| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1904-07-26)July 26, 1904 Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | June 23, 1953(1953-06-23) (aged 48) Salisbury, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1929 | Oxford HS (NC) |
| 1930–1933 | Salisbury HS (NC) |
| 1934–1948 | Catawba |
| Basketball | |
| 1934–1936 | Catawba |
| 1942–1945 | Catawba |
| Baseball | |
| 1935–1948 | Catawba |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1929–1930 | Oxford HS (NC) |
| 1930–1934 | Salisbury HS (NC) |
| 1934–1953 | Catawba |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 106–32–7 (football) 60–37 (basketball) 179–70–3 (baseball) |
| Bowls | 2–0 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 6 North State (1938, 1940, 1942, 1945–1947) | |
Gordon Ashby Kirkland (July 26, 1904 – June 23, 1953) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina from 1934 to 1948, compiling a record of 106–32–7. Kirkland also had two stints as the head basketball coach at Catawba, from 1934 to 1936 and 1942 to 1945, tallying a mark of 60–37, and was the school's head baseball coach from 1934 to 1948, amassing a record of 179–70–3. He led the Catawba Indians football team to six North State Conference titles and consecutive bowl game victories, in the 1947 and the 1948 Tangerine Bowls.
A native of Durham, North Carolina, Kirkland was a graduate of Elon College. He was the athletic director and head coach at Oxford High School in Oxford, North Carolina, where he led the football team to the finals of the North Carolina class B state championship in 1929. Kirkland was hired in 1930 as the athletic director and head coach at Salisbury High School in Salisbury, North Carolina. In 1934, he was appointed athletic director and head coach of all major sports at Catawba.
Kirkland died on June 23, 1953, at his home in Salisbury, following two weeks of serious illness and several years of declining heath due to a heart and kidney condition. He is a member of the Catawba College Hall of Fame, the Salisbury Athletic Hall of Fame, and North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba Indians (North State Conference) (1934–1948) | |||||||||
| 1934 | Catawba | 5–2–3 | 2–0–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1935 | Catawba | 8–2 | 3–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1936 | Catawba | 5–5 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1937 | Catawba | 8–2 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1938 | Catawba | 7–2–1 | 4–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1939 | Catawba | 6–2–2 | 2–1–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1940 | Catawba | 8–1 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1941 | Catawba | 8–3 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1942 | Catawba | 9–2 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1943 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1944 | Catawba | 6–3 | NA | NA | |||||
| 1945 | Catawba | 10–1 | 2–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1946 | Catawba | 10–2 | 5–0 | 1st | W Tangerine | ||||
| 1947 | Catawba | 11–1 | 6–0 | 1st | W Tangerine | ||||
| 1948 | Catawba | 5–4–1 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| Catawba: | 106–32–7 | 47–10–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 106–32–7 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- ^ "North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame | Raleigh, NC". Ncshof.org. Archived from the original on December 20, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
- "Gordon Kirkland Will Coach Salisbury Highs". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press. April 13, 1930. p. 20. Retrieved September 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- "Gordon Kirkland Named New Catawba Athletic Director". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, North Carolina. Associated Press. March 18, 1934. p. 24. Retrieved September 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Coach Gordon Kirkland Dies at Salisbury Home Today". Times-News. Burlington, North Carolina. June 23, 1953. p. 3. Retrieved September 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
- "Discover What's Inside". Salisburync.gov. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
External links
| Catawba Indians head football coaches | |
|---|---|
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- 1904 births
- 1953 deaths
- Catawba Indians athletic directors
- Catawba Indians baseball coaches
- Catawba Indians football coaches
- Catawba Indians men's basketball coaches
- High school football coaches in North Carolina
- Elon University alumni
- Sportspeople from Durham, North Carolina
- Coaches of American football from North Carolina
- Baseball coaches from North Carolina
- Basketball coaches from North Carolina
- College football coaches first appointed in the 1930s stubs