Andy Smith (American football)

Andrew Latham "Andy" Smith (September 10, 1883 – January 8, 1926) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Pennsylvania (1909–1912), Purdue University (1913–1915), and the University of California, Berkeley (1916–1925), compiling a career college football record of 116–32–13. As head coach of the California Golden Bears football program, Smith guided his "Wonder Teams" to a record of 74–16–7, captured five Pacific Coast Conference titles, and claimed three national championships. Smith was the winningest football coach in school history until he was surpassed by Jeff Tedford in 2011. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1951.

Coaching career
Smith's philosophy of clean living and good sportsmanship carried him through some of the great early college football programs. During an incredible five-season span from 1920 to 1924, the Golden Bears went undefeated, running up a record of 44–0–2. Although during this period there were no college football polls, during the Roaring Twenties, Smith's "Wonder Teams" were considered to rival Knute Rockne and Notre Dame in terms of success, though these two top teams never met on the field.

The 1920 Cal team might have been one of the best college football teams ever. They went unbeaten and untied for the season with 9 victories, outscored their opponents by 510 points to 14, and capped off the season by defeating Ohio State in the Tournament of Roses East-West Game (now known as the Rose Bowl) 28–0. In a retroactive research poll, the Helms Athletic Foundation determined this team to be national champions that year, a conclusion recognized by the NCAA. Cal finished undefeated the following year and was again invited to play in the Rose Bowl, which ended in the only scoreless tie in the history of the game. The Bears turned down invitations from the Tournament of Roses in 1922 and 1923, unhappy that their 1921 opponents, the Washington and Jefferson Presidents, were much older than most college players and not subject to the same eligibility requirements. Cal scheduled its own bowl game on January 1, 1925, defeating Pennsylvania at California Memorial Stadium.

Smith's all-time college coaching record was 116 victories, and 32 defeats for a .761 winning percentage.

Smith died of pneumonia soon after the completion of the 1925 season. His memorial service was held at the gates of Memorial Stadium and in accordance with his wishes, his ashes were scattered over the field. In 1927, the Andy Smith bench in Memorial Stadium was dedicated in his honor. Because of the success of his "Wonder Teams," the Cal football program sold enough season tickets to pay for a new California Memorial Stadium in its entirety. Memorial Stadium is still known today as "The House that Andy built." He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.

Quotes
"We do not want men who will lie down bravely to die, but men who will fight valiantly to live." "Winning is not everything; it is far better to play the game squarely and lose than to win at the sacrifice of an ideal."