Elvan George

A master on the football field, Elvan George was a pioneer in high school coaching. His impact on the community of Ada and East Central University is unparalleled.

A 1935 graduate of East Central State College (now East Central University) in Ada, Oklahoma, George coached football for two years at Coalgate High School before becoming an assistant coach at Ada High School in 1937.

His teams won six state championships - 1951, 1952 and 1954-1957. They had 18 consecutive play-off wins and won 64 out of 68 games, which included a 33 game winning streak from 1956-1958. George was named Oklahoma Coach of the Year by the Daily Oklahoman in 1952 and 1957.

George posted an overall high school coaching record of 174-52-9 in his 19 years at Ada High School. He was an enthusiastic student of the game and used the "Split-T", with variations to keep his opponents guessing. He joined the East Central faculty in 1959 and during 11 years as head coach, had a record of 93-36-5. He won three Oklahoma Collegiate Conference Championships (1964-66), tied for fourth (1967) and was named the Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year.

He never allowed his players to scrimmage, hold tackling drills or block each other, believing his system took away the chance of injuries and kept the players hungry for player contact. In 1971, he retired from coaching, but stayed with the ECU faculty.

George suffered a heart attack several years prior and initiated a program called "Run for your Life," to get students at ECU jogging. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Hall of Fame and the NAIA Hall of Fame. Born in Cumby, Texas, on September 1, 1913. He died in 1974.