Jim Tatum
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | McColl, South Carolina, U.S. | July 22, 1913
Died | July 23, 1959 Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 46)
Playing career | |
Football | |
1933–1935 | North Carolina |
Baseball | |
1934–1936 | North Carolina |
1937 | Tarboro Serpents |
1938–1939 | Snow Hill Billies |
Position(s) | Jacksonville NAS |
1946 | Oklahoma |
1947–1955 | Maryland |
1956–1958 | North Carolina |
Baseball | |
1937–1939 | Cornell |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
1948–1956 | Maryland |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 109–37–7 (football) ACC Coach of the Year (1953, 1955) |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1984 (profile) |
James Moore "Big Jim" Tatum (July 22, 1913 – July 23, 1959) was an
Early life and college playing career
Tatum was born in McColl, South Carolina, on July 22, 1913.[3] He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he played college football as a tackle under head coach Carl Snavely. Tatum was named to the All-Southern Conference team as a senior in 1935.[4]
Tatum played
In September 1935, Tatum participated in training camp with the New York Giants of the National Football League at Blue Hill Country Club.[8]
Coaching career
Cornell
In 1936, Tatum followed his football coach at North Carolina,
Military service
Tatum enlisted in the United States Navy after one season as the head coach at North Carolina following Raymond Wolf's departure for naval service in 1941. He was assigned to the Iowa Pre-Flight school where he was an assistant coach for Don Faurot, the Missouri Tigers head coach and the inventor of the Split-T offense. Tatum used this offensive scheme with great success throughout his later career.
Oklahoma
After
Maryland
At Maryland, Tatum compiled a 73–15–4 record for an .815 winning percentage. Maryland was undefeated in the 1951 season at 10–0, upsetting the top-ranked
North Carolina
In 1942 and from 1956 to 1958, Tatum served as the head football coach at his alma mater, the
Tatum died on July 23, 1959, in
Legacy
Himself a pupil of
- George Barclay, North Carolina
- Walter Driskill, Baltimore Colts
- Warren Giese, South Carolina
- Jack Hennemier, Calgary Stampeders
- Jim Hickey, North Carolina
- Bill Meek, Houston
- Tommy Mont, Maryland
- Bob Ward, Maryland
- Bud Wilkinson, Oklahoma
A number of Tatum's players also went on to become head coaches:
- Dee Andros, Oregon State and Idaho
- Washington Federals
- John Idzik, Detroit
- Jim LaRue, Arizona
- Dick Modzelewski, Cleveland Browns
- Dick Nolan, San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints
- Jim Owens, Washington
- Darrell Royal, Texas
- Wade Walker, Mississippi State
- Ron Waller, San Diego Chargers
- Bob Ward, Maryland
Nearly every year since 1979, the Atlantic Coast Conference has awarded the Jim Tatum Award to the conference's football player who most exemplifies Tatum's strong belief in the concept of the student-athlete. The 2022 recipient is Dillan Gibbons, a graduate student-athlete earning his MBA from Florida State University.[13]
Head coaching record
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Carolina Tar Heels (Southern Conference) (1942) | |||||||||
1942 | North Carolina | 5–2–2 | 3–1–1 | T–4th | |||||
Jacksonville Naval Air Station Fliers (Independent) (1945)
| |||||||||
1945 | Jacksonville NAS | 9–2 | |||||||
Jacksonville NAS: | 9–2 | ||||||||
Oklahoma Sooners (Big Six Conference) (1946) | |||||||||
1946 | Oklahoma | 8–3 | 4–1 | T–1st | W Gator | 14 | |||
Oklahoma: | 8–3 | 4–1 | |||||||
Maryland Terrapins (Southern Conference) (1947–1952) | |||||||||
1947 | Maryland | 7–2–2 | 3–2–1 | T–6th | T Gator | ||||
1948 | Maryland | 6–4 | 4–2 | 6th | |||||
1949 | Maryland | 9–1 | 4–0 | 2nd | W Gator | 14 | |||
1950 | Maryland | 7–2–1 | 4–1–1 | 5th | |||||
1951 | Maryland | 10–0 | 5–0 | T–1st | W Sugar | 4 | 3 | ||
1952 | Maryland | 7–2 | 0–0[n 2] | [n 2] | 13 | 13 | |||
Maryland Terrapins (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1953–1955) | |||||||||
1953 | Maryland[14] | 10–1 | 3–0 | T–1st | L Orange | 1 | 1 | ||
1954 | Maryland | 7–2–1 | 4–0–1 | 2nd | 11 | 8 | |||
1955 | Maryland | 10–1 | 4–0 | T–1st | L Orange | 3 | 3 | ||
Maryland: | 73–15–4 | 4–1 | |||||||
North Carolina Tar Heels (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1956–1958) | |||||||||
1956 | North Carolina | 2–7–1[n 1] | 2–3–1[n 1] | 5th | |||||
1957 | North Carolina | 6–4 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
1958 | North Carolina | 6–4 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
North Carolina: | 19–17–3[n 1] | 13–10–2[n 1] | |||||||
Total: | 109–37–7[n 1] | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
|
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h North Carolina later forfeited two wins during the 1956 season, victories over conference opponents Maryland and Virginia, because of an ineligible player.[1] The NCAA and North Carolina still credit Tatum with those wins.
- ^ a b The Southern Conference sanctioned Maryland during the 1952 season for accepting a bowl bid the previous season. The Terrapins were disallowed from playing any conference opponents.
References
- ^ Hickman, Herman (September 23, 1957). "Atlantic Coast Conference". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "Maryland Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Maryland. p. 8. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ "Jim "Big Jim" Tatum". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ^ Jim Tatum Rated 'Coach of the Year', Eugene Register-Guard, October 9, 1942.
- ^ Kinston Has a Rich Tradition in Baseball, Kinston Eagles, retrieved May 30, 2011.
- ^ Jim Fletcher, The Die-Hard Fan's Guide to Sooner Football, p. 87.
- ^ Newsweek, Volume 54, p. 47, Newsweek, Inc., 1959.
- ^ Tatum Joins Football Giants, The New York Times, p. 31, September 12, 1935.
- Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ Schlabach, Mark (April 21, 2009). "Blanchard half of famous backfield". ESPN. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ^ Jim Tatum Dies at 46 from Virus; N. Carolina Coach Succumbs after 10 Day Illness, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 24, 1959.
- ^ Jim Tatum's Disease Likened To Typhus, The Baltimore Sun, March 31, 1960.
- ^ "FSU's Gibbons to Receive ACC's Jim Tatum Award". November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- ^ "Maryland Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Maryland. p. 8. Retrieved May 5, 2020.