A. M. Miller | |
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Miller at the University of Kentucky in 1917
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Sport(s) | Football |
Biographical details | |
Born | August 6, 1861 |
Place of birth | Eaton, Ohio |
Died | October 28, 1929 | (aged 68)
Place of death | Palatka, Florida |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1892 | Kentucky |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 2–4–1 |
Statistics | |
College Football Data Warehouse |
Arthur McQuiston Miller (August 6, 1861 – October 28, 1929) was an American educator, zoologist, geologist, and college football coach. He was the first football coach at the University of Kentucky in 1892. Miller was also a professor of geology and zoology and the first dean of arts and sciences at the University of Kentucky.
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Miller was born on August 6, 1861 in Eaton, Ohio to parents Robert and Margaret Ann (née McQuiston) Miller.[1] He spent his youth there, and enjoyed searching for trilobites as a pastime.[2] From 1880 to 1882, he attended the College of Wooster before transferring to Princeton University in 1883.[3] From Princeton, Miller received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1884 and a Master of Arts degree in 1887.[4] He remained there under a fellowship through 1889.[3] Miller spent a year as a professor at Wilson College and studied abroad for a year at the University of Munich.[3]
In 1892, he joined the faculty at Kentucky State College (now the University of Kentucky) as a professor of geology and zoology.[4] That year, he also coached the football team in its inaugural season at the urging of the students, which came despite his limited knowledge of the sport.[5] Kentucky finished with a 2–4–1 record,[6] and Miller allowed John A. Thompson, who was more familiar with the game, to coach the team the following season.[5]
By 1907, Miller was the head of the geological, zoological, and entomological departments at Kentucky, and "proved himself to be the friend and patron of pure athletics, as his heart co-operation and assistance can always be relied upon in any matter pertaining to the interests of the physical attitude."[7] From 1908 to 1917,[3] he served as the school's first dean of arts and sciences.[8] During the First World War, he worked as a field geology consultant and authored several scientific studies.[3]
In 1922, Miller wrote an article in the journal Science decrying William Jennings Bryan for his actions to suppress the teaching of evolution in Kentucky schools.[9] In June 1925, Miller was informed that he could be called upon to testify in defense of John T. Scopes, a University of Kentucky alumnus and former student of Miller's, during the Scopes Monkey Trial.[10] Miller retired from the university as a professor emeritus on June 30, 1925.[3]
Miller spent his retirement in Asheville, North Carolina.[3] He died of heart disease in Palatka, Florida on October 28, 1929 at the age of 68.[11][12] He is interred at Mound Hill Union Cemetery in Eaton, Ohio.[13] Miller Hall on the University of Kentucky campus was named in his honor in 1940.[8]
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