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{{Short description|American football player and coach (1902–1956)}}
'''Norman "Red" Strader''' ([[December 21]], [[1902]] - [[May 26]], [[1956]]) was a [[football]] player and coach who served in both capacities at the collegiate and professional levels. In the college ranks, he spent two years as head coach at [[St. Mary's College of California]], and later held the same position with the [[New York Yankees (football)]] and [[San Francisco 49ers]].
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox CFL biography
| name = Red Strader
| image =Red_Strader_photo.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1902|12|21}}
| birth_place = [[Newton, New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1956|5|26|1902|12|21}}
| death_place = [[Berkeley, California]], U.S.
| team =
| number = 7
| status =
| position1 = [[Fullback (gridiron football)|Fullback]]
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 9
| weight_lb = 200
| college = [[Saint Mary's Gaels football|Saint Mary's]]
| coaching_years1 = 1928–1930
| coaching_team1 = [[Regis Rangers football|Regis]]
| coaching_years2 = 1932–1939
| coaching_team2 = [[Saint Mary's Gaels football|Saint Mary's]] (assistant)
| coaching_years3 = 1940–1941
| coaching_team3 = Saint Mary's
| coaching_years4 = 1944
| coaching_team4 = [[Camp Peary Pirates football|Camp Peary]]
| coaching_years5 = 1946–1948
| coaching_team5 = [[New York Yankees (AAFC)|New York Yankees]] (assistant)
| coaching_years6 = 1948–1949
| coaching_team6 = New York Yankees
| coaching_years7 = 1950
| coaching_team7 = [[New York Bulldogs|New York Yanks]]
| coaching_years8 = 1952–1954
| coaching_team8 = [[San Francisco 49ers]] (assistant)
| coaching_years9 = 1955
| coaching_team9 = San Francisco 49ers
| playing_years1 = 1926
| playing_team1 = [[Chicago Bulls (AFL)|Chicago Bulls]]
| playing_years2 = 1927
| playing_team2 = [[Chicago Cardinals (NFL, 1920–59)|Chicago Cardinals]]
| career_highlights =
* Third-team [[All-American]] ([[1924 College Football All-America Team|1924]])
* First-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference football teams|All-PCC]] ([[1924 All-Pacific Coast football team|1924]])
| CoachPFR = StraNo0
| module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
|allegiance = {{flagicon|United States}} [[United States of America|United States]]
|branch = [[File:United States Department of the Navy Seal.svg|20px|United States Navy seal]] [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]
|serviceyears = 1942–1946
|rank = [[File:US-O4 insignia.svg|20px]] [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lt. Commander]]
|unit =
|battles = World War II
|awards =
}}
}}


'''Norman Parker "Red" Strader''' (December 21, 1902 – May 26, 1956) was an [[American football]] player and coach who served in both capacities at the collegiate and professional levels. In the college ranks, he spent two years as head coach at [[Saint Mary's College of California]], and later held the same position with the [[New York Yankees (AAFC)|New York Yankees]] of the [[All-America Football Conference]] (AAFC), and the [[New York Yanks]] and [[San Francisco 49ers]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL).
Born in [[Newton, New Jersey]], Strader moved with his family six months after his arrival to [[Modesto, California]], attending high school in the town. He advanced to St. Mary's, where he played at fullback under future [[College Football Hall of Fame]] coach [[Slip Madigan]]. During his final year in [[1925]], he was recognized as the first player in Gael history to earn All-American recognition.


==High school and college==
Strader then turned to baseball when he was signed on [[February 20]], [[1926]], by the [[Cleveland Indians]]. He played with three teams: in [[Saginaw, Michigan]]; [[Wheeling, West Virginia]]; and [[Hollywood, California]], but returned to football in [[1927]], when he played one season with the [[National Football League]]'s [[Chicago Cardinals]].


Born in [[Newton, New Jersey]], Strader moved with his family six months after his arrival to [[Modesto, California]], attending high school in the town. He advanced to Saint Mary's, where he played at [[Fullback (American football)|fullback]] under future [[College Football Hall of Fame]] coach [[Slip Madigan]]. During his final year in 1925, he was recognized as the first player in Gael history to earn All-American recognition.
In [[1928]], he took his first football coaching job when accepted the top job for [[Regis College]] in [[Colorado]]. By [[1932]], he returned to St. Mary's working under Madigan for the next eight seasons, but when health problems forced Madigan to retire, Strader was promoted to head coach on [[March 17]], [[1940]].


