| Paul Pierce | |
|---|---|
| Sport(s) | Football |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | December 29, 1914 |
| Place of birth | Hill, New Mexico |
| Died | March 31, 2004 (aged 89) |
| Place of death | Austin, Texas |
| Playing career | |
| 1932–1933 1934–1935 |
Schreiner Institute Sul Ross State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1946–1951 1952–1967 |
Sul Ross State Sam Houston State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 134–72–9 |
| Bowls | 3–2–1 |
| Tournaments | 1–0–1 (NAIA playoffs) |
| Statistics | |
| College Football Data Warehouse | |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 NAIA National (1964) 5 LSC (1950, 1955–1956, 1961, 1964) |
|
| Awards | |
| 1965 Knute Rockne Little All-American Coach of the Year | |
Paul Edward "Red" Pierce (December 29, 1914 – March 31, 2004) was an American football player and coach. He served as head coach at Sul Ross State University from 1946 to 1951 and at Sam Houston State University from 1952 to 1967, amassing a career college football record of 94–52–7 134–72–9. His Sam Houston State Bearkats shared the NAIA Football National Championship in 1964 after tying the Concordia Cobbers in the title game.
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A native of Hill, New Mexico, Pierce grew up in Fort Stockton, Texas, graduating from high school there in 1932. He went on to attend Schreiner Institute (now Schreiner University) in Kerrville, Texas, where he earned his associate of arts degree while playing football, basketball and track. Pierce continued his collegiate career at Sul Ross State Teachers College (now Sul Ross State University) in Alpine, Texas. He participated in varsity football and basketball, and graduated two years later with his bachelor of science degree in chemistry. He earned his Ed.D. degree from the University of Houston in 1961.
During World War II, Pierce served as a gunnery officer in the US Navy, and became the head football coach at the Bainbridge Naval Training Center in Port Deposit, Maryland near the conclusion of the war.
In 1946 Pierce was hired at his alma mater Sul Ross State to rebuild a football program that was discontinued during the war. He guided the Lobos to 18 consecutive wins, four conference championships and two bowl games, including the 1949 Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
In 1952, Pierce became the head football coach, head track coach and athletic director at Sam Houston State. His teams at SHSU tied for four conference championships and played in five bowl games. His 1964 Bearcat team tied Concordia College for a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics co-championship. In 1965, he was named the Knute Rockne Little All-American Coach of the Year.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sul Ross State Lobos () (1946–1949) | |||||||||
| 1946 | Sul Ross State | 5–5 | |||||||
| 1947 | Sul Ross State | 7–3 | |||||||
| 1948 | Sul Ross State | 10–0–1 | T Tangerine | ||||||
| 1949 | Sul Ross State | 7–3 | |||||||
| Sul Ross State Lobos (Lone Star Conference) (1950–1951) | |||||||||
| 1950 | Sul Ross State | 8–2–1 | 3–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1951 | Sul Ross State | 3–7 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| Sul Ross State: | 40–20–2 | ||||||||
| Sam Houston State Bearkats (Lone Star Conference) (1952–1967) | |||||||||
| 1952 | Sam Houston State | 6–4 | 2–3 | T–3rd | W Shrimp | ||||
| 1953 | Sam Houston State | 9–1 | 4–1 | 2nd | W Refrigerator | ||||
| 1954 | Sam Houston State | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1955 | Sam Houston State | 6–1–2 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1956 | Sam Houston State | 10–0 | 6–0 | 1st | W Refrigerator | ||||
| 1957 | Sam Houston State | 3–5–1 | 3–3–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1958 | Sam Houston State | 7–3 | L Christmas Festival | ||||||
| 1959 | Sam Houston State | 5–5 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1960 | Sam Houston State | 3–6 | 2–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1961 | Sam Houston State | 8–1 | 7–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1962 | Sam Houston State | 5–3–1 | 4–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1963 | Sam Houston State | 4–3–1 | |||||||
| 1964 | Sam Houston State | 9–1–1 | 5–1 | 1st | T NAIA Championship | ||||
| 1965 | Sam Houston State | 4–6 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1966 | Sam Houston State | 6–3–1 | 4–2–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1967 | Sam Houston State | 3–6 | 1–6 | 7th | |||||
| Sam Houston State: | 94–52–7 | ||||||||
| Total: | 134–72–9 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
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