John Pont (November 13, 1927 – July 1, 2008) was an American college football coach who served as head coach at Miami University, Yale University, Northwestern University and Indiana University. He was the only Indiana University coach to take a team to the Rose Bowl. Later in his career, Pont was recruited to start a football program at Cincinnati's College of Mount St. Joseph. He later served as coach and consultant in creating a semi-professional football league in Japan. He was honored as NCAA Division I-A coach of the year in 1967, the year his Hoosiers appeared in the Rose Bowl. He was a member of the Cradle of Coaches and the Miami and Indiana Athletic Halls of Fame as well as Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame and the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.
As an undergraduate, he was an outstanding halfback at Miami University, playing for coach Woody Hayes. He was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. After a serving a tour as a Navy submariner, he played professional football in Canada. He and several of his "Cradle of Coaches" compatriots are the subject of the book Fields of Honor, written by Pont's niece, Sally Pont. John Pont was a native of Canton, Ohio where he graduated from Timken High School. He died on July 1, 2008.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami RedHawks (Mid-American Conference) (1956–1962) | |||||||||
| 1956 | Miami | 7-1-1 | 4-0-1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1957 | Miami | 6-3 | 5-0 | 1st | |||||
| 1958 | Miami | 6-3 | 5-0 | 1st | |||||
| 1959 | Miami | 5-4 | 3-2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1960 | Miami | 5-5 | 2-3 | 4th | |||||
| 1961 | Miami | 6-4 | 3-2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1962 | Miami | 8-2-1 | 3-1-1 | 3rd | L 49-21 Tangerine Bowl | ||||
| Miami: | 43-22-2 | 25-8-2 | |||||||
| Yale Bulldogs (Ivy League) (1963–1964) | |||||||||
| 1963 | Yale | 6-3 | 4-3 | T-4th | |||||
| 1964 | Yale | 6-2-1 | 4-2-1 | 3rd | |||||
| Yale: | 12-5-1 | 8-5-1 | |||||||
| Indiana Hoosiers (Big Ten Conference) (1965–1972) | |||||||||
| 1965 | Indiana | 2-8 | 1-6 | 9th | |||||
| 1966 | Indiana | 1-8-1 | 1-5-1 | 9th | |||||
| 1967 | Indiana | 9-2 | 6-1 | T-1st | L 3-14 Rose Bowl | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1968 | Indiana | 6-4 | 4-3 | T-5th | |||||
| 1969 | Indiana | 4-6 | 3-4 | T-5th | |||||
| 1970 | Indiana | 1-9 | 1-6 | T-9th | |||||
| 1971 | Indiana | 3-8 | 2-6 | 9th | |||||
| 1972 | Indiana | 5-6 | 3-5 | T-6th | |||||
| Indiana: | 31-51-1 | 21-36-1 | |||||||
| Northwestern Wildcats (Big Ten Conference) (1973–1977) | |||||||||
| 1973 | Northwestern | 5-6 | 4-4 | T-4th | |||||
| 1974 | Northwestern | 2-8 | 2-6 | T-7th | |||||
| 1975 | Northwestern | 3-8 | 2-6 | 9th | |||||
| 1976 | Northwestern | 1-10 | 1-7 | 10th | |||||
| 1977 | Northwestern | 1-10 | 1-8 | 10th | |||||
| Northwestern: | 12-43 | 10-31 | |||||||
| Total: | 98-121-4 | ||||||||
| National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title | |||||||||
| †Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season. °Rankings from final AP Poll of the season. |
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External links
| Preceded by Ara Parseghian |
Miami University Head Football Coach 1956-1963 |
Succeeded by Bo Schembechler |
| Preceded by Jordan Olivar |
Yale University Head Football Coach 1963-1964 |
Succeeded by Carmen Cozza |
| Preceded by Phil Dickens |
Indiana University Head Football Coach 1965-1972 |
Succeeded by Lee Corso |
| Preceded by Alex Agase |
Northwestern University Head Football Coach 1973–1977 |
Succeeded by Rick Venturi |
| Preceded by Tom Cahill |
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award 1967 |
Succeeded by Woody Hayes |
| Preceded by First |
Walter Camp Coach of the Year 1967 |
Succeeded by Woody Hayes |
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