Frank Bridges

For the railway signalman, see Soham rail disaster. For the Illinois politician, see Frank M. Bridges.
Frank Bridges
Bridges pictured in The Round-Up 1921, Baylor yearbook
Biographical details
Born(1890-07-04)July 4, 1890
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
DiedJune 10, 1970(1970-06-10) (aged 79)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1919Fort Smith HS (AK)
1920–1925Baylor
1927–1929Simmons (TX)
1933–1934Texas Military College
1935–1939St. Mary's (TX)
1943Brooklyn Dodgers (assistant)
1944Brooklyn Tigers
Basketball
1920–1926Baylor
1927–1929Simmons (TX)
?–1935Texas Military College
1935–1939St. Mary's (TX)
Baseball
1920–1927Baylor
1938St. Mary's (TX)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1920–1926Baylor
1932–1935Texas Military College
Head coaching record
Overall82–53–17 (college football)
102–137 (college basketball)
95–73 (college baseball, excluding St. Mary's)
0–5 (NFL)
12–6–2 (junior college football)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
2 SWC (1922, 1924)
1 CTC (1933)

Basketball
1 Alamo regular season (1938)

Baseball
1 SWC (1923)

Frank Bogart Bridges Sr. (July 4, 1890 – June 10, 1970) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Baylor University from 1920 to 1925, Simmons University—now known as Hardin–Simmons University—from 1927 to 1929, and St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas from 1935 to 1939. Bridges was also the head basketball coach at Baylor from 1920 to 1926, at Simmons from 1927 to 1929, and at St. Mary's from 1935 to 1939, tallying a career college basketball mark of 102–137. In addition, he was Baylor's head baseball coach from 1920 to 1927, amassing a record of 95–73, and the head baseball coach at St. Mary's in 1938. 1944, Bridges served as the co-head coach with Pete Cawthon and Ed Kubale for the Brooklyn Tigers of the National Football League (NFL). He graduated from Harvard University.[1]

Coaching career

Bridges coached high school football in Fort Smith, Arkansas.[1] During his tenure as head football coach at Baylor University, Bridges compiled a 35–18–6 record. His winning percentage of .644 ranks third in school history, behind R. H. Hamilton (.786) and Bob Woodruff (.645). In 1921 and 1922, he led the Bears to consecutive eight-win seasons. Bridges won the school's first two Southwest Conference (SWC) championships, in 1922 and 1924. Baylor did not win another until 1974. From 1927 to 1929, he coached at Hardin–Simmons University where he posted a 16–13–4 record.

Bridges referred basketball games in the Southwest Conference during the 1931–32 season. In the spring of 1932, he was hired as the athletic director at Texas Military College in Terrell, Texas.[2] Bridges also coached football and basketball at Texas Military College, lead the football team to a Central Texas Conference (CTC) championship in 1933.[3]

Death

Bridges died on June 10, 1970, at a nursing home in San Antonio.[4]

Head coaching record

College football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Baylor Bears (Southwest Conference) (1920–1925)
1920 Baylor 4–4–1 1–2–1 5th
1921 Baylor 8–3 2–2 4th
1922 Baylor 8–3 5–0 1st
1923 Baylor 5–1–2 1–1–2 T–4th
1924 Baylor 7–2–1 4–0–1 1st
1925 Baylor 3–5–2 0–3–2 7th
Baylor: 35–18–6 13–8–6
Simmons Cowboys (Texas Conference) (1927–1929)
1927 Simmons 5–3–2 2–1–2 2nd
1928 Simmons 6–6–1 2–3 T–4th
1929 Simmons 5–4–1 1–3–1 T–4th
Simmons: 16–13–4 5–7–3
St. Mary's Rattlers (Independent) (1935)
1935 St. Mary's 6–4–1
St. Mary's Rattlers (Alamo Conference) (1936–1939)
1936 St. Mary's 7–3–2 1–1 T–1st
1937 St. Mary's 7–2–2 1–0–1 T–1st
1938 St. Mary's 6–9 0–2 3rd
1939 St. Mary's 5–4–2 1–2 3rd
St. Mary's: 31–22–7 3–5–1
Total: 82–53–17
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

College basketball

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Baylor Bears (Southwest Conference) (1920–1926)
1920–21 Baylor 13–11 8–4 2nd
1921–22 Baylor 10–8 8–8 3rd
1922–23 Baylor 7–16 7–13 3rd
1923–24 Baylor 11–23 7–17 6th
1924–25 Baylor 3–12 2–12 T–7th
1925–26 Baylor 8–7 5–7 5th
Baylor: 52–77 37–61
Simmons Cowboys (Texas Conference) (1927–1929)
1927–28 Simmons 7–12
1928–29 Simmons 16–3
Simmons: 23–15
St. Mary's Rattlers (Alamo Conference) (1935–1939)
1935–26 St. Mary's 5–10 2–6
1936–37 St. Mary's 4–14 0–6
1937–38 St. Mary's 3–10 0–4
1938–39 St. Mary's 15–11 5–3 T–1st
St. Mary's: 27–45 8–19
Total: 102–137

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

College baseball

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Baylor Bears (Southwest Conference) (1920–1927)
1920 Baylor 13–7 8–5 3rd
1921 Baylor 3–11 3–9 5th
1922 Baylor 13–7 11–5 2nd
1923 Baylor 15–6 14–5 1st
1924 Baylor 16–9 11–8 4th
1925 Baylor 13–10 9–5 3rd
1926 Baylor 12–9 6–5 4th
1927 Baylor 10–4 5–11 5th
Baylor: 95–73 (.565) 67–53 (.558)
Total: 95–73 (.565)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Junior college football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Texas Military College Bulldogs (Central Texas Conference) (1933–1934)
1933 Texas Military College 6–3–2 4–0–1 1st
1934 Texas Military College 6–3 1–2 4th
Texas Military College: 12–6–2 5–2–1
Total: 12–6–2
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

  1. ^ a b Maxymuk, John (August 7, 2012). NFL Head Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary, 1920-2011. ISBN 9780786492954.
  2. ^ "Bridges Athletic Chief for T. M. C." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. April 26, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved November 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  3. ^ "Texas Military College Squad, Central Texas Conference Champions". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. December 17, 1933. p. 10. Retrieved November 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  4. ^ Hines, John (June 12, 1970). "Former Rattler, Baylor Coach Frank Bridges Dies". San Antonio Express. San Antonio, Texas. pp. 1E, 3E. Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.