Frank Summers
American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach, college athletics administrator
About Frank Summers
Lived 1899 – 1974 (aged 75). Frank Summers was an American basketball player, american football player and basketball coach.
Francis Lee Summers (August 2, 1899 – August 17, 1974) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. A 1922 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, Summers played all three sports in his time as a cadet, as well as track. He was a member of the Keydets' 1920 football team known as the "Flying Squadron", the program's only undefeated and tie-free team. Summers served as athletic director for VMI and Hampden–Sydney College, as well as the Staunton Military Academy. He is a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal life Summers was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1899. He attended Alexandria High School then entered The United States Military Academy at West Point for one semester to placate one parent. He then transferred to Virginia Military Institute to placate the other parent. At Virginia Military Institute, he established himself immediately as a fine all-around cadet leader and athlete. He lettered in four sports: football, basketball, baseball, and track. He was the first VMI cadet to win letters in all of these sports, and ended up with twelve letters in three years. In football, Summers was named to the All-South Atlantic team and played a key role as left tackle and defensive line on the 1920 squad (nicknamed the "Flying Squadron") that was the first and only undefeated and tie-free VMI football team. He was captain of the track team where he specialized in the shot put and discus throw.
Summers was heralded for his excellence in athletics as well as academics, and was a second ranking officer in the Corps of Cadets.
In 1944, Summers took a brief hiatus from college athletics to serve with the American Red Cross during World War II. Summers died in 1974 at the age of 75, leaving behind two children; a daughter, Anne, and a son, Frank Jr. He was the school's baseball coach for two years in 1950 and 1951, and also headed the freshman football teams. Summers was appointed as VMI's Director of Athletics in 1946, succeeding the long-tenured Blandy Clarkson. He left to head the Randolph–Macon College football team in 1936.
Basketball
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Important facts
People in Frank Summers's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Frank Summers's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Frank Summers?
American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach, college athletics administrator (1899-1974)
When was Frank Summers born?
Frank Summers was born on 2 August 1899 in Alexandria.
When did Frank Summers die?
Frank Summers died on 17 August 1974 in Staunton.
What was Frank Summers's occupation?
Frank Summers was a basketball player, american football player and basketball coach.
What nationality was Frank Summers?
Frank Summers was American.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Frank Summers (coach)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Frank Summers. https://biography.guide/frank-summers-basketball-player/
MLA: "Frank Summers." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/frank-summers-basketball-player/.
Chicago: "Frank Summers." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/frank-summers-basketball-player/.
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