Introduction
George Almon Munger
George Almon Munger was born in Elkins Park PA on June 24, 1909 to Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Munger. He was a descendant of George A. Munger, who was a prominent Camden businessman, involved in lumber, real estate, and who founded the Munger & Long Department Store at Broadway and Federal Street. Shortly after his birth, the Munger family moved to 420 Cooper Street in Camden. Herbert Munger and his brother Clarence were at the time partnered in the department store with Elmer E. Long.
George Almon Munger spent his early years in Camden, attending the local Friends School. His high school years were spent in Pennsylvania, where he starred in football, basketball, and track.
On January 19, 1938 George Munger was named head coach of the University of Pennsylvania football team. His 16 year career was quite successful, as he compiled a 52-7-4 record within the Ivy League, winning 84 games overall, and developed no less than 14 All-American players, including four-time All-American George Savitsky.
After George Almon retired as coach, he served for many years as the Penn athletic director, and Professor of Physical Education. After the 1953 season, Penn, as a new member of the Ivy League, decided to de-emphasize football, and the glory days of Penn football were over.
George Almon Munger passed away in 1994.
The Maxwell Football Club in Philadelphia awards the annual George Munger Award for College Coach of the Year in his honor.
Penn Coach Former Camden Schoolboy
Camden Courier-Post —
George Munger, Newly Appointed Gridiron Mentor, Attended Friends School Here; Father Former Prominent Merchant of City
George Munger, who yesterday was appointed head football coach at the University of Pennsylvania, is a former resident of this city and attended the Friends School at Seventh and Market streets.
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert N. Munger, Sr., of Cynwyd, and a nephew of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence A. Munger, of 203 East Maple avenue, Merchantville.
The two brothers were former prominent Camden merchants, operating the Munger and Long department store, at Broadway and Federal street, in partnership with Mr. Elmer E. Long, of Pitman.
George was born at Elkins Park; September 24, 1909, his family shortly afterwards coming to Camden where they resided at 420 Cooper street. Following his graduation from the local Friends School, the new Penn tutor matriculated at Hill School for three years and then transferred to Episcopal Academy, Overbrook, where he first began taking up athletics seriously.
Was Star Athlete
In the meantime his family moved to Cynwyd. George is married to the former Louise Laycock Smith and lives in Narberth.
Munger is six feet tall and be-spectacled. A star athlete in football, basketball and track, Munger was so well developed he once posed as a sculptor’s model while an undergraduate.
He has been described as a “young, yeasty, yippee coach,” who creates an atmosphere of fun instead of hard labor on the practice field.
Ever since Harman resigned by “mutual agreement,” Munger was the number one candidate. But many of the alumni said he was too young for the job.
Although nothing has been done about his assistants, it is expected that Munger will surround himself with a group of older and more experienced men. Munger, in his first press interview yesterday, said he planned to have three assistants, a line coach, end coach and backfield coach. In his last two teams Harman had only two aides.
Pauxtis May Be No. 1 Aide
A head coach should co-ordinate the work of all three, he believes. Asked if either Poss Miller or Si Pauxtis would be invited to remain as backfield and end tutor, respectively, George said he didn’t know. However, it seems likely that at least Pauxtis, who had the team’s backing for the job, will be asked to stay as George’s chief aide.
Munger drew up a program at least two weeks ago, he admitted, stating his ideas of a football coach. He plans to continue Spring practice and will start it as soon as the weather permits.
Outlines Spring Practice
“We plan no body contact work in the Spring for the juniors and seniors,” he declared. “Only the sophomores and freshmen will be required to do the rough work.
“If the squad is large, we’ll have a scrimmage the last week of practice to determine the capable men.
“Spring practice, in my mind, should be devoted to individual work, such as kicking, blocking position, pulling out of the line and to speeding up the team.”
After Spring practice which may last a month, depending on the weather, Munger will divide the squad into two groups. The first or varsity will be known as the Blue and the rest called the Red. A schedule of at least six games (Continued on Page Twenty-four)
125 in County Form U. of P. Alumni Club
Camden Courier-Post —
Charter Left Open for 300 Additional Members; 18 Trustees Elected
Form Alumni
CLIFFORD A. BALDWIN JOSEPH VARBALOW
Who presided at a meeting last night at which the Pennsylvania Alumni Club of Camden County was formally organized.