==Baseball==
After two seasons as head coach, Strader was irritated when the Gaels' Bay area rival, the [[University of San Francisco]], blocked the team from using their regular field at [[Kezar Stadium]]. However, greater considerations due to the onset of World War II and St. Mary's turning over a portion of their campus to naval training caused Strader to resign and spend the next 40 months in the service. During this period, he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander while coaching football and baseball at a trio of naval bases.


Strader then turned to baseball when he was signed on February 20, 1926, by the [[Cleveland Indians]]. He played with three teams: the [[Saginaw Aces]] in [[Saginaw, Michigan]]; [[Wheeling, West Virginia]]; and [[Hollywood, California]], but returned to football in 1926, when he played one season with the [[Chicago Bulls (AFL)|Chicago Bulls]] of the [[American Football League (1926)|first American Football League]] and another season with the [[National Football League]]'s [[Chicago Cardinals]].
Upon the end of the war, Strader was hired in [[1946]] as backfield coach of the Yankees of the fledgling [[All American Football Conference]]. When head coach [[Ray Flaherty]] was forced out aftwer a slow start on [[September 17]], [[1948]], Strader was elevated to take his place. In his first season, the Yankees split their 10 remaining games, then reached the playoffs the following year with an 8-4 mark.


==Coaching career==
In [[December]] [[1949]], the AAFC was officially merged with the NFL, with a majority of the Yankees players being shifted to the older league's [[New York Bulldogs]]. Strader was named to lead the remolded team on [[January 5]], [[1950]] and led the Yankees to a 7-5 finish that season. However, in [[June]] [[1951]], he was hospitalized for several weeks with heart problems. Those health concerns resulted in his departure on [[August 5]], 1951, with team owner [[Ted Collins]] stating that he wanted assurances that Strader would not be compromised by the strains of coaching, a comment that Strader vigorously denied, saying he had been fired.


===College===
Strader's anger continued six weeks later when he filed a lawsuit asking for $10,000 in salary from Collins, while also severely criticizing the [[NFLdraft]]. Despite having only an oral agreement, Strader won his salary case on [[February 28]], [[1952]], and also gained $1,451 in expenses from Collins, who had since sold the team to a group that had moved and renamed the team as the [[Dallas Texans]].
In 1928, Strader took his first football coaching job when accepted the top job for [[Regis University|Regis College]] in [[Colorado]]. By 1932, he returned to Saint Mary's working under Madigan for the next eight seasons, but when health problems forced Madigan to retire, Strader was promoted to head coach on March 17, 1940.


After two seasons as head coach, Strader was irritated when the Gaels' Bay area rival, the [[University of San Francisco]], blocked the team from using their regular field at [[Kezar Stadium]]. However, greater considerations due to the onset of World War II and Saint Mary's turning over a portion of their campus to naval training caused Strader to resign and spend the next 40 months in the service. During this period, he rose to the rank of [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]] while coaching football and baseball at a trio of naval bases.
Briefly considered to replace [[Dick Todd]] as head
coach of the [[Washington Redskins]], Strader spent
the [[1952 NFL season]] as an assistant coach and
scout with the 49ers before resigning on [[March 28]],
[[1953]]. He spent the next year working in the
construction business, while continuing to scout, and
was again speculated as a head coaching candidate.
This time, the team was the [[Indianapolis
Colts|Baltimore Colts]], but when [[Weeb Ewbank]] was
hired by Baltimore, Strader stayed in his earlier
roles.


===Professional===
San Francisco head coach [[Buck Shaw]] was fired on
Upon the end of the war, Strader was hired in 1946 as backfield coach of the [[New York Yankees (AAFC)|New York Yankees]] of the fledgling [[All-America Football Conference]] (AAFC). When head coach [[Ray Flaherty]] was forced out after a slow start on September 17, 1948, Strader was elevated to take his place. In his first season, the Yankees split their 10 remaining games, then reached the playoffs the following year with an 8–4 mark.
[[December 13]], 1954 after serving as the only coach
in franchise history, with Strader being hired 10 days
later to replace him. Shaw's main flaw with team
owner [[Tony Morabito]] was his inability to win a
championship, but Morabito said winning a title in his
first year would not be reason to dismiss Strader.


