Eldon Tharp
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dallas, Iowa, U.S.
Gilman, Iowa, U.S.
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 23, 1908 Dallas, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 1979 (aged 70) Gilman, Iowa, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Iowa State College |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1928–1931 | Central (IA) |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1944 | Central (IA) (assistant) |
| 1945 | Central (IA) |
| 1946 | Central (IA) (assistant) |
| Men's basketball | |
| 1932–1937? | Pleasant Plain HS (IA) |
| Women's basketball | |
| 1932–1937? | Pleasant Plain HS (IA) |
| Baseball | |
| 1947 | Central (IA) (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 7–1 (college football) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Iowa (1946) | |
Carroll Eldon Tharp (December 23, 1908 – March 30, 1979) was an American college football coach. He was the head football coach for Central College in 1945.
Tharp played college football for Central College as a guard under head coach Len Winter and alongside Richard Tysseling.[1] He also saw time as a fullback at the beginning of the 1929 season.[2]
Following Tharp's graduation from Central, he was hired as the head basketball coach for Pleasant Plain High School in Pleasant Plain, Iowa, in both men and women's basketball.[3] By 1935, the men's team had won the Jersey County Six Conference championship three times, with the women's team also seeing moderate success.[4]
In 1944, Tharp returned to Central as an assistant football coach under Tunis Prins.[5] In the following year, Tharp "filled in" for former teammate Tysseling, who was still serving in the United States Navy.[6][7] In Tharp's lone season as head coach, he led the team to a 7–1 record and a perfect 5–0 record in Iowa Conference play to finish as conference champions.[8] He returned the following year as an assistant to Tysseling.[6] Tharp remained with the school until at least 1947, when he was serving as an assistant baseball coach.[9]
Personal life
In February 1929, Tharp married Jean De Reus.[10] In the summer of 1931, he attended industrial arts classes at Iowa State College—now known as Iowa State University.[11]
Prior to returning to Central, Tharp bought a restaurant in Pella, Iowa.[6]