniversity of Illinois inUrbana, Illinois from 1922 to 1926, where he played for theIllinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team. As a player, he was remembered for being one of the pioneers of one-handed shooting. While attending Illinois, his roommate was Illini football greatHarold E. "Red" Grange. Mauer was named Outstanding Athlete and Scholar in the Big Ten Conference as a senior, and graduated from Illinois with abachelor's degree in 1926.
Mauer was the head coach in football, basketball, and track at Batavia High School, from 1926 to 1927, after which he was the head coach of theKentucky Wildcats men's basketball team of the University of Kentucky inLexington, Kentucky from 1927 to 1930, immediately preceding the legendaryAdolph Rupp. Mauer's successful Wildcats teams were known as the "Mauer men," and he was one of the first coaches to popularize thebounce pass as an element of basketball offense. His Wildcats teams posted an overall win–loss record of 40–14 (.741) in three seasons.
After leaving Kentucky, he became the head coach of theMiami Redskins men's basketball team of Miami University inOxford, Ohio, coaching the Redskins (now known as the "RedHawks") for eight seasons from 1930 to 1938. Mauer did not have a winning record in his first five seasons with the Redskins, but posted winning records in two of his final three seasons. During the 1937–1938 season, the Redskins finished 11–5. At Miami, he coachedWalter "Smoky" Alston who would go on manage theBrooklyn andLos Angeles Dodgers. He finished his Miami career with an overall record of 46–80 (.365), leaving Oxford after the 1937–1938 season, and was replaced byWeeb Ewbank.[1]
Mauer became the head coach for theTennessee Volunteers men's basketball team of theUniversity of Tennessee inKnoxville, Tennessee, for eight seasons between 1938 and 1947.[2] Mauer's Volunteers had significant success, posting an overall record of 127–41 (.756), and winning twoSoutheastern Conference (SEC) championships (1941, 1943) and two SEC tournaments (1941, 1943). In 1945, John led the team to the Quarterfinals in theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT). At the time, theNational Invitation Tournament was more prestigious than theNCAA basketball tournament. During his time as the Volunteers' head basketball coach, he also worked as the head coach of theTennessee Volunteers baseball team from 1938 to 1942, and as an assistant football coach for theTennessee Volunteers football team under head coaches Neyland andJohn Barnhill from 1938 to 1946.
Mauer later served as the head coach for theArmy Black Knights men's basketball team of the U.S. Military Academy inWest Point, New York, for four seasons from 1947 to 1951,[3] and theFlorida Gators men's basketball team of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, for nine seasons from 1951 to 1960. His four Army Cadets teams finished 33–35 (.485); his nine Gators teams compiled a record of 98–102 (.490). While coaching the Gators basketball team, he also served as an assistant coach for theFlorida Gators football team under head coachesBob Woodruff andRay Graves.
After his final season as the Gators' basketball mentor, Mauer returned to the University of Tennessee and worked as an assistant coach for the Volunteers football team from 1960 to 1963 under head coachesBowden Wyatt andJim McDonald.
Mauer died in Knoxville on December 20, 1978; he was 77 years old. He was survived by his wife Grace, their two sons, and their five grandchildren.
Mauer was the first, and to date the only, person to serve as the head coach in the same sport at three different SEC universities. His winning percentage as the Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball head coach remains the best of the modern era; his winning percentage as the Kentucky Wildcats' head is still among the program's six best of the modern era. Mauer was posthumously inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Wildcats(Southern Conference)(1927–1930) | |||||||||
| 1927–28 | Kentucky | 12–6 | 8–1 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1928–29 | Kentucky | 12–5 | 7–4 | T–6th | |||||
| 1929–30 | Kentucky | 16–3 | 9–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| Kentucky: | 40–14[4] | 24–6 | |||||||
| Miami Redskins(Independent)(1930–1938) | |||||||||
| 1930–31 | Miami (OH) | 5–10 | |||||||
| 1931–32 | Miami (OH) | 6–10 | |||||||
| 1932–33 | Miami (OH) | 3–13 | |||||||
| 1933–34 | Miami (OH) | 4–11 | |||||||
| 1934–35 | Miami (OH) | 3–12 | |||||||
| 1935–36 | Miami (OH) | 9–8 | |||||||
| 1936–37 | Miami (OH) | 5–11 | |||||||
| 1937–38 | Miami (OH) | 11–5 | |||||||
| Miami (OH): | 46–80[5] | ||||||||
| Tennessee Volunteers(Southeastern Conference)(1938–1947) | |||||||||
| 1938–39 | Tennessee | 14–7 | 6–5 | 8th | |||||
| 1939–40 | Tennessee | 14–7 | 7–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1940–41 | Tennessee | 17–5 | 8–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1941–42 | Tennessee | 19–3 | 7–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1942–43 | Tennessee | 14–4 | 6–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1944–45 | Tennessee | 18–5 | 8–2 | T-1st | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1945–46 | Tennessee | 15–5 | 8–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1946–47 | Tennessee | 16–5 | 10–3 | 3rd | |||||
| Tennessee: | 127–41 | 60–23[6] | |||||||
| Army Cadets(Independent)(1947–1951) | |||||||||
| 1947–48 | Army | 8–9 | |||||||
| 1948–49 | Army | 7–10 | |||||||
| 1949–50 | Army | 9–8 | |||||||
| 1950–51 | Army | 9–8 | |||||||
| Army: | 33–35[7] | ||||||||
| Florida Gators(Southeastern Conference)(1951–1960) | |||||||||
| 1951–52 | Florida | 15–9 | 7–7 | 7th | |||||
| 1952–53 | Florida | 13–6 | 8–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1953–54 | Florida | 7–15 | 3–11 | 10th | |||||
| 1954–55 | Florida | 12–10 | 5–9 | 9th | |||||
| 1955–56 | Florida | 11–12 | 4–10 | 11th | |||||
| 1956–57 | Florida | 14–10 | 6–8 | 9th | |||||
| 1957–58 | Florida | 12–9 | 5–9 | 9th | |||||
| 1958–59 | Florida | 8–15 | 2–12 | 11th | |||||
| 1959–60 | Florida | 6–16 | 3–11 | 11th | |||||
| Florida: | 98–102 | 43–82[8] | |||||||
| Total: | 344–272 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
