 Klemmer, c. 1943 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 16, 1921 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Died | August 23, 2015 (aged 94) Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1942 | California |
| 1945 | Great Lakes Navy |
| Basketball | |
| 1942–1943 | California |
| Track and field | |
| c. 1941 | California |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1946–1961 | CC of San Francisco |
| Head coaching record | |
| Bowls | 1–0 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 junior college national (1946, 1948) 2 NCJCC (1946, 1948) 2 Big Seven/Eight (CA) (1951, 1957) | |
Grover Haines Klemmer Jr. (March 16, 1921 – August 23, 2015) was an American sprinter, college football player and coach, and National Football League (NFL) official. At the University of California, he lettered in football, basketball and track. He was called the "golden boy" for the Golden Bears.[1]
In 1941, Klemmer set the world record for the 400 metres, running 46.0 around a single turn[2] at the University of Pennsylvania Franklin Field on June 29, 1941.[3] Two weeks earlier, he anchored the Bears mile relay team to a world record in 3:09.4, edging out the University of Southern California team anchored by Hubie Kerns (who also was second in Philadelphia) by reportedly 4 inches (10 cm). Five minutes later, he was informed of the death of his father, Grover Klemmer, Sr. earlier that day.[1] Klemmer was the USA National Champion at 440 yards in 1940 at age 19 and again in 1941, representing the San Francisco Olympic Club.[4]
Klemmer played for the 1945 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team as a halfback under head coach Paul Brown.[5] He served as the head football coach at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) from 1946 to 1961.[6] He was an official in the NFL from 1963 to 1981, working mainly as a back judge and side judge, wearing uniform number 8.
Klemmer was born and raised in San Francisco, where he graduated from Galileo High School in 1939. He died on August 23, 2015, in Oakland, California.[7]
- ^ a b "1.html". Trackandfieldnews.com. February 27, 1954. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ "Stock Footage - Track and Field events at Franklin Field in Philadelphia". Criticalpast.com. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ "Track and Field Statistics". Trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ [1] Archived September 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Grover Klemmer Stars On Grid". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Associated Press. October 24, 1945. p. 10, part I. Retrieved May 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "New Coach For CCSF". Stockton Record. Stockton, California. June 5, 1962. p. 23. Retrieved May 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Lerseth, Michael (August 26, 2015). "Grover Klemmer, Cal track star and longtime CCSF coach, dies at 94". SFGate. San Francisco, California. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
