Thomas Curtis Samuels (March 28, 1909 – November 4, 1996) was an American college football player and coach, track coach, and pharmacist. He served as the head football coach at Eastern Kentucky State College—now known as Eastern Kentucky University–from 1947 to 1953, compiling a record of 41–24–2. Samuels was also the head track coach at Eastern Kentucky from 1935 to 1946. He left coaching in 1953 to go into the pharmaceutical business in Orlando, Florida.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 28, 1909 Richmond, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | November 4, 1996 (aged 87) Leesburg, Florida, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1930–1931 | Michigan |
| Position(s) | Tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1932–1946 | Eastern Kentucky (line) |
| 1947–1953 | Eastern Kentucky |
| Track and field | |
| 1935–1946 | Eastern Kentucky |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 41–24–2 (football) |
Early life and playing career
editSamuels was born and raised in Richmond, Kentucky, where he attended Madison High School. He moved to Canton, Ohio, where he attended Canton McKinley High School. Samuels played college football at the University of Michigan, lettering as a tackle in 1930 and 1931.[1]
Coaching career
editAfter graduating from Michigan in 1932 with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, Samuels began his coaching career that fall as an assistant football coach Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College under head coach Turkey Hughes.[1] Samuels succeeded Rome Rankin as head football coach at Eastern Kentucky in 1947.[2] He resigned after the 1953 season to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals in Orlando, Florida.[3]
Pharmaceutical career
editin 1953, Samuels bought an interest in Angebilt Pharmacy in Orlando, bringing him into partnership with Mrs. Maynard Evans and Dick Webb.[4] He owned the Angebilt Pharmacy until 1962, when he moved his prescription business to Eckerd Drugs.[5]
Honors and death
editThe Tom C. Samuels track at Eastern Kentucky is named for Samuels and was dedicated to him in 1976.[6] Samuels died on November 4, 1996, at Leesburg Regional Medical Center in Leesburg, Florida.[7]
Head coaching record
editFootball
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Kentucky Maroons (Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1947) | |||||||||
| 1947 | Eastern Kentucky | 5–4 | |||||||
| Eastern Kentucky Maroons (Ohio Valley Conference) (1948) | |||||||||
| 1948 | Eastern Kentucky | 8–3 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1949 | Eastern Kentucky | 4–4–1 | 2–2–1 | T–4th | |||||
| 1950 | Eastern Kentucky | 6–4 | 4–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1951 | Eastern Kentucky | 7–3 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1952 | Eastern Kentucky | 3–4–1 | 0–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1953 | Eastern Kentucky | 8–2 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| Eastern Kentucky: | 41–24–2 | ||||||||
| Total: | 41–24–2 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b Miller, Jimmie (September 18, 1942). "Michigan Star To Aid Hughes". The Lexington Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. p. 7. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Rome Rankin Quits Eastern Grid Post". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Associated Press. April 13, 1947. p. 1, section 4. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Tom Samuels Resigns As Grid Coach At Eastern". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. Associated Press. November 10, 1953. p. 9. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Howard, Bob (November 28, 1953). "Top O' The Morn". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. 6. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Conklin, Rhodes (August 8, 1962). "Angebilt Pharmacy Moves". Orlando Evening Star. Orlando, Florida. p. 3. Retrieved February 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Eastern will dedicate Samuels track with meet". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. April 17, 1976. p. C6. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Tom C. Samuels dies; he coached at Eastern for more than two decades". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. September 18, 1932. p. B11. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "NCAA Statistics; Tom Samuels". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "2023 EKU Football Record Book" (PDF). Eastern Kentucky University Athletics. p. 53. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
