John A. Harts

John A. Harts
Biographical details
Born(1873-09-05)September 5, 1873
Hartsburg, Illinois, U.S.
DiedAugust 31, 1947(1947-08-31) (aged 73)
Glendale, California, U.S.
Alma materSouthwestern (KS)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1895Oklahoma
Head coaching record
Overall0–1

John Alexander Harts (September 5, 1873 – August 31, 1947) was an American football coach and elocution teacher.[1] Harts was from Winfield, Kansas and served as the first coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team at the University of Oklahoma in 1895.

Harts attended Southwestern College.[2] He was the primary organizer of the first OU team, which was made up of students and Norman, Oklahoma residents.[3] The team only played one game that year against a more experienced Oklahoma City team; the Sooners lost 34–0. Following that year, Harts left OU to prospect for gold in the Arctic.[1]

Harts is the only head football coach of record at Oklahoma to complete his tenure without a win.[4] In the one game that he coached, the Sooners failed to score a point or to make a first down.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Burr, Carol (Fall 1998). "If you think football is just a kids' game, you didn't attend the University of Oklahoma" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. p. Inside front cover.
  2. ^ "Head coaches". University of Oklahoma athletics. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  3. ^ Keith, Harold (September 1942). "Football Ups and Downs" (PDF). Sooner Magazine. pp. 12–13, 54.
  4. ^ DeLassus, David. "Oklahoma Sooners (coaching records)". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.