Harold Lee "Rock" Royer (c. 1934 – November 20, 1973) was an American football coach best known for his role as the father of Liberty University football. He was the school's first ever head coach before dying in a plane crash while caught up in tornadic winds in his Cherokee 6 on November 20, 1973.[1][2] He also was a noted Baptist evangelist[3] and was known in collegiate football circles as "Coach Born Again".[4]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1934 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | December 20, 1973 (aged 39) near Evergreen, Conecuh County, Alabama, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1953–1956 | West Chester |
| Position(s) | Fullback, linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1959 | Chester HS (PA) (assistant) |
| 1960–1961 | Pennsylvania Military (line) |
| 1962–1963 | Pennsylvania Military |
| 1964 | Connecticut (assistant) |
| 1965–1966 | Boston College (DB/LB) |
| 1967 | VPI (DB) |
| 1968–1970 | Maryland (DB) |
| 1971–1972 | Navy (assistant) |
| 1973 | Lynchburg Baptist |
Coaching career
editRoyer left the United States Naval Academy, where he had served as defensive coordinator, to start up the football program at Lynchburg Baptist College, now called Liberty University. He served as the school's first head coach leading the Flames to a 3–3 record including three straight victories to end the inaugural season.[5] He also served as an assistant coach at Maryland[6] and he spent two seasons early in his career as head coach at Pennsylvania Military College, now called Widener University.[7]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania Military Cadets (Middle Atlantic Conference) (1962–1963) | |||||||||
| 1962 | Pennsylvania Military | 5–5 | 5–4 | 5th (Southern College) | |||||
| 1963 | Pennsylvania Military | 3–6 | 3–5 | 7th (Southern College) | |||||
| Widener: | 8–11 | 8–9 | |||||||
| Lynchburg Baptist Flames (NAIA independent) (1973) | |||||||||
| 1973 | Lynchburg Baptist | 3–3 | |||||||
| Lynchburg Baptist: | 3–3 | ||||||||
| Total: | 11–14 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ "H. Lee Royer, Football Coach, 39". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. November 27, 1973. p. 37. Retrieved June 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Bio by Ken Hay in The Wilds Newsletter, Fall 2007, p. 6" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "Dr. Wendell Kempton Obituary mentioning Royer's widow". Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "Dr. Don Callan on Royer in The Sting, Winter 2004, Vol. 21, No. 8, P. 2" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2008. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "Liberty Coaching History" (PDF). Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "The M Club History Records". Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "2006 Widener College Football Media Guide, p. 44" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 6, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
