 Jordan,c. 1960 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1910-09-25)September 25, 1910 Selma, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | July 17, 1980(1980-07-17) (aged 69) Auburn, Alabama, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1928–1932 | Auburn |
| Basketball | |
| 1929–1932 | Auburn |
| Baseball | |
| c. 1930 | Auburn |
| Position(s) | Center (football) Guard (basketball) Pitcher (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1934–1942 | Auburn (assistant) |
| 1945 | Auburn (assistant) |
| 1946 | Miami Seahawks (assistant) |
| 1947–1950 | Georgia (assistant) |
| 1951–1975 | Auburn |
| Basketball | |
| 1933–1942 | Auburn |
| 1945–1946 | Auburn |
| 1946–1950 | Georgia |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 176–83–6 (football) 136–103 (basketball) |
| Bowls | 5–7 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football National (1957) SEC (1957) | |
| Awards | |
| Football 4xSEC Coach of the Year (1953, 1957, 1963, 1972) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1982 (profile) | |
James Ralph "Shug"Jordan (/ʃʊɡˈdʒɜːrdən/SHUUGJUR-dən; September 25, 1910 – July 17, 1980) was anAmerican football,basketball, andbaseball player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the head football coach atAuburn University from 1951 to 1975, where he compiled a record of 176–83–6. He has the most wins of any coach inAuburn Tigers football history. Jordan's1957 Auburn squad went undefeated with a record of 10–0 and was named thenational champion by theAssociated Press. Jordan was also the head men's basketball coach at Auburn (1933–1942, 1945–1946) and at theUniversity of Georgia (1946–1950), tallying a careercollege basketball record of 136–103. During his time coaching basketball, he also served as an assistant football coach at the two schools. Auburn'sJordan–Hare Stadium was renamed in Jordan's honor in 1973. Jordan was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1982.
Born inSelma, Alabama, Jordan was nicknamed "Shug" as a child because of his love forsorghum sugar cane. A 1932 graduate of Auburn, he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball and was voted the Most Outstanding Athlete in 1932, awarded thePorter Loving Cup.[1] Jordan was initiated intoTheta Chi fraternity at Auburn, and he started the Delta Beta chapter of Theta Chi at the University of Georgia.
After graduation, Jordan became the head basketball coach and an assistant football coach at Auburn. In ten seasons (1933–1942, 1945–1946) as the head coach of theAuburn Tigers men's basketball team, he compiled a record of 95–77. Jordan also compiled 45 wins as head basketball coach atGeorgia. In addition to having the most wins by a football coach in Auburn history, Jordan ranks fifth in wins among Tigers basketball coaches.
DuringWorld War II, Jordan fought in four major invasions as aUnited States Army officer. He saw action inNorth Africa andSicily before being wounded in theinvasion of Normandy and receiving aPurple Heart and theBronze Star. After recovering from his wounds, he continued action in thePacific theater, serving atOkinawa.
Prior to being hired as Auburn's head football coach in 1951, Jordan spent one season as an assistant coach of theMiami Seahawks of theAll-America Football Conference in 1946, and then four years as an assistant at theUniversity of Georgia. When he became head football coach at Auburn, he retained assistants Shot Senn (linemen), Joel Eaves (defensive ends), and Dick McGowen as head freshmen team coach, all former Auburn players who had assisted Jordan's predecessor,Earl Brown. Jordan also hired George L. "Buck" Bradberry (defensive backfield),Homer Hobbs (assistant line),Gene Lorendo (offensive ends), all former Georgia players, andCharlie Waller (offensive backfield). McGowen also served as Auburn's head baseball coach from 1951 to 1957. By 1957 Jordan led Auburn to theSoutheastern Conference title and APnational championship.
In 1971, Jordan coachedquarterbackPat Sullivan to theHeisman Trophy. The next year, Jordan's Tigers upset heavily favored, arch-rivalAlabama in theIron Bowl, a victory which became known asPunt Bama Punt. In 1973, the university renamedCliff Hare Stadium asJordan–Hare Stadium in Jordan's honor, the first stadium in theUnited States to be named for an active coach. Reflecting Auburn's rise to national prominence under his watch, the stadium's capacity more than tripled during his tenure, from 21,600 when he returned to the Plains in 1951 to 61,261 when he retired. When Jordan retired after the 1975 season, he had amassed a record of 176–83–6 for a .675 winning percentage.