More than 125 Camden county graduates and former students of the University of Pennsylvania last night completed organization of an alumni club and became charter members of the organization, with the rolls held open for an expected 300 additional charter members.
The charter and constitution of the Pennsylvania Alumni Club of Camden County were adopted at a meeting in the auditorium of Woodrow Wilson High School.
Spirited interest was shown in the election of a board of trustees, and the constitution was amended to permit 18 trustees to serve instead of 15 as originally proposed.
Those elected were R. Pearce Conner, Thomas J. Daley, Judge Joseph Varbalow, Common Pleas Judge Clifford A. Baldwin, Ellery K. Taylor, William H. Wythes, William G. Moore, J. David Stern, J. William Markeim, Theodore F. Moench, W. Tingle Dickerson, Dr. Joseph E. Roberts, Frank M. Travaline, Jr., John H. Reiners, Jr., Dr. Byron G. Tuttle, Edmund D. Bowman, Dr. David D. Helm and Jesse G. Haydock, Jr.
Varbalow Presides
Judge Varbalow conducted the business session and Judge Baldwin introduced the guest speakers, Dr. E. LeRoy Mercer, dean of the department of physical education, and Dr. Cornelius Weygandt, professor of English literature.
Dr. Mercer outlined the work of his department, pointing out its intercollegiate, intramural and health activities, and then discussed Pennsylvania’s football coaching staff. George Munger, recently named head coach, plans to begin Spring football preparation March 21, with 24 to 30 days of practice, he said.
Penn’s agreement with Yale, Harvard and Princeton to begin Fall practice on September 15 may be modified, he said, to permit earlier work. Munger plans to have a three-meal training table, he said, and will limit the varsity squad to 22 to 28 men, permitting more highly personalized training, with a junior varsity squad of about 50 candidates.
Student Days Recalled
Dr. Weygandt, widely known as an author, recalled the professors and classroom atmosphere of his student days. He entered the university in 1887, became a newspaperman after his graduation, and returned to Pennsylvania to teach, remaining there for 41 years.
South Jersey alumni of the university represent the third largest group in the country, with approximately 875 graduates in the Camden county area. The alumni association will sponsor social and cultural activities and will cooperate with university trustees for the welfare of the institution.
George Munger
George Almon Munger – Maxwell Football Club
When World War I ended, George Almon Munger was a little boy. But by the time World War II was over, George Almon Munger was halfway to the Hall of Fame.
Munger took over as Penn’s head football coach in 1939. He compiled a 52-7-4 Ivy League record over the next 16 years, creating a monstrous group of Quakers that left fans fighting for tickets at Franklin field, boosting Penn to the nation’s top spot in football attendance.
Thanks to a single-wing offense and a disciplined defense, Penn would win the Ivy League’s mythical title nine times during Munger’s tenure and 16 players, including Chuck Bednarik and Reds Bagnell, would be named All-Americans.
While Munger coached at Penn, three of his players went on to win the Maxwell Award. They were: Robert H. Odell (1943), Charles (Chuck) Bednarik (1948) and Francis J. (Reds) Bagnell (1950).
When I was 15, I knew I wanted to be a coach,” Munger once said. He credited his high school coach, Lambert F. Whetstone, with installing that interest in him. Whetstone coached at Episcopal Academy, where Munger captained the football team in 1928 and 1929.
Episcopal just happened to win every game and a pair of Interac championships those two seasons. Munger added those titles to three others his teams won at Episcopal — two in basketball and one in baseball. He knew his way around Episcopal’s track as well, setting school records in the pole-vault, high jump, discus and javelin.
As a student-athlete at Penn, Munger starred as a half-back and fullback in the Quakers’ backfield. But he carved his place into Franklin field lore by winning the decathlon at the 1931 Penn Relays.
After graduating from Penn in 1933, Munger returned to Episcopal to coach football and track and teach Math and Sacred Studies. He stayed there until 1936. That’s when he went back to Penn to coach the Quakers’ freshman track and football squads until he became head football coach three years later.
When his coaching career ended in 1954, Munger became director and professor of the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Physical Education.
Among George Almon Munger’s countless awards is an honorary Doctors of Law Degree from his alma mater. In the presentation of that degree, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania called Munger “an angel with a single wing who soared into the record books.
The Maxwell Football Club honors that heavenly coach by making his coaching success, his devotion to ethics in athletics, and his commitment to education the standard for which all college coaches should strive.
Coach Munger passed away in 1994.