Sport(s) | Football, basketball, track |
---|---|
Biographical details | |
Born |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
December 12, 1892
Died | May 3, 1973 Washington, D.C. |
(aged 80)
Playing career | |
Football | |
1910–1912 | Utah |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Football | |
1922–1927 | Montana State |
1928–1936 | BYU |
Basketball | |
1922–1928 | Montana State |
1928–1935 | BYU |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
1928–1936 | BYU |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 72–51–8 (football) 283–102 (basketball) |
George Ottinger Romney (December 12, 1892 – May 3, 1973) was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, and track, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Montana State College—now Montana State University—from 1922 to 1927 and at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1928 to 1936, compiling a career college football record of 72–51–8. Romney was also the head basketball coach at Montana Agricultural from 1922 to 1928 and at BYU from 1928 to 1935, amassing a career college basketball mark of 283–102. In addition, Romney coached track at BYU and served as the school's athletic director.
Romney was the third head football coach at Brigham Young University (BYU). He coached for nine years, from 1928 to 1936. His overall record at BYU was 44–31–6. His best year in coaching was in 1932 when he went 8–1 and took second in the Rocky Mountain Conference.
Montana State University honored Romney by naming the first Gymnasium built on campus after him. Although later replaced as the main sports facility by a large multipurpose field house named for John "Brick" Breeden, the Romney Gymnasium still stands on the main quad of the Bozeman campus and houses many intramural sports and physical fitness classes.
Romney is a first cousin of former Michigan Governor George W. Romney and his son, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is named for Ott's younger brother. G. Ott Romney was named after his maternal grandfather George M. Ottinger although, since his father was George Ernest Romney and his other grandfather was also named George Romney, it might have been more complex than this. He died of a heart ailment in 1973.