Phil Sarboe

Philip John Sarboe (August 22, 1911 – November 19, 1985) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the State College of Washington—now known as Washington State University—and professionally in National Football League (NFL) with the Boston Redskins, Chicago Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers. Sarboe served as the head football coach at Central Washington College of Education—now known as Central Washington University—from 1941 to 1942, Washington State from 1945 to 1959, Humboldt State College—now known as Humboldt State University—from 1951 to 1965, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1966, compiling a career college football record of 131–75–11.

Phil Sarboe
Biographical details
Born(1911-08-22)August 22, 1911
Fairbanks, District of Alaska
DiedNovember 19, 1985(1985-11-19) (aged 74)
Spokane, Washington
Alma materWashington State (1934)
Playing career
Football
1931–1933Washington State
1934Boston Redskins
1934–1936Chicago Cardinals
1936Brooklyn Dodgers
Position(s)Defensive back, quarterback, fullback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1937–1938Clarkston HS (WA)
1939–1940Aberdeen HS (WA)
1941–1942Central Washington
1943–1944Lincoln HS (WA)
1945–1949Washington State
1950North Central HS (WA)
1951–1965Humboldt State
1966Hawaii
Basketball
1951–1952Humboldt State
Head coaching record
Overall131–75–11 (college football)
4–13 (college basketball)
TournamentsFootball
1–1 (NAIA playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
1 Washington Intercollegiate (1942)
5 FWC (1952, 1956, 1960–1961, 1963)
Awards
Football
NAIA Coach of the Year (1960)

Early years and college playing career

Born in Fairbanks, Alaska, Sarboe graduated from Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, and was a three-sport athlete in the Pacific Coast Conference at the State College of Washington—now known as Washington State University in Pullman. On a basketball scholarship, he also played shortstop in baseball and had his greatest success in football, most notably as a fullback. He played in the East–West Shrine Game in January 1934.[1] Although he had minor league offers in baseball, he chose to play professional football.

Professional playing career

Sarboe played three seasons in the National Football League, starting with Boston Redskins in 1934. Listed at 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) and 167 lb (76 kg), he was traded that season to the Chicago Cardinals, and finished his pro career in 1936 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He completed only 42.3 percent of his passes for just 1,133 yards, had a 4–26 career touchdown to interception ratio, and a career passer rating of 27.9.

Coaching career

Sarboe began his coaching career in 1937 in southeastern Washington at Clarkston High School,[2][3] then moved west to Aberdeen in 1939.[1] In 1941 and 1942, he coached football at Central Washington College of Education—now known as Central Washington University—in Ellensburg,[4] compiling a 6–6–3 record. The 1942 team was 4–1–1 in the Washington Intercollegiate Conference and won the conference title.[5]

The program was suspended after the 1942 season due to World War II, and Sarboe coached in Tacoma at Lincoln High School, his alma mater.[6] He had planned to return to Ellensburg to coach the high school team in 1945 and then return to Central Washington when it resumed football in 1946.[7]

Babe Hollingbery, the Cougars' head coach since 1926, was not brought back in 1945 and Sarboe was hired as head coach of the Cougars in late May,[6][8] the first alumnus to head the football program. In his first season in Pullman in 1945, Washington State posted a 6–2–1 record, but struggled afterward and Sarboe had a 17–26–3 (.402) record in five seasons.

Sarboe coached a season at North Central High School in Spokane in 1950,[1] then went to Humboldt State College[9] in Arcata, California, where he compiled a record of 104–37–5 (.729) in fifteen seasons. In 1966, he left to coach for a season at Hawaii and posted a 4–6 record. Sarboe then returned to northwest California and became a coach and athletic director at the College of the Redwoods, a junior college in Eureka, and retired in 1977.[10]

Death

Sarboe died of cancer in 1985, at age 74, in Spokane.[1]

Head coaching record

College football
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Central Washington Wildcats (Washington Intercollegiate Conference) (1941–1942)
1941 Central Washington 1–5–10–5–15th
1942 Central Washington 5–1–24–1–11st
Central Washington: 6–6–34–6–2
Washington State Cougars (Pacific Coast Conference) (1945–1949)
1945 Washington State 6–2–16–2–12nd
1946 Washington State 1–6–11–5–18th
1947 Washington State 3–72–5T–7th
1948 Washington State 4–5–14–3–14th
1949 Washington State 3–62–68th
Washington State: 17–26–315–21–3
Humboldt State Lumberjacks (Far Western Conference) (1951–1965)
1951 Humboldt State 4–3–12–13rd
1952 Humboldt State 7–13–01st
1953 Humboldt State 6–22–12nd
1954 Humboldt State 5–53–23rd
1955 Humboldt State 7–3–12–2–14th
1956 Humboldt State 9–24–1T–1st
1957 Humboldt State 4–63–23rd
1958 Humboldt State 7–2–13–2T–2nd
1959 Humboldt State 9–14–12nd
1960 Humboldt State 11–15–01stL NAIA Championship
1961 Humboldt State 8–24–1T–1st
1962 Humboldt State 7–23–22nd
1963 Humboldt State 6–1–23–1–1T–1st
1964 Humboldt State 8–24–12nd
1965 Humboldt State 6–42–34th
Humboldt State: 104–37–540–20–2
Hawaii Rainbows (Independent) (1966)
1966 Hawaii 4–6
Hawaii: 4–6
Total:131–75–11
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References
  1. "Coach Phil Sarboe dies". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. November 20, 1985. p. C2.
  2. "Bantams weakened for Pomeroy game". Lewiston Morning Tribune. October 1, 1937. p. 9.
  3. "Bantams sink Pirates, 19-0". Lewiston Morning Tribune. October 1, 1938. p. 9.
  4. "Sarboe inherits only 8 vets in first year here". September 20, 1941. p. 6.
  5. "Rangers defeat Eastern, take second place". Ellensburg Daily Record. November 16, 1942. p. 6.
  6. Johnson, Bob (May 28, 1945). "State College alumni bitter about "sacking" of Hollingbery". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 9.
  7. "Sarboe goes to W.S.C.; schools here seek coach". Ellensburg Daily Record. May 28, 1945. p. 6.
  8. "Sarboe takes over grid post". Spokesman-Review. (photo). May 30, 1945. p. 10.
  9. "Ex-Cougar coach mighty popular". Spokane Daily Chronicle. UPI. November 18, 1960. p. 13.
  10. "Athletic Hall of Fame". College of the Redwoods. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
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