Ewing Young "Big 'un" Freeland (January 1, 1887 – August 15, 1953) was an American football and baseball player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Daniel Baker College (1912–1914), Texas Christian University (1915), Austin College (1919–1920, 1936–1938), Millsaps College (1921), Southern Methodist University (1922–1923, with Ray Morrison), and Texas Tech University (1925–1928), compiling a career college football record of 77–49–16. Freeland was also the head basketball coach at TCU for one season in 1915–16 and at Millsaps for one season, in 1921–22. In addition, he was the head baseball coach at TCU (1916), SMU (1923–1924), and Texas Tech (1926–1927), amassing a career college baseball record of 50–47–3.

Ewing Y. Freeland
Freeland pictured in the 1929 La Ventana, Texas Tech yearbook
Biographical details
Born(1887-01-01)January 1, 1887
Turnersville, Texas, U.S.
DiedAugust 15, 1963(1963-08-15) (aged 76)
Brownwood, Texas, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1904–1906Daniel Baker
1908–1911Vanderbilt
Position(s)Tackle (football)
First baseman (baseball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1912–1914Daniel Baker
1915TCU
1919–1920Austin
1921Millsaps
1922–1923SMU
1925–1928Texas Tech
1936–1938Austin
Basketball
1915–1916TCU
1921–1922Millsaps
Baseball
1916TCU
1923–1924SMU
1926–1927Texas Tech
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1925–1927Texas Tech
1935–1938Austin
Head coaching record
Overall77–49–16 (football)
2–11 (basketball)
50–47–3 (baseball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
1 TIAA (1920)
1 SWC (1923)
Awards
All-Southern (1909, 1910, 1911)

Biography

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Freeland was born on January 1, 1887, in Turnersville, Texas and died on August 15, 1953, in Brownwood, Texas.[1] He played football and baseball at Vanderbilt University, from which he graduated in 1912. He weighed some 200 pounds. He was nominated though not selected for an Associated Press All-Time Southeast 1869-1919 era team.[2] In 1915, Freeland coached football at TCU, compiling a 4–5 record. In 1922 and 1923, Freeland co-coached the SMU Mustangs football team with his former teammate at Vanderbilt, Ray Morrison. The two effectively shared the heading coaching duties, with Morrison focusing on the backfield and ends, and Freeland mentoring the linemen.[3] In 1925, Freeland became the first coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team, then known as the Matadors. He coached football at Texas Tech from 1925 to 1928, where he had a 21–10–6 record. Freeland was also the first head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team and Texas Tech's first athletic director.[4] He is credited with designing Texas Tech's Double T logo and had it put on the sweaters of football players.[5]

 
The older version of Texas Tech's Double-T logo

Head coaching record

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Football

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Daniel Baker (Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1912–1914)
1912 Daniel Baker 4–1–2
1913 Daniel Baker 1–3–3
1914 Daniel Baker 7–2
Daniel Baker: 12–6–5
TCU Horned Frogs (Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1915)
1915 TCU 4–5 2–0
TCU: 4–5 2–0
Austin Kangaroos (Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1919–1920)
1919 Austin 4–3–1
1920 Austin 6–3 1st
Millsaps Majors (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1921)
1921 Millsaps 1–5–1 0–3 T–26th
Millsaps: 1–5–1 0–3
SMU Mustangs (Southwest Conference) (1922–1923)
1922 SMU 6–3–1 2–2 T–3rd
1923 SMU 9–0 5–0 1st
SMU: 15–3–1 7–2
Texas Tech Matadors (Independent) (1925–1928)
1925 Texas Tech 6–1–2
1926 Texas Tech 6–1–3
1927 Texas Tech 5–4
1928 Texas Tech 4–4–1
Texas Tech: 21–10–6
Austin Kangaroos (Texas Conference) (1936–1938)
1936 Austin 4–4–2 3–3 4th
1937 Austin 8–2 6–1 2nd
1938 Austin 2–8 2–5
Austin: 24–20–3 11–8
Total: 77–49–16
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

Baseball

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
TCU Horned Frogs (1916)
1916 TCU 9–7
TCU: 9–7
SMU Mustangs (Southwest Conference) (1923–1924)
1923 SMU 16–10 14–6 2nd
1924 SMU 10–19 5–16 6th
SMU: 26–25 19–22
Texas Tech Matadors (1926–1927)
1926 Texas Tech 11–2–1
1927 Texas Tech 4–9–1
Texas Tech: 15–11–2
Total: 50–43–2

References

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  1. ^ "Youngs-Ireland, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Texas". Ancestry.com. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  2. ^ "U-T Greats On All-Time Southeast Team". Kingsport Post. July 31, 1969.
  3. ^ NEA Service (December 21, 1923). "Texas Turns Out Latest Wonder Team of Gridion". Evening Independent. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  4. ^ Andrews, Ruth Horn (1956). The First Thirty Years: a History of Texas Technological College. Lubbock, Texas: The Texas Tech Press. p. 298.
  5. ^ "Double T Symbol". Texas Tech University. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
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