Alexander S. Lilley Explained

Alexander S. Lilley
Birth Date:7 December 1867
Birth Place:Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Death Place:San Francisco, California, U.S.
Player Years1:?
Player Team1:Princeton
Coach Years1:1890–1891
Coach Team1:Ohio State
Coach Years2:1892
Coach Team2:Ohio Wesleyan
Overall Record:4–8

Alexander Spinning Lilley (December 7, 1867 – December 8, 1925) was an American college football coach. He served as the first head football coach at Ohio State University. Lilley was an unpaid volunteer coach during his time coaching at Ohio State. He was also known to ride an Indian pony to practices during his tenure.[1] A plaque at the Ohio State football stadium memorializes him as "A Lone and Ardent Volunteer".[2]

Official records state that Lilley coached the Ohio State team from 1890 to 1891, purportedly compiling a record of 3–5.[3] More recent research establishes that Lilley began coaching in the fall of 1890 and did not coach the first Ohio State game (vs. Ohio Wesleyan) in May 1890.[4]

Lilley died after a five-month illness in 1925. At the time of his death he was a manager for a shipbuilding company in New York.[5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Scarlet and Gray Legacy. 26 August 2012.
  2. Web site: OSU Football: Who was the youngest coach?. 25 July 2011.
  3. Web site: Ohio State History Database. September 22, 2008 . nationalchamps.net . https://web.archive.org/web/20081006153940/http://www.nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/ohiostate_database.htm. October 6, 2008 . live.
  4. Book: Roman, Robert J. . 2017 . Ohio State Football: The Forgotten Dawn . University of Akron Press . 978-1629220666 .
  5. http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=cecilie3&id=I6984
  6. News: . Famed Athlete Dies . . . . December 9, 1925 . 1 . December 27, 2016 . .