J. Burton Rix

J. Burton Rix

Rix (left) with assistant coach Lt. Joseph Wier and head coach Dave Allerdice at the University of Texas at Austin, c. 1913
Biographical details
Born	(1882-03-24)March 24, 1882 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Died	August 8, 1964(1964-08-08) (aged 82) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1905	Dartmouth
Basketball
1903–1905	Dartmouth
Position(s)	Halfback (football)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1909–1910	Austin
1911–1913	Texas (assistant)
1914–1916	Southwestern (TX)
1917–1921	SMU
1929	Miami (FL)
Basketball
1911–1912	Texas
1914–1916	Southwestern (TX)
1917–1921	SMU
Track & Field
1911	Texas
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1914–1917	Southwestern (TX)
1917–1921	SMU
Head coaching record
Overall	39–34–11 29–37 (basketball, excluding Southwestern)

John Burton Rix (March 24, 1882 – August 8, 1964) was an American football and basketball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Austin College (1909–1910), Southwestern University (1914–1916), Southern Methodist University (1917–1921), the University of Miami (1929), compiling a career college football coaching record of 39–34–11. Rix was also the head basketball coach at the University of Texas at Austin (1911–1912) and at Southern Methodist (1917–1921), tallying a career college basketball mark of 29–37.

Rix was born on March 24, 1882, in Cincinnati.^[1]

He attended Dartmouth College, where he played on the football team as a halfback in 1905,^[2][3] and served as the basketball team captain for the 1903–04 and 1904–05 seasons.^[4] Rix graduated from Dartmouth with an A.B. degree in 1906.^[5] He was a member of the Pi Chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Casque and Gauntlet.^[5]

In 1910, he was teaching as an English instructor at Austin College.^[5]

In 1912, Rix became the head basketball coach at Texas, replacing W. E. Metzenthin, who had moved into the position of athletic director.^[6] Rix served in that capacity for one season and without pay.^[6] According to the student yearbook, the Cactus, he "took hold of the squad when it found itself without a leader and quickly demonstrated his ability to transform it into a quintet that was as good as any in the state."^[6]

At Texas, he also served as an assistant football coach under Dave Allerdice from 1911 through 1913.^[2][7]

After a 30–7 loss to Notre Dame in 1913, Rix wrote in The Alcalde, "I was asked to criticize the playing of our team in this game. Had we won I should perhaps have been willing to do so. As it is, there is no necessity for it, for our men themselves, you may be assured, are criticizing themselves with a self-analysis, and sincerity and effectiveness that will do more for the development of football in Texas than a whole season of ordinary games."^[8]

From 1914 to 1916, he coached the football team and served as the athletic director at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.^[9][10]

In February 1917, he accepted the position as athletic director at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.^[10] At SMU, he served as the head basketball and football coach from 1917 to 1921. In 1921 he resigned as football coach after two games and was replaced by Bill Cunningham, also of Dartmouth, during a 1–6–1 campaign in 1921.^[11][12]

In 1929, Rix became the second head football coach at the University of Miami after a group of local businessmen financially backed the school. Rix left after one season, however, when the Wall Street Crash of 1929 led to an end to the program's off-campus financing.^[13]

On August 8, 1964, at age 82, Rix committed suicide by hanging.^[14]

• J. Burton Rix at Find a Grave