 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-01-26)January 26, 1926 Falmouth, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | December 15, 1983(1983-12-15) (aged 57) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1947–1949 | Kentucky State |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1952–1962 | Jackson / Jackson State |
| 1963–1983 | Tennessee A&I/State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 235–70–12 |
| Bowls | 5–2 |
| Tournaments | 1–2 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 8black college national (1962, 1965–1966, 1970–1971, 1973, 1979, 1982) 5MAA/Midwestern/Midwest (1957, 1963–1966) 2SWAC (1961–1962) | |
| Awards | |
| Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1995) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1994 (profile) | |
John Ayers Merritt (January 26, 1926 – December 15, 1983) was an Americancollege football coach. He served as the head football coach atJackson State University from 1952 to 1962 andTennessee State University from 1963 to 1983, compiling a career coaching record of 235–70–12. Merritt was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
Merritt was born inFalmouth, Kentucky, and is an alumnus ofKentucky State University, where he playedguard on the football team from 1947 to 1949. He earned the nickname "Big John". He graduated in 1950 and earned a master's degree from theUniversity of Kentucky in 1952.
He coached Jackson State University from 1953 to 1962, where he compiled a record of 63–37–5. Merritt led Jackson State to back-to-back appearances in theOrange Blossom Classic in 1961 and 1962 before being hired by what was then Tennessee A&I. At Tennessee State (as Tennessee A&I was renamed in 1968), Merritt had four undefeated seasons, claimed fourMidwest Athletic Association titles, sevenblack college football national championships: (1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1979 and 1982) and earned the school's first-ever NCAA Division I-AA playoff victory in 1982.
Merritt coached many players who went on to theNational Football League (NFL), includingEd "Too Tall" Jones,Joe Gilliam,Claude Humphrey,Mike Hegman, andRichard Dent.His coaching record at Tennessee State was 172–33–7 with an .828 winning percentage—far and away the best in program history.[1]
Merritt died on December 15, 1983, atVanderbilt University Hospital inNashville, Tennessee, after suffering from heart disease.[2][3]
John Merritt Boulevard inNashville, Tennessee and the John Ayers Merritt Memorial Bridge in his hometown ofFalmouth, Kentucky are named in his honor. The Tennessee State football team usually opens every home season with the John Merritt Classic game atNissan Stadium, traditionally againstAlabama A&M University, but more recently the game has also headlined other from other universities.
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