Adolph Walter Samborski (February 10, 1904 – December 8, 1977) was an American coach and administrator who served as athletic director and head baseball coach at Harvard University.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1904 Westfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 1977 (aged 73) York, Maine, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Basketball | |
| 1921–1925 | Harvard |
| Baseball | |
| 1922–1925 | Harvard |
| Football | |
| 1923 | Harvard |
| Position(s) | Guard (basketball) Catcher (baseball) Fullback (football) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Baseball | |
| 1934–1946 | Harvard (JV) |
| 1947–1948 | Harvard |
| Basketball | |
| 1925–1928 | Harvard (freshmen) |
| 1933–1934 | Harvard (freshmen) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1927–1961 | Harvard (dir. of intramural sports) |
| 1961–1963 | Harvard (assistant AD) |
| 1963–1964 | Harvard (associate AD) |
| 1964–1970 | Harvard |
| 1971–1974 | Yankee Conference (commissioner) |
Athletic career
editSamborski attended Harvard after graduating from Westfield High School. He was captain of the freshman basketball team and the starting catcher on the freshman baseball team. He became a starting guard on the varsity basketball team his sophomore season and became the team captain as a junior. He was the backup varsity catcher his sophomore before taking over the starting job his junior year. He was also a fullback on the 1923 Harvard Crimson football team.[1]
Coaching
editSamborski graduated from Harvard College in 1925 and remained with the Crimson as freshman basketball coach while he earned master's degrees in education and European history.[2][3] He also coached the Crimson's junior varsity baseball team and was the varsity baseball coach in 1947 and 1948.[4][5] He gave up coaching in 1948 to focus on his job as director of intramural sports.[6]
Administration
editIn 1927 Samborski presented Harvard with a plan for organized intramural sports. The plan was approved and he was named director of intramural sports.[7] In 1961, Samborski became Harvard's assistant athletic director.[3] In 1963 he was promoted to associate athletic director and took over as acting athletic director when Thomas Bolles retired on August 31, 1963.[8] On March 10, 1964, he was given the job permanently.[9] He retired in August 1970. From 1971 to 1974 he was the commissioner of the Yankee Conference.[10][11] He died on December 8, 1977, in York, Maine after a long illness.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Samborski New Captain: Westfield Boy to Lead Basket Ball Team at Harvard During Winter of 1924-25". The Boston Daily Globe. April 8, 1924.
- ^ "Freshman Basketball". Harvard Alumni Bulletin. 28 (8): 233. November 1925. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
- ^ a b Fenton, John (July 9, 1961). "'Sam' the Man for Harvard Post: Samborski Is Ideal Choice as Athletic Department Aide Founded Successful Intramural Sports Program in 1927". The New York Times.
- ^ "Harvard Names Coaches for Football, Baseball". The Boston Daily Globe. January 30, 1934.
- ^ "New Coaches at Harvard". The New York Times. October 21, 1946.
- ^ "M'Innis Harvard Coach". The New York Times. October 20, 1948.
- ^ Rosa, Francis (May 7, 1963). "Top Post for Samborski: Harvard Expected To Name Him Athletic Director". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Fowle, Leonard (May 14, 1963). "Samborski Gets 'H' Athletic Post". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "Samborski Harvard's Official A.D.". The Boston Globe. March 11, 1964.
- ^ "Samborski gets Yankee Conf. top sports post". The Boston Globe. February 27, 1971.
- ^ a b "Adolph W. Samborski". The New York Times. December 9, 1977.