Albert Crist "Allie" Miller (June 23, 1886 – October 22, 1959) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Villanova College—now known as Villanova University—from 1921 to 1922, compiling a record of 11–4–3. Miller played college football at the University of Pennsylvania from 1907 to 1909.
Career
Miller was a reserve quarterback for Penn in 1907. In 1908, he filled in for starter Charles Keinath during the Carnegie Tech and Michigan games.[1][2] Keinath left the game early in the season finale against Cornell and Miller scored a 47-yard touchdown to help lead Penn to a 17 to 4 victory.[3] Miller was captain of the 1909 Penn Quakers football team.[4] His younger brother, Heinie Miller, also played at Penn and later became a college football coach.[5]
Coaching
In 1912, Miller was coach of Penn's freshmen football team.[6] The following year he coached the at the Haverford Grammar School.[7] From 1914 to 1916, he was the head coach at the Tome School.[8][9]Forrest Craver took over as Tome's coach in 1917, but Miller returned the following year.[10][11] He returned to his alma mater as an assistant in 1919 and was the backfield coach at Washington & Jefferson College in 1920.[12][13]
Miller became the Villanova Wildcats football coach in 1921.[14] That year, he led the team to its best season in many years, losing only one game. Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide credited Miller with developing "quite a good team from the mediocre material at his command".[15] The following season, Villanova complied a 5–3–1 record.[16]
In 1924 and 1925, Miller was the backfield coach at Washington & Jefferson.[17][18]