Jack Lengyel facts for kids
Lengyel in 2008
|
|
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 4, 1935 Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1959 | Akron (assistant) |
| 1961–1962 | Heidelberg (assistant) |
| 1963–1965 | Cornell (assistant) |
| 1966–1970 | Wooster |
| 1971–1974 | Marshall |
| Baseball | |
| 1961–1963 | Heidelberg |
| Lacrosse | |
| 1968–1970 | Wooster |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1978–1980 | Louisville (associate/acting AD) |
| 1980–1983 | Missouri (associate AD) |
| 1983–1986 | Fresno State |
| 1986–1988 | Missouri |
| 1988–2001 | Navy |
| 2002 | Temple (interim AD) |
| 2002–2003 | Eastern Kentucky (interim AD) |
| 2004–2005 | Colorado (interim AD) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 33–54 (football) 26–22 (baseball) 10–11 (lacrosse) |
Jack Robert Lengyel (born March 4, 1935) is an American business leader and former sports coach. He coached college football and college lacrosse. He also worked as an athletics director for many universities.
Jack Lengyel is best known for coaching the Marshall University football team. He took over the team after a terrible plane crash in 1970. This crash killed almost the entire team and coaches. He helped rebuild the program from scratch.
Contents
Early Coaching Days
Jack Lengyel's family name, Lengyel, means "Polish" in Hungarian. He went to The University of Akron. There, he was an assistant football coach in 1959. He later earned a Master of Education degree from Kent State University in 1962.
Before becoming a head coach, he was an assistant at Heidelberg College (1961–1962). He also coached at Cornell University (1963–1965). In 1966, he became the head football coach at the College of Wooster. He helped the Wooster team improve a lot. He also coached lacrosse there from 1968 to 1970.
Rebuilding Marshall's Football Team
In 1970, a tragic plane crash killed 75 people. This included 37 football players and 38 coaches and staff from Marshall University. Jack Lengyel was hired to lead the Thundering Herd football team after this disaster. It was a very difficult job.
When Lengyel arrived, he had to find new players. He recruited athletes from other sports, like baseball and basketball. He also allowed many students who weren't on scholarships to join the team. This helped him rebuild the football program.
In his first season, the team faced many challenges. But they managed to win a game against Xavier with a touchdown in the final seconds. This was a huge moment for the team and the university. Lengyel coached Marshall for four seasons, from 1971 to 1974.
Leading University Sports Programs
After coaching, Lengyel worked in the private sector for a while. Then he returned to university sports. He became an associate director of athletics at the University of Louisville (1978–1980). He also worked at the University of Missouri (1980–1983).
He then became the main athletic director at California State University, Fresno (1983–1986). He returned to the University of Missouri as athletic director from 1986 to 1988.
In 1988, he started a long career at the United States Naval Academy. He was the athletic director there for 14 years, until 2001. For his great work at Navy, he received the John L. Toner Award in 2005. After retiring from Navy, he also served as an interim (temporary) athletic director at several other universities. These included Temple University, Eastern Kentucky University, and the University of Colorado.
Lengyel also served on the board of trustees for the Foundation of the United States Naval Academy. He later became a vice president for a sports media company.
Helping Communities in Need
Jack Lengyel's compassion goes beyond sports. In 2008, a bus crash in Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada killed seven high school basketball players and their coach's wife. This tragedy reminded many people of the Marshall plane crash.
Lengyel traveled to Canada to help the grieving community. He shared his experiences and offered support. He also spoke out about school transportation safety. He said that schools should not use small, multi-passenger vans for students. Soon after, the New Brunswick government stopped using these vans.
In 2019, Jack Lengyel was honored by the National Football Foundation (NFF). He was named to their 150th Anniversary Team of Excellence. This recognized his important contributions to college football.
See also
- List of teachers portrayed in films
