Guide to the John Bain "Jock" Sutherland Collection, 1917-1961 UA.91.2
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
John Bain "Jock" Sutherland Collection
Creator
Sutherland family
Collection Number
UA.91.2
Extent
4.29 Linear Feet(2 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes)
Date
1917-1961
Abstract
John Bain "Jock" Sutherland served as the head football coach for the University of Pittsburgh from 1924 to 1939. This collection contains correspondence related to his resignation as coach on March 4, 1939, as well as some material focusing on the time both before and after his resignation. It also includes some press materials and personal photographs of Sutherland, as well as materials published posthumously.
Language
English
.
Author
Kathleen Donahoe.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Biography
John Bain "Jock" Sutherland was the head coach of the Pitt Panthers football team for fifteen years, from 1924 to 1939. He was born March 21, 1889, in Coupar Angus, Scotland, and arrived in Pittsburgh in 1907. He worked at Dixmont Hospital while taking night classes at the YMCA and later attended the Oberlin Academy in Oberlin, OH, to prepare him for college courses. In 1914, he was admitted to the University of Pittsburgh to study dentistry.
In his first year of school, Sutherland joined the football team despite reportedly never playing the game before. Under coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, Sutherland demonstrated a great skill for the sport. During his time as a player, the Pitt football team lost only one game. Pitt claims two national championships from the time Sutherland was a student: 1915 and 1916. The 1917 team, sometimes called the Fighting Dentists for the number of dental students playing, was also extremely successful.
After graduating, Sutherland became the head coach of the Lafayette College football team from 1919 to 1923. He returned to Pitt in 1924 when Warner left to coach at Stanford. In addition to serving as the head football coach, Sutherland also served as a professor in the School of Dentistry. During this time, his teams produced a number of All-Americans and future College Football Hall of Famers, including Marshall Goldberg, Joe Donchess, Averell Daniel, and many others. Pitt also claims five national championships from Sutherland's time as coach: 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, and 1937.
Toward the end of his time at Pitt, Sutherland found himself at odds with the university's administrators, including Chancellor John G. Bowman, who wanted to lessen the focus on athletics. As a result, a new set of guidelines for athletics was developed which stated, among other things, that the school would not recruit students to play sports. There was also contention over whether the school should provide financial support to the athletes. Unhappy with these decisions, Sutherland resigned from the University of Pittsburgh on March 4, 1939.
After ending a 25-year association with the university where he had been a player, student, professor, and coach, Sutherland took his talents to professional football. He became the coach of the Brooklyn Dodgers football team in 1940, where he found minor success. He left the Dodgers to join the Navy during World War II, despite being 53 years old at the time. After the war ended he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a coach, leading the team to some success. While on a scouting trip for the Steelers, Sutherland was diagnosed with a brain tumor after being found wandering along the side of a road in Kentucky. An attempt by surgeons in Pittsburgh to remove the tumor was unsuccessful, and he died on April 11, 1948.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Preferred Citation
John Bain "Jock" Sutherland Collection, 1917-1961, UA.91.2, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Arrangement
The collection is divided into four series:
Series I. Correspondence
Series II. Football
Series III. Press
Series IV. Personal
Scope and Content Notes
The collection focuses mainly on Jock Sutherland's resignation as head football coach of the University of Pittsburgh on March 4, 1939. Correspondence both to and from Sutherland documents the public reaction to his departure, as well as some personal asides on his part. There are also various momentos of that time, including resolutions from Pitt Clubs and a notice regarding student support for the coach. There are also records relating to the time before and after his resignation, and a focus on Sutherland's overall career as a coach, including magazine and newspaper articles and practice materials. The Sutherland Collection also includes photographs of Jock Sutherland, event programs, and a manuscript copy of Harry Scott's posthumous biography of the coach.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Kathleen Donahoe in June 2018.
Acquisition Information
Purchased by the University of Pittsburgh's Archives & Special Collections in March 2018.
Custodial History
The materials in the collection were originally owned by the Sutherland family and were later given to the daughter of Eddie Schultz, a former player and assistant coach for Sutherland and a family friend. The collection was later acquired by Dan Means and then by the University of Pittsburgh's Archives & Special Collections.
Related Material
Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, John Gabbert Bowman, Administrative Files, 1921-1945, UA.2.10.1921-1945, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
