David Rankin (American football)

David Rankin

Rankin from the 1941 "Debris"
Date of birth	February 2, 1919
Date of death	December 8, 2006(2006-12-08) (aged 87)
Place of death	Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)	End
US college	Purdue University
Career history
As player
1938–1940	Purdue Boilermakers
Career highlights and awards
Consensus All-American (1940) First-team All-American (1939) 2× First-team All-Big Ten (1939, 1940)

David William Rankin (February 2, 1919 – December 8, 2006) was an American football player and track athlete and coach. He was a consensus first-team All-American at the end position at Purdue University in 1940.^[1] He also set a U.S. indoor record in the 60-yard low hurdles in 1940.^[2] During World War II, he served as a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps. He later worked as the head coach of the Purdue track team from 1946 to 1981. He was also an assistant football coach at Purdue in 1947 and 1948. He was also the U.S. track team coach at the 1975 World University Games.^[2] He has been inducted into the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame (1998), the Indiana Football Hall of Fame (1977) and the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame (1995).^[2] Rankin died in 2006 at the age of 87.^[2][3]