In December 1949, the AAFC was officially merged with the NFL, with a majority of the Yankees players being shifted to the older league's [[New York Bulldogs]]. Strader was named to lead the remolded team on January 5, 1950, and led the Yanks to a 7–5 finish that season. However, in June 1951 he was hospitalized for several weeks with heart problems. Those health concerns resulted in his departure on August 5, 1951, with team owner [[Ted Collins (manager)|Ted Collins]] stating that he wanted assurances that Strader would not be compromised by the strains of coaching, a comment that Strader vigorously denied, saying he had been fired.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19510807&id=baNRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=62oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3822,1428636&hl=en|date=August 7, 1951|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|title=Did Yanks Fire Red Strader?}}</ref>
In spite of a strong series of wins during the
preseason, that opinion would change when the 49ers
split their first six contests, then lost to the [[St.
Louis Rams|Los Angeles Rams]] on [[November 6]],
[[1955]]. That defeat caused one fan to hang Strader
in effigy outside [[Kezar Stadium]], and by the end of
the season, the 49ers had won just four of 12
contests, and dealt with reports of continued conflict
between the coach and his players. Upon being fired
on [[December 19]], Strader disputed such talk by
noting that he had been given the game ball in the
season's final game.


Strader's anger continued six weeks later when he filed a lawsuit asking for $10,000 in salary from Collins, while also severely criticizing the [[NFL draft]]. Despite having only an oral agreement, Strader won his salary case on February 28, 1952, and also gained $1,451 in expenses from Collins, who had since sold the team to a group that had moved and renamed the team as the [[Dallas Texans (NFL)|Dallas Texans]].
Strader had only a short time to ponder his future,

dying in his sleep of a [[heart attack]] just five
Briefly considered to replace [[Dick Todd (American football)|Dick Todd]] as head coach of the [[Washington Redskins]], Strader spent the [[1952 NFL season]] as an assistant coach and scout with the 49ers before resigning on March 28, 1953. He spent the next year working in the construction business, while continuing to scout, and was again speculated as a head coaching candidate. This time, the team was the [[Baltimore Colts]], but when [[Weeb Ewbank]] was hired by Baltimore, Strader stayed in his earlier roles.
months later, the end of cardiac problems that had

plagued him for the past two years. On [[December
====San Francisco====
12]], [[1956]], Strader's widow, Helen, filed a

$27,000 lawsuit against the 49ers, asking for the
San Francisco head coach [[Buck Shaw]] was fired on December 13, 1954, after serving as the only coach in franchise history, with Strader being hired 10 days later to replace him. Shaw's main flaw with team owner [[Tony Morabito]] was his inability to win a championship, but Morabito said winning a title in his first year would not be reason to dismiss Strader.
compensation provided by her husband's contract.

Three years later, she received an out-of-court
In spite of a strong series of wins during the preseason, that opinion would change when the 49ers split their first six contests, then lost to the [[Los Angeles Rams]] on November 6, 1955. That defeat caused one fan to hang Strader in effigy outside [[Kezar Stadium]], and by the end of the season, the 49ers had won just four of 12 contests, and dealt with reports of continued conflict between the coach and his players. Upon being fired on December 19, Strader disputed such talk by noting that he had been given the game ball in the season's final game.
settlement for $18,000.

==Death and lawsuit==
Strader had only a short time to ponder his future, dying in his sleep of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] just five months later, the end of cardiac problems that had plagued him for the past two years. On December 12, 1956, Strader's widow, Helen, filed a $27,000 lawsuit against the 49ers, asking for the compensation provided by her husband's contract. Three years later, she received an out-of-court settlement for $18,000.

==Head coaching record==
===College===
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = [[Regis Rangers football|Regis Rangers]]
| conf = Independent
| startyear = 1928
| endyear = 1930
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = [[1928 college football season|1928]]
| name = [[1928 Regis Rangers football team|Regis]]
| overall = 5–4
| conference =
| confstanding =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| year = [[1929 college football season|1929]]
| name = [[1929 Regis Rangers football team|Regis]]
| overall = 3–7
| conference =
| confstanding =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| year = [[1930 college football season|1930]]
| name = [[1930 Regis Rangers football team|Regis]]
| overall = 6–3
| conference =
| confstanding =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Regis
| overall = 14–14
| confrecord =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = [[Saint Mary's Gaels football|Saint Mary's Gaels]]
| conf = Independent
| startyear = 1940
| endyear = 1941
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| year = [[1940 college football season|1940]]
| name = [[1940 Saint Mary's Gaels football team|Saint Mary's]]
| overall = 5–3
| conference =
| confstanding =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| year = [[1941 college football season|1941]]
| name = [[1941 Saint Mary's Gaels football team|Saint Mary's]]
| overall = 5–4
| conference =
| confstanding =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Saint Mary's
| overall = 10–7
| confrecord =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = [[Camp Peary Pirates football|Camp Peary Pirates]]
| conf = Independent
| startyear = 1944
| endyear = single
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = [[1944 college football season|1944]]
| name = [[1944 Camp Peary Pirates football team|Camp Peary]]
| overall = 5–2
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Camp Peary
| overall = 5–2
| confrecord =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 29–23
| bowls = no
| poll = no
| polltype =
| legend = no
}}

