George Gauthier (American football)
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| Sport(s) | Football, basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | February 3, 1890 |
| Died | August 11, 1964 (aged 74) Blind River, Ontario, Canada |
| Playing career | |
| 1911–1914 | Michigan Agricultural |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1915–1917 | Michigan Agricultural (assistant) |
| 1918 | Michigan Agricultural |
| 1921–1946 | Ohio Wesleyan |
| Basketball | |
| 1916–1920 | Michigan Agricultural |
| 1945–1946 | Ohio Wesleyan |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 125–101–15 (football) 47–46 (basketball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 Ohio Athletic Conference (1922, 1925) | |
George E. "Gooch" Gauthier (February 3, 1890 – August 11, 1964) was an American football and basketball player, athletic coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University, in 1918 and at Ohio Wesleyan University from 1921 to 1946, compiling a career record of 125–101–15. Gauthier was also the head basketball coach at Michigan Agricultural from 1916 to 1920 and at Ohio Wesleyan for the 1945–1946 season, tallying a career mark of 47–46.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Gauthier played both basketball and football for Michigan Agricultural College between 1911 and 1914. While attending the school, "Gauthier peeled three bushels of potatotes daily to pay for his meals and delivered laundry for expense money." He was also president of the student council as a senior. He was the starting quarterback for the school's football team in 1912 and 1913 and led the team to upset victories over Ohio State in 1912 and Michigan in 1913. In the 1912 game against Ohio State, the Aggies trailed 20–0 at halftime but scored 32 points in the second half, including two scores by Gauthier, to win the game, 32–20. Years later, Gauthier described the victory over Michigan as his first great thrill:
"My mind goes back to 1913, when Michigan State's team — a little band of agriculture students — journeyed to Ann Arbor to meet mighty Michigan. I was the 130-pound quarterback, cocky and confident we could beat the Wolverines. I insisted my mother come over from Detroit to see the game, her first football contest. We won the game 12–7 and my mother became a football fan to provide my first big thrill."
The 12-7 win over the Wolverines marked the first victory by a Michigan State team in the long Michigan-Michigan State rivalry and ruined Michigan's unbeaten season. The 1912 and 1913 football teams with Gauthier as quarterback won 14 games and lost only one game. Gauthier later recalled, "I played two years at quarterback, never missed a minute of play, and never played in a losing game."
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