Clifford Carlson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry Clifford "Doc" Carlson (July 4, 1894 – November 1, 1964) was a well-known college men's basketball coach. He coached at his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, between 1922 and 1958, compiling a 369-247 record. In 1928 he led Pittsburgh to a 21-0 record and the national championship.

Carlson was born in Murray City, Ohio. He played high school football, basketball, and baseball (1910-1914) at Bellefonte Academy in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. During his undergraduate years at the University of Pittsburgh (1914-1918) he earned three letters in basketball, two in baseball, four in football. He was an All-American football player for Pop Warner's 1917 team, which went undefeated.

After graduation, Carlson completed his medical degree at Pitt, but then joined the Cleveland Indians (NFL) professional football team for one season. When in 1922 Andrew Kerr, who was Pitt's basketball coach and assistant football coach, left to become football head coach at Stanford University, Pitt hired "Doc" Carlson as its new basketball coach. Simultaneously he practiced as a physician for the Carnegie Steel Company.

Carlson was famous for his Figure 8 offense, an innovation that many coaches copied. In 1928 Pittsburgh went a perfect 21-0 and won the national championship. His Panthers won another unofficial title in 1930. (Both were selected as national champions, prior to the advent of NCAA Tournament, by the Helms Athletic Foundation.) In 1931 Carlson became the first Eastern coach to take a collegiate team westward, going on the road to beat the University of Kansas, the University of Colorado, Stanford, and the University of Southern California.

Legend has it that Carlson offered Stan Musial a basketball scholarship to Pitt, but Musial only wanted to play baseball, and had secretly signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals' Monessen, Pennsylvania ball club of the Class D Pennsylvania State League Association.

Carlson's win-loss record at Pitt was 367-247 (.598).

Carlson became Pitt's director of student health services in 1932 and held that position until his retirement. He died November 1, 1964 at his home in Ligonier, Pennsylvania

See also: List of Coaches of University of Pittsburgh Men's Basketball