===NFL===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season
|-
! Won !! Lost !! Ties !! Win % !! Finish
|-
! [[1950 New York Yanks season|NYY]] || [[1950 NFL season|1950]]
| 7 || 5 || 0 || {{winpct|7|5|0}} || 3rd in NFL Eastern
|-
! colspan="2"|NYY total || 7 || 5 || 0 || {{winpct|7|5|0}} ||
|-
! [[1955 San Francisco 49ers season|SF]] || [[1955 NFL season|1955]]
| 4 || 8 || 0 || {{winpct|4|8|0}} || 5th in NFL Western
|-
! colspan="2"|SF total || 4 || 8 || 0 || {{winpct|4|8|0}} ||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total || 11 || 13 || 0 || {{winpct|11|13|0}} ||
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br= |fangraphs=|cube= |brm=strade002nor}}
* {{Find a Grave|55791222}}

{{Saint Mary's Gaels baseball coach navbox}}
{{Saint Mary's Gaels football coach navbox}}
{{New York Yanks football coach navbox}}
{{San Francisco 49ers coach navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strader, Red}}
[[Category:1902 births]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:American football fullbacks]]
[[Category:Camp Peary Pirates football coaches]]
[[Category:Chicago Bulls (American football) players]]
[[Category:Chicago Cardinals players]]
[[Category:Hollywood Stars players]]
[[Category:New York Yanks coaches]]
[[Category:New York Yankees (AAFC) coaches]]
[[Category:Regis Rangers football coaches]]
[[Category:Saint Mary's Gaels baseball coaches]]
[[Category:Saint Mary's Gaels football coaches]]
[[Category:Saint Mary's Gaels football players]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers coaches]]
[[Category:San Francisco 49ers head coaches]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Modesto, California]]
[[Category:People from Newton, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Sussex County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from California]]
[[Category:Military personnel from California]]
[[Category:Military personnel from New Jersey]]

Latest revision as of 07:27, 8 November 2024

Red Strader
No. 7
Born:(1902-12-21)December 21, 1902
Newton, New Jersey, U.S.
Died:May 26, 1956(1956-05-26) (aged 53)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)Fullback
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight200 lb (91 kg)
CollegeSaint Mary's
Career history
As coach
1928–1930Regis
1932–1939Saint Mary's (assistant)
1940–1941Saint Mary's
1944Camp Peary
1946–1948New York Yankees (assistant)
1948–1949New York Yankees
1950New York Yanks
1952–1954San Francisco 49ers (assistant)
1955San Francisco 49ers
As player
1926Chicago Bulls
1927Chicago Cardinals
Career highlights and awards
Career stats
Military career
AllegianceUnited States United States
Service / branchUnited States Navy seal U.S. Navy
Years of service1942–1946
Rank Lt. Commander
Battles / warsWorld War II

Norman Parker "Red" Strader (December 21, 1902 – May 26, 1956) was an American football player and coach who served in both capacities at the collegiate and professional levels. In the college ranks, he spent two years as head coach at Saint Mary's College of California, and later held the same position with the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), and the New York Yanks and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL).

High school and college

[edit]

Born in Newton, New Jersey, Strader moved with his family six months after his arrival to Modesto, California, attending high school in the town. He advanced to Saint Mary's, where he played at fullback under future College Football Hall of Fame coach Slip Madigan. During his final year in 1925, he was recognized as the first player in Gael history to earn All-American recognition.

Baseball

[edit]

Strader then turned to baseball when he was signed on February 20, 1926, by the Cleveland Indians. He played with three teams: the Saginaw Aces in Saginaw, Michigan; Wheeling, West Virginia; and Hollywood, California, but returned to football in 1926, when he played one season with the Chicago Bulls of the first American Football League and another season with the National Football League's Chicago Cardinals.

