Marcelino Huerta
Encyclopedia
Marcelino Jesse "Chelo" Huerta, Jr. (October 31, 1924 – October 8, 1985) was an American college football
player and head coach
. Huerta played college football
for the University of Florida
, and he was later the head football coach of the University of Tampa
, the University of Wichita
(later known as Wichita State University) and Parsons College
.
in 1924. He was the son of Ybor City cigar workers. Huerta attended Hillsborough High School in Tampa, and was an offensive lineman for the Hillsborough Terriers high school football
team.
He joined the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II
, serving as a B-24 Liberator
bomber pilot and flying missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. When Huerta's aircraft was shot down over Yugoslavia
, he evaded capture by German military units, and with the assistance of Yugoslav partisans, he was able to safely return to his base.
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played guard
for coach Bear Wolf
's Florida Gators football
team from 1947 to 1949. He was a standout two-way lineman for the Gators during a time the players ironically dubbed the "Golden Era"—a stretch when the Gators never won more than five games in a season. Huerta graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree
in physical education
in 1949, and he was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1983.
of the Tampa Spartans football team and athletic director
of the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida
, from 1952 to 1961. He compiled a 67–33–2 overall record and a .662 winning average while coaching the Spartans. In 1961, he became the twenty-fifth head football coach for the University of Wichita and Wichita State University
located in Wichita, Kansas
and he held that position for three seasons, from 1962 until 1964 (the school changed its name from the Municipal University of Wichita to Wichita State University in 1964). His 1963 Shockers team finished 7–2 and were co-champions of the Missouri Valley Conference
. In three seasons at Wichita, he had overall coaching record at Wichita State was 14–15 (.483). Huerta accepted the head coaching job at Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa
, where he coached the Parsons Wildcats football team from 1965 to 1967. In three seasons as the Wildcats' coach, he compiled an overall win-loss record of 23–5 and a winning percentage of .821.
Huerta retired from college coaching after the 1967 season.
He was the founder of the "Football Players for Crippled Children" program, and was a member of the President's Council on Endowment for the Handicapped. Huerta received the Pop Warner Award for his work with young athletes. Huerta was well-known on the Florida Gators alumni speaking circuit for his quick wit and humor, and he was an active participant in the "Golden Era" football alumni group from the late 1940s.
Huerta and his wife Gloria had a son, Marcelino J. "Bubba" Huerta, III, and a daughter Susan. Bubba Huerta played baseball for the Florida Gators baseball
team and graduated from his father's alma mater
, the University of Florida. Huerta died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1985; he was 61 years old. He was survived by his wife and their son and daughter. Thousands of people attended his funeral at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa.
Huerta was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
as a coach in 2002. He was also a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. In commemoration of his service to the Tampa Bay community and its youth, the football field at his high school alma mater, Hillsborough High School, is named Marcelino "Chelo" Huerta Field in his honor in 1987.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
. Huerta played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and he was later the head football coach of the University of Tampa
University of Tampa
The University of Tampa , is a private, co-educational university in Downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 2006, the University celebrated its 75th anniversary...
, the University of Wichita
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
(later known as Wichita State University) and Parsons College
Parsons College
Parsons College was a private liberal arts college in Fairfield, Iowa. The school, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, was founded in 1875 and closed in 1973....
.
Early years
Huerta was born into a Cuban-American family in Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
in 1924. He was the son of Ybor City cigar workers. Huerta attended Hillsborough High School in Tampa, and was an offensive lineman for the Hillsborough Terriers high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
team.
He joined the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, serving as a B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bomber pilot and flying missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. When Huerta's aircraft was shot down over Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, he evaded capture by German military units, and with the assistance of Yugoslav partisans, he was able to safely return to his base.
College playing career
After being discharged from military service, Huerta attended the University of FloridaUniversity of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
for coach Bear Wolf
Raymond Wolf
Raymond Bernard "Bear" Wolf was an American football player and coach. Wolf was a native of Illinois and an alumnus of Texas Christian University, where he played college football and baseball...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team from 1947 to 1949. He was a standout two-way lineman for the Gators during a time the players ironically dubbed the "Golden Era"—a stretch when the Gators never won more than five games in a season. Huerta graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
in 1949, and he was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1983.
College coaching career
Huerta served as the head coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Tampa Spartans football team and athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
of the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, from 1952 to 1961. He compiled a 67–33–2 overall record and a .662 winning average while coaching the Spartans. In 1961, he became the twenty-fifth head football coach for the University of Wichita and Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
located in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
and he held that position for three seasons, from 1962 until 1964 (the school changed its name from the Municipal University of Wichita to Wichita State University in 1964). His 1963 Shockers team finished 7–2 and were co-champions of the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
. In three seasons at Wichita, he had overall coaching record at Wichita State was 14–15 (.483). Huerta accepted the head coaching job at Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa
Fairfield, Iowa
Fairfield is a city and the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,464 in the 2010 census, a decline from 9,509 in the 2000 census. - History :...
, where he coached the Parsons Wildcats football team from 1965 to 1967. In three seasons as the Wildcats' coach, he compiled an overall win-loss record of 23–5 and a winning percentage of .821.
Huerta retired from college coaching after the 1967 season.
Life after football
Huerta was a successful insurance agent for a year following his departure from the coaches ranks, but he didn't enjoy it. For the last sixteen years of his life, he was the head of the MacDonald Training Center, which assisted in the rehabilitation of handicapped children and young persons. In 1975, he testified before the U.S. Congress as an advocate for mentally and physically impaired children.He was the founder of the "Football Players for Crippled Children" program, and was a member of the President's Council on Endowment for the Handicapped. Huerta received the Pop Warner Award for his work with young athletes. Huerta was well-known on the Florida Gators alumni speaking circuit for his quick wit and humor, and he was an active participant in the "Golden Era" football alumni group from the late 1940s.
Huerta and his wife Gloria had a son, Marcelino J. "Bubba" Huerta, III, and a daughter Susan. Bubba Huerta played baseball for the Florida Gators baseball
Florida Gators baseball
The Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of baseball. The Florida Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association , and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . They play their home games in Alfred A...
team and graduated from his father's alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, the University of Florida. Huerta died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1985; he was 61 years old. He was survived by his wife and their son and daughter. Thousands of people attended his funeral at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa.
Huerta was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
as a coach in 2002. He was also a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. In commemoration of his service to the Tampa Bay community and its youth, the football field at his high school alma mater, Hillsborough High School, is named Marcelino "Chelo" Huerta Field in his honor in 1987.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1940–1949
- List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (coaches)
- List of University of Florida alumni
- Tampa Spartans
- Wichita State ShockersWichita State ShockersThe Shockers are the athletic teams at Wichita State University, who compete in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. Wichita State is well known for its fan support and its baseball program, which has the highest winning percentange of any college baseball team over the past 31 years...
External links
- MacDonaldCenter.org – Official website of the MacDonald Center, Inc.