Louis Lee Watson (April 9, 1895 – July 22, 1952) was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute—now known as Virginia State University–from 1921 to 1922 and at Howard University in 1923 and from 1925 to 1927.[1] Watson graduated from Howard in 1917 and played football at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1919 and 1920.[2]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 9, 1895 Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | July 22, 1952 (aged 57) |
| Playing career | |
| 1919–1920 | Springfield |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1921–1922 | Virginia Normal |
| 1923 | Howard |
| 1925–1927 | Howard |
| 1928 – c. 1940 | Bordentown |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| c. 1926 | Howard |
| 1945–? | Howard |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 29–8–6 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3 black college national (1923, 1925–1926) | |
Watson was born on April 9, 1895, in Alexandria, Virginia. He attended M Street High School in Washington, D.C. before earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Howard in 1917. During World War I, Watson served as a officer in the United States Army at Fort Dix and Camp Lee. He was discharged from military service in 1919 with the rank of captain.[3]
In 1928, Watson began coaching at the Bordentown School in Bordentown, New Jersey.[4] He returned to Howard in 1945 as athletic director.[5]
Watson died on July 22, 1952, following an illness of seven years.[3]
Head coaching record
editCollege
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Normal Trojans (Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1921–1922) | |||||||||
| 1921 | Virginia Normal | 2–1–1 | 0–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1922 | Virginia Normal | 4–4 | 2–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| Virginia Normal: | 6–5–1 | 2–3 | |||||||
| Howard Bison (Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1923) | |||||||||
| 1923 | Howard | 7–0–1 | 3–0–1 | 2nd | |||||
| Howard Bison (Independent) (1925–1927) | |||||||||
| 1925 | Howard | 6–0–2 | |||||||
| 1926 | Howard | 7–0 | |||||||
| 1927 | Howard | 3–3–2 | |||||||
| Howard: | 23–3–5 | 3–0–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 29–8–6 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ↑ Who's Who in American Sports. Washington, D.C.: National Biographical Society, Inc. 1928. p. 879. Retrieved April 21, 2026 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ "New Mentor To Take Place of Morrison, Charley West To Aid". Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. December 20, 1924. p. 13. Retrieved July 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
. - 1 2 "Louis L. Watson, 57, Former Civic Worker And Howard U. Coach". The Sunday Star. Washington, D.C. July 27, 1952. p. A28. Retrieved April 21, 2026 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Watson Now Coaching Bordentown Eleven". The New York Age. New York, New York. October 6, 1928. p. 6. Retrieved July 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Hail Return of Louis Watson As Football Coach at Howard". California Eagle. Los Angeles, California. June 7, 1945. p. 15. Retrieved July 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "NCAA Statistics; Coach; Louis L. Watson". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
External links
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