Sport(s) College football Name Phillip Armstrong Positions Halfback Overall 44-11-6 Alma mater Centre College | 1923-1930 Carroll College Team Carroll University 1918-1921 Centre College Role American football player | |
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1922 Centenary College (asst.) Died October 11, 1981, Danville, Kentucky, United States | ||
Phillip Norris "Army" Armstrong (September 15, 1898 – October 11, 1981) was an American football player and coach.
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Centre
Norris played tackle and halfback for Centre College Praying Colonels in Danville, Kentucky and was a key offensive player during the 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game and was captain of the team that year. He also was a player on the school's basketball team. Centre College honored his contribution to the school's athletic program by inducting him into the college's Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a halfback on Centre's all-time football team chosen in 1935.
Milwaukee Badgers
After graduation from Centre, Norris played professionally for the 1922 season as an offensive tackle for the Milwaukee Badgers of the National Football League alongside his college teammate Bo McMillin.
Centenary
Armstrong's first coaching position was in 1922 at Centenary College. Here he was assistant to his college teammate (and future professional teammate) Bo McMillin where they produced an impressive record of eight wins and one loss while outscoring opponents 295 to 41.
Carroll
After completing one year as an assistant coach, Armstrong was named the 15th head football at Carroll College (now called Carroll University) in Waukesha, Wisconsin and he held that position for eight seasons, from 1923 until 1930. His career coaching record at Carroll College was 44–11–6.
Armstrong oversaw one of the most successful periods of the football team at the college. The university honored his contributions by inducting him into the school's "Hall of Fame" in 1973.
Key games for Carroll under Armstrong included the 1925 victory over Great Lakes Naval by a score of 73–0, and an undefeated 1925 season. The program never had anything but winning seasons under Armstrong, with the worst record being 4–3 in 1929; the worst loss that year was a 46–0 defeat by the Iowa Hawkeyes.
After retiring from coaching, Armstrong remain with Carroll College to become athletic director and later a trustee of the college.