Maurice J. "Clipper" Smith

Maurice J. "Clipper" Smith
Biographical details
Born	October 15, 1898; Manteno, Illinois, U.S.
Died	March 17, 1984 (aged 85); Laguna Beach, California, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1917–1920	Notre Dame
Position(s)	Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1921–1924	Columbia (OR)
1925–1928	Gonzaga
1929–1935	Santa Clara
1936–1942	Villanova
1944	Cherry Point Marines
1946	San Francisco
1947–1948	Boston Yanks
1949–1951	Lafayette
Basketball
1922–1924	Columbia (OR)
1925–1929	Gonzaga
Baseball
1926	Gonzaga
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1925–1929	Gonzaga
Head coaching record
Overall	7–16–1 (NFL); 73–75 (college basketball); 4–11 (college baseball)
Bowls	1–0–1

Maurice J. "Clipper" Smith (October 15, 1898 – March 17, 1984) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Gonzaga University (1925–1928),^[1]^[2]^[3] Santa Clara University (1929–1935),^[4] Villanova College—now known as Villanova University (1936–1942), the University of San Francisco (1946), and Lafayette College (1949–1951). Smith was also the head coach of the National Football League's Boston Yanks from 1947 to 1948, tallying a mark of 7–16–1. In addition, he was the head basketball coach at Gonzaga from 1925 to 1929 and the head baseball coach at the school for one season in 1926, notching a record of 4–11.

Smith died on March 17, 1984, at his home in Laguna Beach, California.^[5]

Head coaching record


Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	AP^#
Gonzaga Bulldogs (Independent) (1925–1928)
1925	Gonzaga	7–2–2
1926	Gonzaga	5–2–1
1927	Gonzaga	5–3–1
1928	Gonzaga	6–2–1
Gonzaga:		23–9–5
Santa Clara Missionites / Broncos (Independent) (1929–1935)
1929	Santa Clara	5–3
1930	Santa Clara	5–3–1
1931	Santa Clara	5–4–1
1932	Santa Clara	6–3
1933	Santa Clara	6–2–1			W New Year's Classic
1934	Santa Clara	7–2–1
1935	Santa Clara	3–6
Santa Clara:		37–23–4
Villanova Wildcats (Independent) (1936–1942)
1936	Villanova	7–2–1			T Bacardi
1937	Villanova	8–0–1				6
1938	Villanova	8–0–1				18
1939	Villanova	6–2
1940	Villanova	4–5
1941	Villanova	4–4
1942	Villanova	4–4
Villanova:		41–17–3
Cherry Point Marines Flying Leathernecks (Independent) (1944)
1944	Cherry Point Marines	3–6
Cherry Point Marines:		3–6
San Francisco Dons (Independent) (1946)
1946	San Francisco	3–6
San Francisco:		3–6
Lafayette Leopards (Middle Three Conference) (1949–1951)
1949	Lafayette	2–6	1–1	2nd
1950	Lafayette	1–8	0–2	3rd
1951	Lafayette	1–7	0–2	3rd
Lafayette:		4–21	1–5
Total:
^#Rankings from final AP Poll.

^ "Clipper Smith works his outfit overtime". Spokane Daily Chronicle. October 28, 1925. p. 18.
^ "Clipper Smith may change job". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 18, 1929. p. 1.
^ "Clipper Smith heading south". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 30, 1929. p. 14.
^ "Clipper Smith heads for Villanova; plays Santa Clara in fall". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. United Press. June 25, 1936. p. 10.
^ "Maurice 'Clipper' Smith Dead at 85". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press. March 20, 1984. p. B7. Retrieved April 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .