Norman Gillespie "Happy" Wann (July 8, 1882 – July 23, 1957) was an American college football player, track athlete, coach of multiple sports, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas (1908–1909), Millikin College (1915–1917, 1919–1922), Earlham College (1923–1924), Ball Teachers College, Eastern Division, Indiana State Normal School—now Ball State University (1926–1927), and the College of the City of Detroit—now Wayne State University (1929–1931), compiling a career college football head coaching record of 74–40–10. Wann was also the head basketball coach at Ottawa (1908–1910), Millikin (1915–1918, 1919–1923), and Earlham (1923–1925), amassing a career college basketball record of 128–79. In addition, he was the head baseball coach at Ottawa (1909–1910), Millikin (1916–1918, 1920–1921), Ball Teachers College (1927), tallying a career college baseball mark of 43–39.

Wann attended Earlham College, where he played football as a lineman and ran track. He left campus in 1908 one credit short of his BBS degree, which he did not receive until 1922. Earlham served with the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I. In 1929, he earned a master's degree in physical education from the University of Wisconsin. After his retirement from coaching, he moved to Eagle Harbor Township, Michigan. He died there on July 23, 1957.[1] Three years earlier, in 1954, he was inducted into Earlham's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1986, he was inducted into the Wayne State University Athletics Hall of Fame.[2]

Head coaching record

Football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Ottawa Braves (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) (1908–1909)
1908 Ottawa 3–4
1909 Ottawa 6–1–1
Ottawa: 9–5–1
Millikin Big Blue (Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1915–1917)
1915 Millikin 5–2–1
1916 Millikin 8–0–1 1st
1917 Millikin 7–1
Millikin Big Blue (Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1919–1921)
1919 Millikin 9–0 1st
1920 Millikin 9–0 T–1st
1921 Millikin 5–2–1
Millikin Big Blue (llinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference / Midwest Conference) (1922)
1922 Millikin 3–4–2 2–2–1 / 1–0 T–9th / T–1st
Millikin: 47–9–5
Earlham Quakers (Independent) (1923–1924)
1923 Earlham 2–5
1924 Earlham 4–3–1
Earlham: 6–8–1
Muncie Normal / Ball Teachers Hoosieroons (Independent) (1926–1927)
1926 Muncie Normal 5–1–1
1927 Ball Teachers 5–2–1
Muncie Normal / Ball Teachers: 10–3–2
Detroit City College Tartars (Michigan Collegiate Conference) (1929–1930)
1929 Detroit City College 2–7 1–2 3rd
1930 Detroit City College 0–9 0–3 4th
Detroit City College Tartars (Independent) (1931)
1931 Detroit City College 0–6–1
Detroit City College: 2–15–1 1–5
Total: 74–40–10
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

  1. ^ "Former Coach Dies". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Traverse City, Michigan. United Press. July 25, 1957. p. 16. Retrieved July 23, 2017 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  2. ^ "Hall of Fame: Norman G. Wann". Wayne State University Athletics. Wayne State University. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
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