 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1892-04-30)April 30, 1892 Forman, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | September 29, 1979(1979-09-29) (aged 87) Mesa, Arizona, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1916 | Concordia (MN) |
| 1917 | Springfield YMCA |
| 1919 | Springfield YMCA |
| Basketball | |
| 1914–1917 | Concordia (MN) |
| 1919–1920 | Springfield YMCA |
| Baseball | |
| c. 1915 | Concordia (MN) |
| Position(s) | Tackle (football) Center,guard (basketball) Pitcher (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1920–1921 | Concordia (MN) |
| 1922–1924 | Colorado College (assistant) |
| 1925–1926 | Colorado Agricultural (line) |
| 1927–1932 | Northern Arizona / Arizona State–Flagstaff |
| 1933–1937 | Arizona State |
| Basketball | |
| 1922–1925 | Colorado College (assistant) |
| 1925–1927 | Colorado Agricultural |
| 1927–1931 | Northern Arizona / Arizona State–Flagstaff |
| 1933–1935 | Arizona State |
| 1939–1948 | Arizona State |
| Baseball | |
| 1923–1925 | Colorado College |
| 1927 | Colorado Agricultural |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1927–1933 | Northern Arizona / Arizona State–Flagstaff |
| 1933–1949 | Arizona State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 43–43–9 (football) 152–156 (basketball) |
Rudolph H. Lavik (April 30, 1892 – September 29, 1979) was anAmerican football,basketball,baseball, andtrack and field coach, college athletics administrator, and educator. He served as the head football coach atConcordia College inMoorhead, Minnesota from 1920 to 1921, at Arizona State Teacher's College of Flagstaff—now known asNorthern Arizona University—from 1927 to 1932, and at Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe—now known asArizona State University—from 1933 to 1937, compiling a careercollege football head coaching record of 43–43–9. Lavik was also the head basketball coach at Arizona State Flagstaff (1927–1931), Colorado Agricultural College—now known asColorado State University (1925–1927), and Arizona State Tempe (1933–1935, 1939–1948), tallying a careercollege basketball head coaching mark of 152–156. In addition, he served as theathletic director at Northern Arizona from 1927 to 1933 and Arizona State from 1933 to 1949. He remained a full-time member of Arizona State's faculty until 1962.
Lavik was a graduate ofConcordia College inMoorhead, Minnesota and the International YMCA College—now known asSpringfield College—inSpringfield, Massachusetts. He played college football at both schools and also competed in other sports at Concordia.
Lavik was born on April 30, 1892 inForman, North Dakota.[1] Both of his parents were born in Norway. Lavik played football, basketball, baseball, and track in college, but he later recalled, "college scholarships were something I had never heard of. My father was a country minister with a salary of $600 a year, a free house and 10 children. All of them went to college, most became professional people and we were used to working our own way."[2]
As a student-athlete, Lavik lettered in football, baseball, and basketball atConcordia College, and then football, basketball, and track and field at the International YMCA College.[3] Lavik first attendedConcordia College inMoorhead, Minnesota, where was elected captain of the football team in 1916.[4] He majored in English and minored in history at Concordia. After graduating from Concordia, Lavik enrolled at the International YMCA College—now known asSpringfield College—inSpringfield, Massachusetts. He played football at Springfield at thetackle position, as he had at Concordia. Lavik also played basketball at Springfield at thecenter andguard positions and was a teammate ofCarl Eggebrecht.[5]
Lavik time's at Springfield was interrupted by military service duringWorld War I. He served with theAmerican Expeditionary Forces in theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers.[6]
Lavik met his wife, Ethel Charlotte Larsen, at Concordia. The two were married in 1922.[7]
Lavik returned to Concordia in 1920 to begin his coaching career. In 1922, he was hired atColorado College inColorado Springs, Colorado to serve as head baseball coach and as an assistant in football and basketball underTelfer L. Mead.[8]
In July 1927, Lavik attended a coaches clinic inLogan, Utah led byKnute Rockne, head football coach at theUniversity of Notre Dame and Norwegian-American.[9] Later that summer, Lavik was hired as athletic director and coach of all sports at Northern Arizona State Teacher's College of Flagstaff—now known asNorthern Arizona University.[10]
In 1933, Lavik was hired at athletic director, head football coach, and head basketball coach at Arizona State Teachers College—now known asArizona State University—located inTempe, Arizona. He retained his post as athletic director and chairman of the health and physical education department until 1949, when he was succeeded byDonn Kinzle.[11]
Lavik remained a full-time member of the Arizona State's faculty until 1962 and subsequently taught part-time at the school for several years.[1] He also pitched batting practice for theArizona State Sun Devils baseball team from 1955 to 1967.[6]
Lavik continued to jog daily well into his 80s, running as much as two miles per day at Arizona State's track.[7] He died on September 29, 1979, at Desert Samaritan Hospital inMesa, Arizona, following a short illness.[1][12]
Frank Kush, Arizona State's head football coach at the time of Lavik's death, said of Lavik, "I had a great deal of respect for him, not only as an individual, but as a teacher. In addition, he was an extremely fine football coach."[12]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia Cobbers(Independent)(1920) | |||||||||
| 1920 | Concordia | 0–3 | |||||||
| Concordia Cobbers(Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)(1921) | |||||||||
| 1921 | Concordia | 2–3–1 | 0–2 | T–6th | |||||
| Concordia: | 2–6–1 | 0–2 | |||||||
| Northern Arizona / Arizona State–Flagstaff Lumberjacks(Independent)(1927–1930) | |||||||||
| 1927 | Northern Arizona | 6–1–2 | |||||||
| 1928 | Northern Arizona | 7–1 | |||||||
| 1929 | Arizona State–Flagstaff | 5–0 | |||||||
| 1930 | Arizona State–Flagstaff | 4–2–1 | |||||||
| Arizona State–Flagstaff Lumberjacks(Border Conference)(1931–1932) | |||||||||
| 1931 | Arizona State–Flagstaff | 3–5 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1932 | Arizona State–Flagstaff | 3–2–2 | 2–2–1 | T–3rd | |||||
| Northern Arizona / Arizona State–Flagstaff: | 28–11–5 | 4–5–1 | |||||||
| Arizona State Bulldogs(Border Conference)(1933–1937) | |||||||||
| 1933 | Arizona State | 3–5 | 2–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1934 | Arizona State | 4–3–1 | 2–2–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1935 | Arizona State | 2–5–1 | 2–3–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1936 | Arizona State | 4–5 | 2–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1937 | Arizona State | 0–8–1 | 0–5 | 7th | |||||
| Arizona State: | 13–26–3 | 8–17–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 43–43–9 | ||||||||
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