 Lanagan,c. 1906 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1878-11-16)November 16, 1878 Paris, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | August 7, 1937(1937-08-07) (aged 58) Applegate, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Baseball | |
| 1897–1900 | Stanford |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1903–1905 | Stanford |
| Rugby | |
| 1906–1908 | Stanford |
| Baseball | |
| 1906–1907 | Stanford |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 23–2–4 (football) 26–8–1 (rugby) 9–19–2 (baseball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Records | |
| Highest win percentage of a multi-season football coach in Stanford history (.862) | |
James Francis Lanagan (November 16, 1878 – August 7, 1937) was anAmerican football,rugby, andbaseball coach atStanford University.
Lanagan playedcollege baseball at Stanford from 1897 to 1900.[1] In 1902, he married Clara Earl, a fellow member of the Stanford Class of 1900.[2]
In 1903, despite never having played football, Lanagan was selected as Stanford's head football coach, and coached the team for three years, compiling an overall record of 23–2–4.[1]
Following the 1905 season, Stanford, responding like other American universities to concerns about the violence in football, dropped football in favor of rugbyfrom 1906 to 1917.[3][4] Despite having no knowledge of the sport, Lanagan was retained as the rugby coach, spending time inVancouver, British Columbia andAustralia to study the sport.[1][5] In his first season, the team ended with a 6–2–1 season. Lanagan remained as rugby coach for two more seasons.[1] He also served as Stanford's baseball coach from 1906 to 1907.[1][6]
Lanagan attendedStanford Law School from 1905 to 1907.[2] He resigned from coaching in 1908 to focus on his law practice.[5]
DuringWorld War I, Lanagan was amajor in theUnited States Army, fighting in France,[2] where he contracted a lung disease that would eventually result in his death two decades later.[7]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford(Independent)(1903–1905) | |||||||||
| 1903 | Stanford | 8–0–3 | |||||||
| 1904 | Stanford | 7–2–1 | |||||||
| 1905 | Stanford | 8–0 | |||||||
| Stanford: | 23–2–4 | ||||||||
| Total: | 23–2–4 | ||||||||
