Sport(s) Football 1939–1941 Gonzaga 1925–1926 Gonzaga Name Puggy Hunton | 1927–1928 Cogswell H.S. (CA) Alma mater Gonzaga University 1929–1938 Gonzaga Prep | |
Born August 28, 1902
Porum, Oklahoma ( 1902-08-28 ) Overall College: 14–13–1 (.518)
High School: 74–10 (.881) Died October 3, 1967, Spokane, Washington, United States | ||
John W. "Puggy" Hunton (August 28, 1902 – October 3, 1967) was the final head coach of the Gonzaga University Bulldogs football team, leading their final three seasons, from 1939 to 1941. Prior to his tenure with the Bulldogs he was a high school coach at Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane and Cogswell High School of San Francisco.
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Early life
Born in Porum, Oklahoma, Hunton played collegiately at Gonzaga and graduated in June 1927. After he graduated, Hunton served as head coach for the football squad at Cogswell High School of San Francisco prior to accepting the head coaching position at the Gonzaga Preparatory School in 1928. During his ten-year tenure at Gonzaga Prep, he led them to seven city championships and five undefeated seasons en route to an overall record of 74 wins and ten losses (.881).
Gonzaga
On March 5, 1939, Hunton was introduced as Gonzaga's head football coach as a replacement for fellow alumnus Mike Pecarovich, who left for Loyola in Los Angeles. In his first season, Hunton led the Bulldogs to an upset over Oregon at Hayward Field. For his efforts in the upset, Hunton was named coach of the week by various selectors. During his three-year tenure at Gonzaga University, Hunton had an overall record of fourteen wins, thirteen losses and one tie (14–13–1).
Gonzaga fielded its last varsity football team 76 years ago in 1941. Like many colleges, the football program went on hiatus during World War II (in April 1942), but after the war the administration decided not to resume it. The program had been in financial difficulty prior to the war.
After Hunton was hired from Gonzaga Prep in 1939, he earned substantially less than his predecessor. In late August 1940, he signed a three-year contract, retroactive to July 1, at $2,500 per year. When the program was dropped, Hunton was released as head coach and not paid for his final year. He filed suit against the university regarding the contract, which was settled out of court in 1943.