Quick Facts
LeoBiography
Earl Jay "Fuzz" Merritt (August 9, 1896 – July 7, 1986) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Pomona College in Claremont, California, from 1935 to 1958, compiling a record of 93–67–13. Merritt also coached basketball and baseball at Pomona.
Early life and education
Merritt attended Pomona, where he lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He played quarterback on the football team and as a center fielder on the baseball team. In track, he participated in the hammer throw, discus throw, and pole vault.
Coaching career
Following his graduation in 1925, Merritt join's Pomona's coaching staff. He coached the freshman football team for ten seasons before succeeding Eugene W. Nixon as head coach of the varsity football team in 1935.
Death and legacy
In December 1960, Merrit was elected to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. He died on July 7, 1986. The football field of the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens was renamed Merritt Field in his honor in 1991.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pomona Sagehens (Independent) | |||||||||
| 1935 | Pomona | 5–2–1 | |||||||
| 1936 | Pomona | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1937 | Pomona | 6–2–1 | |||||||
| Pomona/Pomona-Claremont Sagehens (Southern California Conference / Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) | |||||||||
| 1938 | Pomona | 6–0–1 | 4–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1939 | Pomona | 4–3–1 | 2–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1940 | Pomona | 4–4 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1941 | Pomona | 2–5 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1942 | Pomona | 3–3–1 | 2–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1943 | Pomona | 2–3–2 | |||||||
| 1944 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1945 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1946 | Pomona | 1–5–2 | 1–1–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1947 | Pomona | 3–3–1 | 1–2–1 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1948 | Pomona | 6–2 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1949 | Pomona | 6–2 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1950 | Pomona | 4–3–1 | 3–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1951 | Pomona | 1–7 | 1–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1952 | Pomona | 2–5 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1953 | Pomona-Claremont | 7–1 | 3–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1954 | Pomona-Claremont | 8–0 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1955 | Pomona-Claremont | 7–1 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1956 | Pomona-Claremont | 4–3–1 | 2–1–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1957 | Pomona-Claremont | 3–4 | 2–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1958 | Pomona | 3–5–1 | 1–3 | 4th | |||||
| Pomona / Pomona-Claremont: | 93–67–13 | ||||||||
| Total: | 93–67–13 | ||||||||
