Alvin Pierson
American football player and coach (1898–1974)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alvin Peter "Pix" Pierson (1898 – 1974) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Fresno State College—now known as California State University, Fresno—in 1945 and again in 1949, compiling a record of 7–14–2.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1898 Carthage, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | 1974 (aged 75–76) |
| Playing career | |
| 1919–1920 | California |
| 1920–1921 | Nevada |
| Positions | Tackle, guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1925–1926 | Colorado Mines (assistant) |
| 1927–1932 | Florida (assistant) |
| 1933–1940 | Tampa (assistant) |
| 1941–1944 | Fresno State (assistant) |
| 1945 | Fresno State |
| 1949 | Fresno State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 7–14–2 |
Early life
Pierson was born in 1898 in Carthage, South Dakota. He family moved to Sacramento, California in 1901 and later Modesto and Turlock. Pierson graduated from Turlock High School.[1]
College
Pierson played tackle on the freshman squad for Pomona College in 1917. He suffered a severe concussion during a game against Pomona High School on October 13, 1917. Pierson played for coach Andy Smith's California Golden Bears football "wonder teams" of the early 1920s.[2] He then played for the Nevada Wolfpack.[3]
Coaching career
Florida
Pierson was an assistant for coaches Tom Sebring and Charlie Bachman for the Florida Gators of the University of Florida, part of the staff on its 1928 team.[2]
Tampa
Pierson assisted fellow former Florida assistant Nash Higgins when he became head coach of the Tampa Spartans.[4]
Fresno State
Pierson was hired as head coach of Fresno State.[5]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno State Bulldogs (Independent) (1945) | |||||||||
| 1945 | Fresno State | 4–6–2 | |||||||
| Fresno State Bulldogs (California Collegiate Athletic Association) (1949) | |||||||||
| 1949 | Fresno State | 3–8 | 1–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| Fresno State: | 7–14–2 | 1–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 7–14–2 | ||||||||
