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Football News

Most Recent Story: John Pont 1927-2008

Posted by DevilGrad at 2:26 PM on Jul 1, 2008

Legendary Miami player and coach John Pont died this morning in Oxford.  He was eighty. 

To younger Miamians, Pont was mostly the stuff of lore, whether for his groundbreaking play as a halfback at Miami from 1949-1951, for his stint as a Navy submariner, or for his work as a fine coach, who led Miami to a 43-22-2 mark, including a sterling 25-8-2 record on league play over seven seasons before departing for Yale.  Pont is one of only three Miami football players ever to have his jersey retired. 

On the national scene, Pont is probably best known as the miracle worker who led Indiana University to its only Rose Bowl appearance.  That feat garnered him national coach of the year honors in 1967.  It was still foremost in Terry Hoeppner’s mind when he followed Pont’s footsteps from Oxford to Bloomington, seeing possibilities where others saw only problems.  Pont also coached at Northwestern in the early 1970s.

In his later years, Pont, still unable to get football out of his blood, started a football program from scratch at the College of Mount Saint Joseph and even spent fifteen years teaching the game in Japan.  He was also a constant presence... [Read the entire story]

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