Lewis Manly

Lewis Frederick Manly (April 23, 1903 – November 2, 1970) was an American athlete, sports coach and professor. He was best known for his time as head football coach at Tufts College (later Tufts University), a position he served in from 1930 to 1945.

From Erie, Pennsylvania, Manly attended the College of Wooster in Ohio, where he tried out for the football team as a freshman, despite having had no prior experience in interscholastic sports. He made the team as a sophomore and became one of their top players, helping them go undefeated in his junior year and being an All-Ohio selection as a senior. He also participated in basketball and track and field at Wooster.

Manly became a teacher and assistant football coach at Tufts in 1925. He became basketball coach in 1927, a position he served in through 1934, finishing with an overall record of 60–41. He added the role of head football coach in 1930. In 16 years as head football coach, he compiled a record of 60–48–12, including an undefeated 8–0 season in 1934, with his 60 wins making him the program's all-time leader. After retiring as football coach, he remained with the school as a professor and the chair of the economics department, until retiring in 1969.

Early life and education

Lewis Frederick Manly was born on April 23, 1903, in Erie, Pennsylvania, to William Jared and Harriet (Miller) Manley. He grew up in Erie and attended Erie High School. Despite having never played football or interscholastic sports before, he tried out for the football team.

Standing at 5 ft 11 in tall, and weighing 185 pounds, Manly was switched to tackle as a junior and helped the team compile an undefeated 9–0 record, winning the OAC championship. The Kentucky Post and Times-Star named Manly and five others as the key players who led Wooster to the undefeated season.

As a senior at Wooster, Manly was moved back to guard and played a key role in their historic upset 7–7 tie against the Ohio State Buckeyes, which remains the last time the Buckeyes ever failed to beat an in-state opponent. He was a 1924 All-Ohio selection and was described by a staff writer at The Akron Beacon Journal as "a thoroughly dependable lineman" and "one of the strongest defensive players on his team."

Manly also participated in basketball and track and field for Wooster, although he is best known for his play in football. Playing guard, he was described by some as one of the fastest at his position in the state. He remained captain as a junior but was shifted to center. As a senior, he was named third-team All-Ohio.

Manly participated in the shot put events for the Wooster track and field team and at the time of his graduation, had received nine total varsity letters, the all-time record at the school. He also assisted Tufts Jumbos football coach Eddie Casey that year. Athletic director Clarence P. Houston liked Manly enough to name him line coach in 1926, assisting the new head coach Arthur Sampson. In his first year in the position, he developed what The Boston Globe described as "a strong forward wall, probably stronger than any Tufts has had for years. It is heavy, but has a fast, powerful charge."

While remaining football line coach, Manly was selected as head coach of the Tufts men's basketball team in 1927. He went on to serve in the position through 1934, having "turned out some fine teams," before resigning to focus on football. The Boston Globe wrote that, "The task was one to cause anyone worry, yet Lew went right ahead, worked hard with the boys every afternoon, taught them the tricks of the lineman's trade, and produced one of the best, if the lightest, lines that ever represented the brown and blue." In his first season as head, Manly led the Jumbos to an overall record of 5–2. In the following three years, they compiled records of 3–2–2 (1931), 5–1–2 (1932), and 6–2 (1933). Manly, modest and unwilling to accept any glory, gave all the credit to his players for the championship.

After a 4–1 record in 1945, He finished his 16–season stint at Tufts with an overall record of 60–48–12, which makes him the school's all-time winningest coach. He later worked on receiving a doctorate from Harvard University. and had two children with her. Manly was 67 at the time of his death, and had retired from Tufts only a year earlier.

Head coaching record Football