Jordan died on July 17, 1980, at his home inAuburn, Alabama after a four-month fight with leukemia.[2]
Jordan met Evelyn Walker (1913–2011), a native of Augusta, Georgia, and a student at theUniversity of South Carolina, when Jordan accompanied the Auburn University basketball team to a tournament there in 1934. Jordan and Walker married in 1937 and were the parents of three children. Evelyn Walker Jordan served as a Panhellenic advisor on the Auburn campus and became a licensed couples counsellor.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Tigers(Southeastern Conference)(1951–1975) | |||||||||
| 1951 | Auburn | 5–5 | 3–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1952 | Auburn | 2–8 | 0–7 | 12th | |||||
| 1953 | Auburn | 7–3–1 | 4–2–1 | 5th | LGator | 17 | |||
| 1954 | Auburn | 8–3 | 3–3 | T–6th | WGator | 13 | |||
| 1955 | Auburn | 8–2–1 | 5–2–1 | 3rd | LGator | 8 | 8 | ||
| 1956 | Auburn | 7–3 | 4–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1957 | Auburn | 10–0 | 7–0 | 1st | 2 | 1 | |||
| 1958 | Auburn | 9–0–1 | 6–0–1 | 2nd | 4 | 4 | |||
| 1959 | Auburn | 7–3 | 4–3 | 5th | 15 | ||||
| 1960 | Auburn | 8–2 | 4–2 | 4th | 14 | 13 | |||
| 1961 | Auburn | 6–4 | 3–4 | 7th | |||||
| 1962 | Auburn | 6–3–1 | 4–3 | 6th | |||||
| 1963 | Auburn | 9–2 | 5–1 | 2nd | LOrange | 6 | 5 | ||
| 1964 | Auburn | 6–4 | 3–3 | 6th | |||||
| 1965 | Auburn | 5–5–1 | 4–1–1 | 2nd | LLiberty | ||||
| 1966 | Auburn | 4–6 | 1–5 | 8th | |||||
| 1967 | Auburn | 6–4 | 3–3 | 7th | |||||
| 1968 | Auburn | 7–4 | 4–2 | T–3rd | WSun | 16 | |||
| 1969 | Auburn | 8–3 | 5–2 | 3rd | LAstro-Bluebonnet | 15 | 20 | ||
| 1970 | Auburn | 9–2 | 5–2 | 3rd | WGator | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1971 | Auburn | 9–2 | 5–1 | T–2nd | LSugar | 5 | 12 | ||
| 1972 | Auburn | 10–1 | 6–1 | 2nd | WGator | 7 | 5 | ||
| 1973 | Auburn | 6–6 | 2–5 | T–8th | LSun | ||||
| 1974 | Auburn | 10–2 | 4–2 | T–2nd | WGator | 6 | 8 | ||
| 1975 | Auburn | 4–6–1 | 2–4 | T–6th | |||||
| Auburn: | 176–83–6 | 96–65–4 | |||||||
| Total: | 176–83–6 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Tigers(Southeastern Conference)(1933–1942) | |||||||||
| 1933–34 | Auburn | 2–11 | 2–9 | 12th | |||||
| 1934–35 | Auburn | 4–13 | 3–9 | 11th | |||||
| 1935–36 | Auburn | 10–7 | 7–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1936–37 | Auburn | 11–4 | 7–4 | 4th | |||||
| 1937–38 | Auburn | 14–5 | 6–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1938–39 | Auburn | 16–6 | 6–4 | 4th | |||||
| 1939–40 | Auburn | 7–10 | 6–7 | 8th | |||||
| 1940–41 | Auburn | 13–6 | 6–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1941–42 | Auburn | 11–6 | 9–5 | 5th | |||||
| Auburn Tigers(Southeastern Conference)(1945–1946) | |||||||||
| 1945–46 | Auburn | 7–9 | 7–6 | ||||||
| Auburn: | 95–77 | 59–56 | |||||||
| Georgia Bulldogs(Southeastern Conference)(1946–1950) | |||||||||
| 1946–47 | Georgia | 2–3 | |||||||
| 1947–48 | Georgia | 18–10 | 6–8 | ||||||
| 1948–49 | Georgia | 17–13 | 6–9 | ||||||
| 1949–50 | Georgia | 4–2 | |||||||
| Georgia: | 41–28 | 12–17 | |||||||
| Total: | 136–103 | ||||||||