William Douthirt

Douthirt was born on September 28, 1900, in Lincoln, Missouri. He attended Tarkio College.^[1] He graduated in 1924 and accepted a position as the head football, basketball, and track and field coach for Columbus Community High School.^[2] In his last two years as football coach, the team had only lost a combined two games.^[2] The basketball and track and field teams saw similar success as the basketball team won the Louisa County Basketball Tournament.^[2] After three seasons with the school he resigned to become the head football coach for Central College.^[2] In one season he led the team to a 1–7 record. From 1928 to 1929 he coached the football team for Rawlins High School.^[3]

In 1930, Douthirt married Elizabeth Lemen in Glendale, California.^[1] She died in 1943 after several years battling an illness.^[4] Sometime before his death remarried to Ruby Douthirt.^[5]

After two seasons with Rawlins, Douthirt became the head football, basketball, track and field, and tennis coach for South Pasadena Junior High School.^[6] Alongside his coaching roles he was the head of physical education.^[6] During the summer of 1931, he enrolled at summer classes at the University of Southern California in pursuit of a master's degree in physical education.^[7] In 1938, he was named as the president of the South Pasadena Junior High School Teachers' Association.^[8] He remained with the school until his retirement in 1956.^[9]

In 1932, Douthirt saved a three-family apartment from burning down.^[10] He almost lost his finger while breaking the window into the apartment.^[10]

Upon retiring, Douthirt worked on his ranch in Hemet, California, where he lived until his death on August 19, 1981 in Loma Linda, California.^[5]