Gerry Gerard Explained

Gerry Gerard
Birth Date:14 July 1903
Birth Place:Indiana, U.S.
Death Place:Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Player Sport1:Football
Player Team2:Illinois
Player Sport3:Basketball
Player Years4:c. 1925
Player Team4:Illinois
Player Sport5:Track and field
Player Years6:c. 1925
Player Team6:Illinois
Player Positions:End, quarterback (football)
Javelin (track and field)
Coach Sport1:Football
Coach Years2:1928
Coach Team2:Athen HS (PA)
Coach Sport3:Basketball
Coach Years4:1941–1943
Coach Team4:Duke (assistant)
Coach Years5:1943–1950
Coach Team5:Duke
Coach Sport6:Soccer
Coach Years7:1935–1948
Coach Team7:Duke
Overall Record:131–78 (basketball)
41–27–10 (soccer)
Championships:Basketball
1 SoCon regular season (1943)
2 SoCon tournament (1944, 1946)
Awards:Basketball
SoCon Coach of the Year (1944, 1946)

Kenneth Carlyle "Gerry" Gerard (July 14, 1903 – January 17, 1951) was an American basketball and soccer coach. He served as the head basketball coach at Duke University from 1943 to 1950, compiling a record of 131–78. Gerard first arrived at Duke to serve as the director of intramural sports in 1931. He helped form the Duke Blue Devils men's soccer program in 1935, coaching the team for 11 seasons.

A native of Mishawaka, Indiana, Gerard attended the University of Illinois, where played basketball and football as an end and quarterback. He also threw the javelin on Illinois track team.[1] He graduated from Illinois in June 1928 with a Bachelor of Science degree and began his career that fall as a teacher and head football coach at the high school in Athens, Pennsylvania.[2] [3]

Gerard joined the Duke basketball coaching staff in 1941, acting as an assistant coach under Eddie Cameron for two seasons, prior to being named head coach in 1943. He coached Duke for eight seasons (1943–1950), winning the Southern Conference tournament and Coach of the Year honors in 1944 and 1946.

Gerard's health began to decline in 1949 and he took a leave of absence in November 1950.[4] He died on January 17, 1951, at Duke University Hospital, in Durham, North Carolina after a serious injury lasting several months.[5] [6]

Head coaching record

Basketball

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: . Gerry Gerard Dies At Age 47 . . . January 17, 1951 . 16, section 2 . August 7, 2022 . .
  2. News: . Athens Secures Gridiron Star For High Coach . . . August 27, 1928 . 12 . August 7, 2022 . .
  3. News: . Kenneth Gerard Is Coach At Duke U. . The Evening Times . . May 21, 1931 . 3 . August 8, 2022 . .
  4. Book: Roth. John. The Encyclopedia of Duke Basketball. 2006. Duke University Press. 978-0-822-33904-5. 122.
  5. News: . Funeral Rites Set Today Art 2:30 For Gerry Gerard . . . January 18, 1951 . 1, section 1 . August 7, 2022 . .
  6. News: . Funeral For Gerard Today (continued) . . . January 18, 1951 . 2, section 2 . August 7, 2022 . .