Phillip Norris "Army" Armstrong | |
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"Army" Armstrong
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Sport(s) | College football |
Current position | |
Team | Carroll College (Wisconsin) |
Biographical details | |
Born | September 15, 1898 |
Place of birth | Fort Smith, Arkansas |
Died | October 11, 1981 | (aged 83)
Playing career | |
1918-1921 | Centre College |
Position(s) | [halfback ) |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1923-1930 1922 |
Carroll College Centenary College (asst) |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 44-11-6 |
Phillip Norris "Army" Armstrong (September 15, 1898 – October 11, 1981) was an American football player, coach, and sports figure in the United States. He played professionally and also coached successfully at the college level.
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Norris played tackle for Centre College Praying Colonels in Danville, Kentucky and was a key offensive player[1] during the 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game and was captain of the team that year.[2] He also was a player on the school's basketball team.[3] Centre College honored his contribution to the school's athletic program by inducting him into the college's Athletic Hall of Fame.[4]
After graduation from Centre, Norris played professionally for the 1922 season as an offensive tackle for the Milwaukee Badgers[5] of the National Football League[6] alongside his college teammate Bo McMillin.[7]
Armstrong's first coaching position was in 1922 at Centenary College.[8] Here he was assistant to his college teammate (and future professional teammate) Bo McMillin[9] where they produced an impressive record of eight wins and one loss[10] while outscoring opponents 295 to 41.[11]
After completing one year as an assistant coach, Armstrong was named the 15th head college football coach for the Carroll College Pioneers (now called Carroll University) located in Waukesha, Wisconsin[12] and he held that position for eight seasons, from 1923 until 1930. His career coaching record at Carroll College was 44 wins, 11 losses, and 6 ties. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him third at Carroll College in total wins and third at Carroll College in winning percentage.[13]
Coach Amrstrong oversaw one of the most successful periods of the football team at the college.[14] The university honored his contributions by inducting him into the school's "Hall of Fame" in 1973.[15]
Key games for Carroll under Armstrong included the 1925 victory over Great Lakes Naval by a score of 73-0, and an undefeated 1925 season. The program never had anything but "winning" seasons under coach Armstrong, with the worst record being 4 wins and 3 losses in 1929, the worst loss that year a 46-0 defeat by the Iowa Hawkeyes.[16]
After retiring from coaching, Armstrong would remain with Carroll College to become Athletic Director and later a trustee of the college.[17]
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NAIA Coach's Poll# | |||
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Carroll University () (1923–1930) | |||||||||
1923 | Carroll | 5-3-0 | |||||||
1924 | Carroll | 6-1-1 | |||||||
1925 | Carroll | 8-0-0 | |||||||
1926 | Carroll | 5-1-2 | |||||||
1927 | Carroll | 6-1-1 | |||||||
1928 | Carroll | 5-1-1 | |||||||
1929 | Carroll | 4-3-0 | |||||||
1930 | Carroll | 5-1-1 | |||||||
Carroll College: | |||||||||
Total: | 44-11-6 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
#Rankings from final Coaches' Poll. |
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