Gus Tebell
American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach
About Gus Tebell
Lived 1897 – 1969 (aged 71). Gus Tebell was an American baseball player, basketball coach, american football player and american football coach.
Gustave Kenneth Tebell (September 6, 1897 – May 28, 1969) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. From 1925 to 1929, he coached football at North Carolina State University, where he compiled a 21–25–2 record. From 1934 to 1936, he coached football at the University of Virginia, where he compiled a 6–18–4 record. From 1930 to 1951, he served as the head men's basketball coach at Virginia, achieving his first championship in just his second year. During that tenure, he compiled a 240–190 record, including a NIT berth in 1941. His 240 wins rank fourth in school history. In 1951 he became athletic director. Tebell also coached baseball at Virginia from 1941 to 1942 and from 1944 to 1955, missing the 1943 season due to military service.
Tebell played football and basketball at the University of Wisconsin. As an end on the football team, he was selected a second-team All-American by the New York Times. After graduating, he played for the Columbus Tigers of the National Football League (NFL) in 1923 and 1924 and coached three of the team's games in 1923.
Tebell employed the “Meanwell System” on offense, named for its creator, Tebell's coach at Wisconsin. It featured a double-post alignment with constant cuts, pivots and short passes, and also pioneered the screen.
The University of Virginia honors Tebell by giving an annual award in his name, the Gus Tebell Memorial Award, which is granted each year to the graduating male student-athlete with the highest grade point average through his four years at the university.
Head coaching record
NFL
College football
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Gus Tebell's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Gus Tebell?
American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach (1897-1969)
When was Gus Tebell born?
Gus Tebell was born on 6 September 1897 in St. Charles.
When did Gus Tebell die?
Gus Tebell died on 1 May 1969 in Charlottesville.
What was Gus Tebell's occupation?
Gus Tebell was a baseball player, basketball coach, american football player and american football coach.
What nationality was Gus Tebell?
Gus Tebell was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gus Tebell. https://biography.guide/gus-tebell/
MLA: "Gus Tebell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gus-tebell/.
Chicago: "Gus Tebell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gus-tebell/.
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