 Little in 1926 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | (1891-12-06)December 6, 1891 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died: | May 28, 1979(1979-05-28) (aged 87) Delray Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | Penn |
| Position: | Tackle |
| Career history | |
As a player: | |
| |
As a coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1918 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit |  6th Infantry Division |
| Battles / wars | World War I Meuse-Argonne Offensive |
Luigi "Lou Little" Piccirilli December 6, 1891 – May 28, 1979) was anAmerican football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Georgetown College—now known asGeorgetown University—from 1924 to 1929 andColumbia University from 1930 to 1956, compiling a careercollege football coaching record of 151–128–13. Little played college football as atackle at theUniversity of Pennsylvania for the 1916 and 1919 seasons and professionally with theFrankford Yellow Jackets of theNational Football League (NFL) from 1920 to 1923. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1960. Little appeared asLu Libble inJack Kerouac's novelMaggie Cassidy, a fictionalized account of Kerouac's early life.
Little was born inBoston.[1] After his birth, his father changed his family name to "Little", translating the Italian family name, and moved his family toLeominster, Massachusetts, in 1896.[2] Little played football at Leominster High School, where he was the team captain in 1910, his senior season. The 1910 team, led by Little's stellar play, was Leominster's first undefeated football team.[3] Little went on to play onepostgraduate season for the Worcester Academy Hilltoppers, in 1911. before returning to coach his alma mater, Leominster High School, for one season, in 1912.[4][5]
Little, playedcollege football at theUniversity of Pennsylvania. He gained national attention as a varsitytackle during 1916 season and was namedAll-American, and again in the 1919 season. Between those years, he served with distinction duringWorld War I with theAmerican Expeditionary Forces in France. Commissioned as a lieutenant, he was promoted to a captain in the6th Infantry Division. He saw action in theMeuse-Argonne Offensive.
In 1924, Little accepted the post of head football coach at Georgetown and held the position until 1930, when he resigned to become head football coach atColumbia University. Little was the head coach at Columbia from 1930 to 1956. He was probably best known for two wins: the1934 Rose Bowl when Columbia beatStanford, 7–0, and a 21–20 win overArmy in 1947 in which the Columbia Lions handed the Cadets their first loss since the 1943 season finale, snapping a 23-game undefeated streak. At Columbia, Little coached futurePro Football Hall of FamequarterbackSid Luckman and writerJack Kerouac, who broke his leg playing in 1940. Other players he coached includePaul Governali,Lou Kusserow,Cliff Montgomery andBill Swiacki.[6][7]
Little was married to Loretta Donohue for 50 years. Following his 1956 retirement, they lived inBarnstable, Massachusetts andDelray Beach, Florida until her death in 1977. Little died on May 28, 1979, at a nursing home in Delray Beach.[8]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown Blue and Gray / Hoyas(Independent)(1924–1929) | |||||||||
| 1924 | Georgetown | 4–4 | |||||||
| 1925 | Georgetown | 9–1 | |||||||
| 1926 | Georgetown | 7–2–1 | |||||||
| 1927 | Georgetown | 8–1 | |||||||
| 1928 | Georgetown | 8–2 | |||||||
| 1929 | Georgetown | 5–2–2 | |||||||
| Georgetown: | 41–12–3 | ||||||||
| Columbia Lions(Independent)(1930–1955) | |||||||||
| 1930 | Columbia | 5–4 | |||||||
| 1931 | Columbia | 7–1–1 | |||||||
| 1932 | Columbia | 7–1–1 | |||||||
| 1933 | Columbia | 8–1 | WRose | ||||||
| 1934 | Columbia | 7–1 | |||||||
| 1935 | Columbia | 4–4–1 | |||||||
| 1936 | Columbia | 5–3 | |||||||
| 1937 | Columbia | 2–5–2 | |||||||
| 1938 | Columbia | 3–6 | |||||||
| 1939 | Columbia | 2–4–2 | |||||||
| 1940 | Columbia | 5–2–2 | 20 | ||||||
| 1941 | Columbia | 3–5 | |||||||
| 1942 | Columbia | 3–6 | |||||||
| 1943 | Columbia | 0–8 | |||||||
| 1944 | Columbia | 2–6 | |||||||
| 1945 | Columbia | 8–1 | 20 | ||||||
| 1946 | Columbia | 6–3 | |||||||
| 1947 | Columbia | 7–2 | 20 | ||||||
| 1948 | Columbia | 4–5 | |||||||
| 1949 | Columbia | 2–7 | |||||||
| 1950 | Columbia | 4–5 | |||||||
| 1951 | Columbia | 5–3 | |||||||
| 1952 | Columbia | 2–6–1 | |||||||
| 1953 | Columbia | 4–5 | |||||||
| 1954 | Columbia | 1–8 | |||||||
| 1955 | Columbia | 1–8 | |||||||
| Columbia Lions(Ivy League)(1956) | |||||||||
| 1956 | Columbia | 3–6 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| Columbia: | 110–116–10 | 2–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 151–128–13 | ||||||||
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