Raymond George

Raymond (Ray) George was an American football player and coach.

Playing career

George played college football at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he played offensive line under Hall of Fame coach Howard Jones, playing tackle from 1936-38.^[1][2] His senior season was successful, as the Trojans upset both top-ranked rival Notre Dame, 13-0, and previously unbeaten and unscored-upon Duke, 7-3, in the 1939 Rose Bowl game.^[3]

In 1939, George was the second USC player ever drafted by the NFL, taken by the Detroit Lions as the 87th pick. He played two years of professional football, in 1939 with the Lions and in 1940 with the Philadelphia Eagles.^[3]

Coaching history

After playing football he returned to California and became a coach at Porterville High School in Porterville, California before joining the military in 1942 and ultimately reaching the rank of lieutenant. He returned from the service to USC where he acted as a line coach from 1946-50.^[3]

Texas A&M

George was the 17th head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, Texas. He was head coach from 1951^[4] until the completion of the 1953 season, where his teams produced a total record of 12 wins, 14 losses, and 4 ties.^[5] As of completion of the 2009 season, this ranks him 15th in total wins and 20th in win percentage in the history of the school's football program.^[6] Among his wins were victories over Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners, Red Sanders' UCLA Bruins and Bear Bryant's Kentucky Wildcats. Bryant would succeed George at Texas A&M.^[3]

Return to USC

After leaving Texas A&M, George went into private business. He persuaded to return to coaching by USC head coach Don Clark in 1958. For five years, George served as John McKay's senior assistant, where he was a part of the 1962 championship team.^[3]

George retired after the championship, reentering the private business realm and serving as vice president of sales for Transamerica Title Insurance Company for six years. He returned to USC again in January 1971, this time as both an assistant athletic director and assistant football coach. He was an assistant on both the 1972 and 1974 national championship teams before focusing solely on working as an assistant athletic director, retiring from that position in 1985.^[3]

George died on January 12, 1995, at age 78, of complications from a stroke, in Costa Mesa, California. In 2001, he was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.^[3]

References

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