E. J. Stewart

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Edward J. "Doc" Stewart was a collegiate football, baseball, and basketball coach.

[edit] Collegiate coaching

[edit] Mount Union College

Stewart's first collegiate head coaching position was as the head football coach at Mount Union College. He coached one season there and posted a 9-2 record.^[1] Stewart was also the head coach of the Mount Union men's basketball team for one season. He coached the team for one season posting a record of 18-3 in the 1907-08 season.^[2]

[edit] Purdue University

In 1909, Stewart was hired as the head men's basketball coach at Purdue University just days before the season began. He led the team to a record of 8-4, their first winning season in four years.^[3]

[edit] Oregon State

From 1911 to 1916, Stewart was the head coach of the men's basketball team at Oregon State, then known as Oregon Agricultural College. In his five seasons as the head basketball coach at OAC, Stewart posted a record of 67-33.^[4]

While at Oregon State, he also coached the Oregon State Beavers baseball team during the 1912 season. He coached the team to a 5-9 record.^[5]

Pulling the triple threat for Oregon State, Stewart also coached the Oregon State Beavers football team from 1913 to 1915. In football he compiled a 15-5-5 record.^[6]

[edit] University of Nebraska

From 1916 to 1917, Stewart was the head coach of the University of Nebraska football team. In his two seasons at the helm, he led the team to the Missouri Valley Conference title each year and posted a 11-4 record overall.^[1] After the conclusion of the 1917 football season, Stewart took over as head basketball coach and remained in that capacity from 1917 to 1919. He coached the Cornhuskers to a 17-14 record over those two seasons.^[7]

[edit] Clemson University

In the spring of 1921, Stewart became the head baseball coach at Clemson University. That spring was a busy one for Stewart as he also coached the track and field team and ran spring practice for football, all while coaching the baseball team. He coached the baseball team for just the 1921 season and the track program from 1921 to 1923.^[8]

In the fall of 1921, Stewart coached his first season of football at Clemson. He remained there for two seasons, the 1921 and 1922 seasons, and compiled a 6-10-2 record.^[1]

As soon as the football season of 1921 ended, Stewart jumped into his 4th head coaching role at Clemson at coached the basketball team. He coached the basketball from 1921 to 1923. In his two seasons at the helm, he led Clemson to 19-19 record.^[8]

[edit] University of Texas

University of Texas Athletic Director L. Theo Bellmont hired Stewart from Clemson University to lead both the Longhorn football and basketball programs in 1923.

A medical school graduate, a piano enthusiast, a former sportswriter, a one-time automobile dealership owner, and a veteran coach, E.J. Stewart quickly became a popular figure across diverse segments of the University population. His oratory eloquence landed him an open job offer from the head of the UT English Department, should he ever decide to quit coaching and desire other work.

Some have speculated that Stewart's devotion to his varied non-athletic interests was the root cause of his football and basketball teams' decline in performance over his tenure.^[9] He led the Longhorn football team to an 8-0-1 record during the 1923 season; his following teams finished with records of 5-3-1, 6-2-1, and 5-4.^[1] Stewart led the Longhorn basketball team to a perfect 23-0 mark and Southwest Conference Championship during the 1923-24 season, but his subsequent teams finished 17-8, 12-10, and 13-9.^[10]

This decline in his teams' performance resulted in the popular Stewart's controversial dismissal following the 1926-27 season.

[edit] University of Texas at El Paso

He ended his career at University of Texas at El Paso where he compiled a 5-6-3 record.^[1]

[edit] References