Harry J. Mehre (September 18, 1901 – September 27, 1978) was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Georgia (1928–1937) and the University of Mississippi (1938–1945), compiling a career college football record of 98–60–7. Mehre also served as the head coach of the Minneapolis Marines of the NFL in 1923, tallying a mark of 4–5–2.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 19, 1901 Huntington, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | September 27, 1978 (aged 77) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1919–1921 | Notre Dame |
| 1922–1923 | Minneapolis Marines |
| Basketball | |
| 1919–1922 | Notre Dame |
| Position(s) | Center (football) Center (basketball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1923 | Minneapolis Marines |
| 1923 | St. Thomas (MN) (line) |
| 1924–1927 | Georgia (assistant) |
| 1928–1937 | Georgia |
| 1938–1945 | Ole Miss |
| Basketball | |
| 1923 | St. Thomas (MN) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 98–60–7 (college) 4–5–2 (NFL) |
Early years and education
editHarry Mehre was born in Huntington, Indiana on September 10, 1901. Mehre attended the University of Notre Dame and played center on both the football and basketball teams (serving as co-captain for the 1919–1920 basketball team and captain of the 1920–1921 team).[1]
Sports career
editAfter Mehre graduated in 1922, he played in that year and in 1923 with the Minneapolis Marines, also serving as head coach in 1923. Mehre was also a football line coach and head basketball coach at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
In 1924, Mehre came to the University of Georgia as an assistant coach under George Woodruff. Upon Woodruff's retirement, Mehre became head coach and compiled a 59–34–6 record over ten years. He also was Georgia's athletic director. After leaving Georgia, Mehre served as the head coach at the University of Mississippi from 1938 to 1945, compiling a 39–26–1 record there.
Death and legacy
editMehre was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1971. He died in Atlanta, in 1978. In 1986, Butts–Mehre Heritage Hall was dedicated on the University of Georgia campus in honor of Mehre and fellow Bulldogs coach Wally Butts.[2]
Head coaching record
editCollege
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Bulldogs (Southern Conference) (1928–1932) | |||||||||
| 1928 | Georgia | 4–5 | 2–4 | 17th | |||||
| 1929 | Georgia | 6–4 | 4–2 | T–7th | |||||
| 1930 | Georgia | 7–2–1 | 3–2–1 | 10th | |||||
| 1931 | Georgia | 8–2 | 6–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1932 | Georgia | 2–5–2 | 2–4–2 | 15th | |||||
| Georgia Bulldogs (Southeastern Conference) (1933–1937) | |||||||||
| 1933 | Georgia | 8–2 | 3–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1934 | Georgia | 7–3 | 3–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1935 | Georgia | 6–4 | 2–4 | 11th | |||||
| 1936 | Georgia | 5–4–1 | 3–3 | T–6th | |||||
| 1937 | Georgia | 6–3–2 | 1–2–2 | 10th | |||||
| Georgia: | 59–34–6 | 29–25–5 | |||||||
| Ole Miss Rebels (Southeastern Conference) (1938–1945) | |||||||||
| 1938 | Ole Miss | 9–2 | 3–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1939 | Ole Miss | 7–2 | 2–2 | T–5th | |||||
| 1940 | Ole Miss | 9–2 | 3–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1941 | Ole Miss | 6–2–1 | 2–1–1 | 5th | 17 | ||||
| 1942 | Ole Miss | 2–7 | 0–5 | T–11th | |||||
| 1943 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1944 | Ole Miss | 2–6 | 2–3 | 7th | |||||
| 1945 | Ole Miss | 4–5 | 3–3 | T–5th | |||||
| Ole Miss: | 39–26–1 | 15–17–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 98–60–7 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Harry Mehre". GeorgiaInfo - Online Georgia Almanac. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ "Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall". University of Georgia. Retrieved February 23, 2021.