Ernest Lowell "Dick" Romney (February 12, 1895 – February 5, 1969) was an American football, basketball and baseball player and coach, track athlete, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach and athletic director at the Agricultural College of Utah, now Utah State University, from 1918 to 1949, compiling a career college football record of 128–91–16. Romney was also the head basketball coach at Utah Agricultural from 1919 to 1941, tallying a college basketball mark of 224–158. He is one of only two coaches in NCAA history who have coached in both a postseason football game and the NCAA basketball tournament. He served as the commissioner of the Skyline Conference from 1949 to 1960. Romney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954 and was elected to the Helms Athletic Foundation and Hall of Fame as a football coach in 1958.

Early life, family, and playing career

Romney was born in Salt Lake City to George Romney and Hannah Ottinger Romney. "Dick" was a nickname given to him by his mother. He married Elizabeth ("Beth") Horlick of Salt Lake City in 1917.

He graduated from the University of Utah where he lettered in football (playing as a running back), basketball, baseball, and track. He was a member of the A.A.U. national championship basketball team of 1916. In 1916, he was chosen by the Helms Foundation as an All-American Collegiate and A.A.U. Basketball player.

As a member of the U.S. Army's 362nd Infantry, Romney played halfback for the Fort Lewis football team, scoring the only touchdown in a loss to Mare Island's team in the wartime 1918 Rose Bowl.

Romney's brothers—G. Ottinger "Ott" Romney, W. W. "Woody" Romney, Milton "Mitt" Romney and Floyd Romney—were all gifted athletes and four were coaches. Ott coached the champion 'Golden Bobcats' (Basketball, 1928) at Montana State Agricultural College, now Montana State University, Bozeman. Floyd played football for Ott at Montana State, and went on to a long coaching career at East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mitt played college football at Utah and Chicago as a quarterback and later coached at Texas and for the Racine Cardinals. From 1925 to 1928, Mitt was a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the NFL. Mitt Romney is a first cousin to former Governor George Romney of Michigan, and his son, Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, was named for him.

Coaching career

Between 1925 and 1948, Romney organized and operated a summer school for football and basketball coaches that he ran in Logan, Utah. Noteworthy football speakers included Knute Rockne, Pop Warner, Pappy Waldorf, Fritz Crisler, Clark Schaunnessy and Henry Frankel. Basketball greats presented at Romney's clinics.

Later years and honors

A new football stadium built in 1968 (replacing an earlier facility built in 1927, also named for him) at Utah State University was renamed Romney Stadium. Romney Stadium honored the Hall of Fame coach from 1969 to 2015, when it was renamed for a corporate sponsor.

On February 5, 1969, Romney died from a heart attack at his home in Salt Lake City, one week before his 74th birthday, at the age of 73.

Head coaching record

Football

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Utah Agricultural/State Aggies (Rocky Mountain Conference) (1919–1937)
1919Utah Agricultural5–22–2T–4th
1920Utah Agricultural4–2–12–14th
1921Utah Agricultural7–13–01st
1922Utah Agricultural5–43–3T–5th
1923Utah Agricultural5–24–24th
1924Utah Agricultural4–2–13–2–1T–2nd
1925Utah Agricultural6–15–1T–2nd
1926Utah Agricultural5–1–24–1–23rd
1927Utah Agricultural3–4–13–37th
1928Utah Agricultural5–3–14–2–14th
1929Utah State3–43–49th
1930Utah State3–5–13–4–18th
1931Utah State6–25–22nd
1932Utah State4–43–3T–6th
1933Utah State4–44–36th
1934Utah State5–1–15–1–14th
1935Utah State5–2–15–1–1T–1st
1936Utah State7–0–16–0–11st
1937Utah State2–4–22–4–1T–7th
Utah State Aggies (Mountain States / Skyline Six Conference) (1938–1948)
1938Utah State4–43–35th
1939Utah State3–4–12–3–15th
1940Utah State2–5–12–45th
1941Utah State0–80–67th
1942Utah State6–3–12–3–14th
1943No team—World War II
1944Utah State3–30–24th
1945Utah State4–31–34th
1946Utah State7–2–14–1–1T–1stL Raisin
1947Utah State6–53–3T–3rdL Grape
1948Utah State5–62–4T–2nd
Utah State:128–91–1688–71–12
Total:128–91–16
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth

Basketball

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Utah Agricultural (Independent) (1919–1923)
1919–20Utah Agricultural2–0
1920–21Utah Agricultural6–4
1921–22Utah Agricultural8–3
1922–23Utah Agricultural8–4
Utah Agricultural (Mountain States Conference) (1923–1941)
1923–24Utah Agricultural6–63–52nd
1924–25Utah Agricultural12–75–5T–2nd
1925–26Utah Agricultural13–58–41st
1926–27Utah Agricultural11–39–32nd
1927–28Utah Agricultural7–75–72nd
1928–29Utah Agricultural8–104–83rd
1929–30Utah Agricultural15–77–5T–1st
1930–31Utah Agricultural13–77–5T–2nd
1931–32Utah Agricultural7–152–104th
1932–33Utah Agricultural10–124–83rd
1933–34Utah Agricultural14–67–5T–2nd
1934–35Utah Agricultural17–59–31st
1935–36Utah Agricultural17–99–31st
1936–37Utah Agricultural6–95–7T–3rd
1937–38Utah Agricultural11–96–64th
1938–39Utah Agricultural17–78–42ndNCAA Regional Third Place
1939–40Utah Agricultural11–77–5T–3rd
1940–41Utah Agricultural5–162–107th
Utah Agricultural:224–158 (.586)107–103 (.510)
Total:224–158 (.586)
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

External links