James F. Lanagan

James Francis Lanagan (November 16, 1878 – August 7, 1937) was an American football, rugby, and baseball coach at Stanford University.

James F. Lanagan

Lanagan, circa 1906
Biographical details
Born	(1878-11-16)November 16, 1878 Paris, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	August 7, 1937(1937-08-07) (aged 58) Applegate, California, U.S.
Playing career
Baseball
1897–1900	Stanford
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1903–1905	Stanford
Rugby
1906–1908	Stanford
Baseball
1906–1907	Stanford
Head coaching record
Overall	23–2–4 (football) 26–8–1 (rugby) 9–19–2 (baseball)
Accomplishments and honors
Records
Highest win percentage of a multi-season football coach in Stanford history (.862)

Lanagan played college baseball at Stanford from 1897 to 1900.[1] In 1902, he married Clara Earl, a fellow member of the Stanford Class of 1900.[2]

In 1903, despite never having played football, Lanagan was selected as Stanford's head football coach, and coached the team for three years, compiling an overall record of 23–2–4.[1]

Following the 1905 season, Stanford, responding like other American universities to concerns about the violence in football, dropped football in favor of rugby from 1906 to 1917.[3][4] Despite having no knowledge of the sport, Lanagan was retained as the rugby coach, spending time in Vancouver, British Columbia and Australia to study the sport.[1][5] In his first season, the team ended with a 6–2–1 season. Lanagan remained as rugby coach for two more seasons.[1] He also served as Stanford's baseball coach from 1906 to 1907.[1][6]

Lanagan attended Stanford Law School from 1905 to 1907.[2] He resigned from coaching in 1908 to focus on his law practice.[5]

During World War I, Lanagan was a major in the United States Army, fighting in France,[2] where he contracted a lung disease that would eventually result in his death two decades later.[7]