Buddy Brothers

John Orville "Buddy" Brothers (May 29, 1909 – December 25, 1991) was an American college football coach. He coached the Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team at the University of Tulsa from 1946 to 1952 and compiled a 45–25–4 record and .635 winning percentage.

Buddy Brothers
Biographical details
Born(1909-05-29)May 29, 1909
DiedDecember 25, 1991(1991-12-25) (aged 82)
Oklahoma
Playing career
1928–1930Texas Tech
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1941–1945Tulsa (backfield)
1946–1952Tulsa
Head coaching record
Overall45–25–4
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
4 MVC (1946–1947, 1950–1951)
Awards
2× MVC Coach of the Year (1950–1951)

Coaching career

Brothers attended Texas Tech University, where he played on the football team from 1928 to 1930.[1] Brothers coached at Tulsa for seven seasons. During that time, his teams compiled four Missouri Valley Conference championship, and Brothers was twice named the conference Coach of the Year.[2] He posted a 45–25–4 record and .635 winning percentage, which makes him the ninth winningest Tulsa coach in school history.[3]

In 1946, Brothers and quarterback Clyde LeForce led the Golden Hurricane to a 9–1 record. Tulsa recorded impressive wins over Texas Tech, Cincinnati, and conference co-champions Arkansas and Kansas. The Golden Hurricane beat Kansas, 56–0, after scoring five touchdowns in the first half within a 12-minute span. The lone loss came to Detroit.[4]

In 1949, Tulsa posted just a 5–5–1 record, but that included one of the biggest upsets of the season. The Golden Hurricane beat undefeated Villanova, 21–19, a team that had recorded earlier wins over Texas A&M, Penn State, Detroit, and Saint Mary's. After the game, Brothers told the media, "You know, we've had one coming to us for a long time. I guess this was it. We hadn't been doing much and Villanova was bigger, faster and a sound favorite. "But a half dozen of the boys came to me this afternoon. They said they were speaking for the team when they told me: "'We're gonna win this one for you, coach, just to make you coach of the week'."[5]

In 1951, in the game against Marquette, the opposing coach, Lisle Blackbourn, accused the Golden Hurricane of "flagrantly illegal tactics." Brothers called the charges "unfair, unsportsmanlike, and onesided." The incident created enough ill will that the schools cancelled the 1952 game.[6]

After the end of his coaching tenure at Tulsa, Brothers went on to coach high school football including stints at Norman High School, in 1956 and 1957, and Lubbock High School.[7]

Head coaching record
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs AP#
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (Missouri Valley Conference) (1946–1952)
1946 Tulsa 9–13–01st17
1947 Tulsa 5–53–01st
1948 Tulsa 0–9–10–1–14th
1949 Tulsa 5–5–11–2–15th
1950 Tulsa 9–1–13–0–11st18
1951 Tulsa 9–24–01st
1952 Tulsa 8–2–13–12ndL Gator12
Tulsa: 45–25–417–4–3
Total:45–25–4
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References
  1. 2010 Texas Tech Football Media Guide (PDF), p. 56, Texas Tech University, 2010.
  2. Hurricane Coaches Archived June 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (PDF), University of Tulsa, retrieved February 18, 2009.
  3. Tulsa Coaching Records Archived March 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved February 18, 2009.
  4. The LeForce years at Tulsa, LA 84 Foundation, College Football Historical Society Newsletter, retrieved February 16, 2009.
  5. Tulsa U. Stuns Grid World With 21-19 Villanova Upset, University of Tulsa, October 15, 1949, retrieved February 16, 2009.
  6. It's Just a Game, Time, November 5, 1951.
  7. From the A-J's Pages: 50 years ago, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, June 19, 2008.
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