George Veenker
 |
|
| Sport(s) | Football, basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 17, 1894 Ashton, Iowa |
| Died | September 8, 1959 (aged 65) Malta, Illinois |
| Alma mater | Hope College (1916) |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1913–1916 | Hope |
| Baseball | |
| 1914–1916 | Hope |
| Track | |
| ?–1916 | Hope |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1926–1929 | Michigan (assistant) |
| 1931–1936 | Iowa State |
| Basketball | |
| 1928–1931 | Michigan |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1932–1945 | Iowa State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 21–22–8 (college football) 35–12 (college basketball) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Basketball 1 Big Ten (1929) |
|
George Frederick Veenker (April 17, 1894 – September 8, 1959) was an American football and basketball coach. He was the head basketball coach at the University of Michigan from 1928 to 1931 and also served as an assistant football coach at Michigan from 1926 to 1929. From 1931 to 1936, he was the head football coach at Iowa State College (now known as Iowa State University). He was also the athletic director at Iowa State from 1933 to 1945.
Veenker graduated from high school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1912. He enrolled at St. Lawrence University but dropped out after one semester. He joined Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity while at St. Lawrence. The following year, he enrolled at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. While studying at Hope College, Veenker was a multi-sport athlete winning varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He was also captain of the 1913 Hope football team. He received his degree in 1916 after three years at Hope.
Veenker started his coaching career at the Grand Prairie Seminary in Onarga, Illinois. He subsequently coached at Batavia High School (Batavia, Illinois).
During World War I, Veenker left Batavia to enter flight school in Texas, part of the "air service" branch of the U.S. military, and became a pilot. However, the war ended before Veenker saw action.
After World War I, Veenker was hired as a high school football coach in Hammond, Indiana. After coaching the Hammond team for 18 months, Veenker was hired as the head football coach at Emerson High School in Gary, Indiana. Veenker served six years as Emerson's head football coach from 1920 to 1925. He coached a total of eight years as a high school football coach in Indiana and won Indiana state championships in six of the eight years.
...
Wikipedia