Francis Schmidt, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Francis Schmidt

American college football coach, college basketball coach, college basketball coach

Date of Birth: 03-Dec-1885

Place of Birth: Downs, Kansas, United States

Date of Death: 19-Sep-1944

Profession: basketball coach

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Francis Albert Schmidt (December 3, 1885 – September 19, 1944) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball.
He served as the head football coach at the University of Tulsa (1919–1921), the University of Arkansas (1922–1928), Texas Christian University (1929–1933), The Ohio State University (1934–1940), and the University of Idaho (1941–1942), compiling a career record of 156–58–11 (.718). Schmidt's teams were known for trick plays involving multiple laterals and non-standard tackle-eligible, and even guard-eligible, formations.
The press labeled Schmidt's approach as the "razzle-dazzle offense." Because Schmidt's teams were known for high scoring, the media nicknamed him Francis "Close the Gates of Mercy" Schmidt.
Schmidt was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1971.Schmidt also served as the head basketball coach at Tulsa (1915–1917, 1918–1922), Arkansas (1923–1929), and Texas Christian (1929–1934), compiling a career record of 258–72 (.782), and the head baseball coach at Arkansas (1923–1929), tallying a mark of 38–64 (.373).