Howard Cann
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Howard Cann | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball, Football | |
| Born | October 11, 1895 | |
| Place of birth | Bridgeport, CT | |
| Died | December 18, 1992 (aged 97) | |
| Place of death | Dobbs Ferry, NY | |
| Career highlights | ||
| Championships | ||
| AAU National Championship (basketball, 1920) | ||
| Playing career | ||
| 1914—1917, 1919—1920 | NYU | |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||
| 1923—1958 1932—1933 |
NYU men's basketball NYU football |
|
| Basketball Hall of Fame, 1968 | ||
Howard Gardsell Cann (October 11, 1895 - December 18, 1992) was an American sportsman best known as the long-time men's basketball coach at New York University. He was also an Olympic shot putter and a college basketball and football player.
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[edit] Playing career
Cann was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, into a family of accomplished sportsmen. His father, Frank Cann, was the director of physical education at New York University, which both Howard and his younger brother Tedford Cann attended. Tedford was an Olympic swimmer and world-record holder in the 200 meter freestyle. During his freshman year in 1914, Howard was the leading scorer on the NYU Violets men's basketball team. He was captain of the 1916-1917 football team, where he played as a tackle, a punter, and also played in the backfield.
Cann's college career was interrupted by World War I. He left NYU and, along with his brother Tedford, joined the United States Navy. Howard resumed his studies at NYU in 1919, after the end of the war.
In 1920, Cann led the NYU basketball team to an Amateur Athletic Union National Championship title and was named the Helms Athletic Foundation Player of the Year. As a member of the track and field team, he won the shot put competitions at the Penn Relays and the IC4A Middle Atlantic States event. He participated in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp as a shot putter, finishing the competition in eighth place with a throw of 13.52 meters. That same year, Cann graduated from NYU with a degree in engineering.
[edit] Coaching career
[edit] Basketball
Three years after graduating from NYU, Cann returned to the school as the men's basketball coach. He coached the team for thirty-five years, from 1923 to 1958, and compiled a 429-235 record before his retirement.
His time as the basketball coach included an unbeaten 1933-1934 season and a December 29, 1934 game in Madison Square Garden where NYU defeated Notre Dame. The game at Madison Square Garden helped to elevate the popularity of college basketball. He led the 1944-1945 team to the final game of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, but lost the championship to Oklahoma State University. Cann was named National Coach of the Year in 1947, and led the Violets to the National Invitation Tournament final the next year, but was defeated by Saint Louis University.
[edit] Football
In 1932 and 1933, he also coached the NYU football team. Cann was the 20th head college football coach for the New York University Violets. His career football coaching record at NYU was 7 wins, 7 losses, and 1 ties. This ranks him ninth at NYU in total wins and sixth at NYU in winning percentage.[1]
[edit] Accomplishments
In 1968, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a coach.
[edit] Personal life
Cann married in the early 1930s, and he and his wife Janet had a son, Howard, Jr. Cann died at age 97 after a long illness. He was a resident of Irvington, New York, at the time of his death.
[edit] References
- Goldaper, Sam. "Howard Cann, Longtime N.Y.U. Coach, Dies at 97", The New York Times, December 19, 1992. Retrieved on 2007-10-22.
[edit] External links
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