Lester Cort Belding (December 5, 1900 – May 27, 1965) was an American athlete and coach in football, basketball, and track and field. He was the first football player from the University of Iowa to be named a consensus All-American. He was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1963.

Early years

A native of Mason City, Iowa, Belding was a star football player for Mason City High School from 1914 to 1917.

University of Iowa

Football

Belding enrolled at the University of Iowa where he played football for legendary coach Howard Jones. He was a consensus Football All-American at the end position in 1919, the first player from the University of Iowa to receive the honor. Considered "one of the nation's premier collegiate pass catchers of his era," he played on the undefeated 1921 national championship team that outscored opponents 123–15 and included Gordon Locke, Aubrey Devine, Glenn Devine, and Duke Slater. He was also a three-time first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection.

Track

Belding was also the captain of Iowa's track team in 1921, competing in the 100 and 220-yard dashes.

Coach and athletic director

After graduating from Iowa in 1922, Belding became a coach. He coached at a prep school in Boulder, Colorado. In 1923, Belding accepted a coaching position in Clinton, Iowa, where he coached two state championship football teams. Belding also joined the Rock Island Independents of the National Football League (NFL), playing in a single game for the team in 1925. He next accepted a position at the freshman coach at the University of North Carolina. He later served as the high school coach at Greensboro, North Carolina for seven years. In 1933, Belding returned to Iowa where he was put in charge of high school athletics at Reinbeck, Iowa. From 1934 to 1945, he was the athletic director and head football and basketball coach at Dakota Wesleyan College in Mitchell, South Dakota. He finished his career serving 20 years, from 1945 to 1965, as a track and football coach and athletic director at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. in 1963, Belding was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.

Belding died of a heart attack in 1965 at age 64. He was posthumously inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.

Head coaching record

College football

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Dakota Wesleyan Tigers (South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference) (1934–1939)
1934Dakota Wesleyan0–7–10–6–110th
1935Dakota Wesleyan3–42–3T–6th
1936Dakota Wesleyan5–2–15–0–1T–1st
1937Dakota Wesleyan3–41–26th
1938Dakota Wesleyan5–34–12nd
1939Dakota Wesleyan2–52–3T–6th
Dakota Wesleyan Tigers (South Dakota College Conference) (1940–1942)
1940Dakota Wesleyan3–3
1941Dakota Wesleyan2–5
1942Dakota Wesleyan1–3–1
Dakota Wesleyan:24–36–3
North Central Cardinals (Independent) (1945)
1945North Central3–3
North Central:3–3
Total:27–39–2
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth

College basketball

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Dakota Wesleyan Tigers (South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference) (1934–1943)
1934–35Dakota Wesleyan14–310–32nd
1935–36Dakota Wesleyan10–510–42nd
1936–37Dakota Wesleyan12–57–32nd
1937–38Dakota Wesleyan11–107–54th
1938–39Dakota Wesleyan20–311–21st
1939–40Dakota Wesleyan14–57–11st
1940–41Dakota Wesleyan16–5
1941–42Dakota Wesleyan8–8
1942–43Dakota Wesleyan21–211–11st
Dakota Wesleyan Tigers (South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference) (1944–1945)
1944–45Dakota Wesleyan13–4
Dakota Wesleyan:139–50
North Central Cardinals (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) (1946–1948)
1946–47North Central13–48–22nd
1947–48North Central10–95–5T–3rd
North Central:23–1313–7
Total:162–63
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