Ray Wedgeworth

Ray Wedgeworth
Biographical details
Born(1908-02-14)February 14, 1908
DiedFebruary 1975 (aged 66)
Playing career
Football
1934Birmingham–Southern
Position(s)Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1947Jacksonville State (assistant)
1953Jacksonville State
Basketball
1951—1953Jacksonville State
Baseball
1964—1970Jacksonville State
Head coaching record
Overall3–5–1 (football)
32–14 (basketball)
52–50 (baseball)

Ray Wedgeworth (February 14, 1908 – February 1975) was an American college football, baseball and basketball head coach. He served in all three capacities at Jacksonville State University.

He attended Birmingham Southern College in the early 1930s, where he played football as a center.[1] Wedgeworth was hired as an assistant to Jacksonville State head football coach Don Salls for the 1947 season. The prior year, Salls' team had gone 3–5–1. In 1947, the Gamecocks posted a perfect 9–0 record.[2]

For two seasons, from 1951 to 1953, he served as the head basketball coach at Jacksonville State. His teams amassed a 32–14 record.[3] In 1953, Wedgeworth became head football coach for one season and amassed a 3–5–1 record.[4] At Jacksonville State, he also served as the head baseball coach from 1964 until 1970,[5] when he relinquished the post after he was diagnosed with cancer.[6][7] The Jacksonville State baseball team compiled a 52–50 record during his tenure.[5]

At the 1954 Blue–Gray Football Classic, Wedgeworth recommended Florence State Teachers' College flanker Harlon Hill to Chicago Bears scout Clark Shaughnessy. The Bears selected Hill in the 1954 NFL draft, and that season, he was named the National Football League Most Valuable Player by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA).[8]

  1. ^ Holman Suspended, The Palm Beach Post, September 22, 1934.
  2. ^ JSU celebrates Salls' 90th birthday, The Anniston Star, June 26, 2009.
  3. ^ 2009–2010 Jacksonville State Men's Basketball Media Guide (PDF), p. 108, Jacksonville State University, 2009.
  4. ^ Ray Wedgeworth Archived 2010-10-28 at the Wayback Machine, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved August 17, 2010.
  5. ^ a b The Records (PDF), 2010 Jacksonville State Baseball Media Guide, p. 92, Jacksonville State University, 2010.
  6. ^ Abbott Finally Wins No. 1,000, Gadsden Times, March 11, 2001.
  7. ^ Abbott named to Hall of Fame, The Jacksonville News, November 4, 2004.
  8. ^ Thomas, Ronnie (June 2, 1970). "Noted. . ". Florence Times. Florence, Alabama. p. 7. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Google News.