Dick Romney
Quick Facts
Biography
Ernest Lowell "Dick" Romney (February 12, 1895 – February 5, 1969) was an American football and basketball player and coach, track athlete, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach and athletic director at the Agricultural College of Utah, now Utah State University, from 1918 to 1949, compiling a career college football record of 128–91–16. Romney was also the head basketball coach at Utah Agricultural from 1919 to 1941, tallying a college basketball mark of 224–158. He served as the commissioner of the Mountain States Conference from 1949 to 1959. Romney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954 and was elected to the Helms Athletic Foundation and Hall of Fame as a football coach in 1958.
Early life, family, and playing career
Romney was born in Salt Lake City to George Romney and Hannah Ottinger Romney. "Dick" was a nickname to given him by his mother. He married Elizabeth ("Beth") Horlick of Salt Lake City in 1917.
He graduated from the University of Utah where he lettered in football (playing as a running back), basketball, baseball, and track. He was a member of the A.A.U. national championship basketball team of 1916. In 1916, he was chosen by the Helms Foundation as an All-American Collegiate and A.A.U. Basketball player.
As a member of the U.S. Army's 362nd Infantry, Romney played halfback for the Fort Lewis football team, scoring the only touchdown in a loss to Mare Island's team in the wartime 1918 Rose Bowl.
Romney's brothers—G. Ott Romney, W. W. "Woody" Romney, Milton Romney and Floyd Romney—were all gifted athletes. Milt Romney played college football at Utah and Chicago as a quarterback and later coached at Texas and for the Racine Cardinals. From 1925 to 1928, Milt was a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the NFL. Romney was a cousin of former Governors George Romney of Michigan and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.
Coaching career
In the mid-1920s Romney began a summer school for coaches that he ran in Logan, Utah.
Honors
The football stadium at Utah State University, was named Romney Stadium from 1969—2015, after the Hall of Fame coach.
Head coaching record
College basketball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Agricultural (Independent) (1919–1923) | |||||||||
| 1919–20 | Utah Agricultural | 2–0 | |||||||
| 1920–21 | Utah Agricultural | 6–4 | |||||||
| 1921–22 | Utah Agricultural | 8–3 | |||||||
| 1922–23 | Utah Agricultural | 8–4 | |||||||
| Utah Agricultural (Mountain States Conference) (1923–1941) | |||||||||
| 1923–24 | Utah Agricultural | 6–6 | 3–5 | 2nd | |||||
| 1924–25 | Utah Agricultural | 12–7 | 5–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1925–26 | Utah Agricultural | 13–5 | 8–4 | 1st | |||||
| 1926–27 | Utah Agricultural | 11–3 | 9–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1927–28 | Utah Agricultural | 7–7 | 5–7 | 2nd | |||||
| 1928–29 | Utah Agricultural | 8–10 | 4–8 | 3rd | |||||
| 1929–30 | Utah Agricultural | 15–7 | 7–5 | T–1st | |||||
| 1930–31 | Utah Agricultural | 13–7 | 7–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1931–32 | Utah Agricultural | 7–15 | 2–10 | 4th | |||||
| 1932–33 | Utah Agricultural | 10–12 | 4–8 | 3rd | |||||
| 1933–34 | Utah Agricultural | 14–6 | 7–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1934–35 | Utah Agricultural | 17–5 | 9–3 | 1st | |||||
| 1935–36 | Utah Agricultural | 17–9 | 9–3 | 1st | |||||
| 1936–37 | Utah Agricultural | 6–9 | 5–7 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1937–38 | Utah Agricultural | 11–9 | 6–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1938–39 | Utah Agricultural | 17–7 | 8–4 | 2nd | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 1939–40 | Utah Agricultural | 11–7 | 7–5 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1940–41 | Utah Agricultural | 5–16 | 2–10 | 7th | |||||
| Utah Agricultural: | 224–158 (.586) | 107–103 (.510) | |||||||
| Total: | 224–158 (.586) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||