Coaching career

[edit]

College

[edit]

In 1928, Strader took his first football coaching job when accepted the top job for Regis College in Colorado. By 1932, he returned to Saint Mary's working under Madigan for the next eight seasons, but when health problems forced Madigan to retire, Strader was promoted to head coach on March 17, 1940.

After two seasons as head coach, Strader was irritated when the Gaels' Bay area rival, the University of San Francisco, blocked the team from using their regular field at Kezar Stadium. However, greater considerations due to the onset of World War II and Saint Mary's turning over a portion of their campus to naval training caused Strader to resign and spend the next 40 months in the service. During this period, he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander while coaching football and baseball at a trio of naval bases.

Professional

[edit]

Upon the end of the war, Strader was hired in 1946 as backfield coach of the New York Yankees of the fledgling All-America Football Conference (AAFC). When head coach Ray Flaherty was forced out after a slow start on September 17, 1948, Strader was elevated to take his place. In his first season, the Yankees split their 10 remaining games, then reached the playoffs the following year with an 8–4 mark.

In December 1949, the AAFC was officially merged with the NFL, with a majority of the Yankees players being shifted to the older league's New York Bulldogs. Strader was named to lead the remolded team on January 5, 1950, and led the Yanks to a 7–5 finish that season. However, in June 1951 he was hospitalized for several weeks with heart problems. Those health concerns resulted in his departure on August 5, 1951, with team owner Ted Collins stating that he wanted assurances that Strader would not be compromised by the strains of coaching, a comment that Strader vigorously denied, saying he had been fired.[1]

Strader's anger continued six weeks later when he filed a lawsuit asking for $10,000 in salary from Collins, while also severely criticizing the NFL draft. Despite having only an oral agreement, Strader won his salary case on February 28, 1952, and also gained $1,451 in expenses from Collins, who had since sold the team to a group that had moved and renamed the team as the Dallas Texans.

Briefly considered to replace Dick Todd as head coach of the Washington Redskins, Strader spent the 1952 NFL season as an assistant coach and scout with the 49ers before resigning on March 28, 1953. He spent the next year working in the construction business, while continuing to scout, and was again speculated as a head coaching candidate. This time, the team was the Baltimore Colts, but when Weeb Ewbank was hired by Baltimore, Strader stayed in his earlier roles.

San Francisco

[edit]

San Francisco head coach Buck Shaw was fired on December 13, 1954, after serving as the only coach in franchise history, with Strader being hired 10 days later to replace him. Shaw's main flaw with team owner Tony Morabito was his inability to win a championship, but Morabito said winning a title in his first year would not be reason to dismiss Strader.

In spite of a strong series of wins during the preseason, that opinion would change when the 49ers split their first six contests, then lost to the Los Angeles Rams on November 6, 1955. That defeat caused one fan to hang Strader in effigy outside Kezar Stadium, and by the end of the season, the 49ers had won just four of 12 contests, and dealt with reports of continued conflict between the coach and his players. Upon being fired on December 19, Strader disputed such talk by noting that he had been given the game ball in the season's final game.

Death and lawsuit

[edit]

Strader had only a short time to ponder his future, dying in his sleep of a heart attack just five months later, the end of cardiac problems that had plagued him for the past two years. On December 12, 1956, Strader's widow, Helen, filed a $27,000 lawsuit against the 49ers, asking for the compensation provided by her husband's contract. Three years later, she received an out-of-court settlement for $18,000.

Head coaching record

[edit]

College

[edit]
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Regis Rangers (Independent) (1928–1930)
1928 Regis 5–4
1929 Regis 3–7
1930 Regis 6–3
Regis: 14–14
Saint Mary's Gaels (Independent) (1940–1941)
1940 Saint Mary's 5–3
1941 Saint Mary's 5–4
Saint Mary's: 10–7
Camp Peary Pirates (Independent) (1944)
1944 Camp Peary 5–2
Camp Peary: 5–2
Total: 29–23

NFL

[edit]
Team Year Regular season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish
NYY 1950 7 5 0 .583 3rd in NFL Eastern
NYY total 7 5 0 .583
SF 1955 4 8 0 .333 5th in NFL Western
SF total 4 8 0 .333
Total 11 13 0 .458

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Did Yanks Fire Red Strader?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 7, 1951.
[edit]
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