American football player and coach (1929–2014)
Milbourne King Block, Sr. -- known as King Block (April 11, 1929 – October 6, 2014)[1] —was an American college football player and coach. He was the head coach at Arkansas State College (now ASU) from 1960 to 1962 and amassed a 13–14 record.[2]
Early years
Born in Superior, Nebraska ,[3] Block earned 12 athletic letters at Twin Falls High School in south central Idaho ,[4] and graduated in 1947. He played college football at the University of Idaho in Moscow , where he was a fullback under head coach Dixie Howell .[5] Block played on the varsity from 1948 to 1950, and was named to the All-Coast football team.[1] He was selected in the 21st round of the 1951 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions .[6] At Idaho, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity ,[7] and graduated with a degree in education.[8]
Coaching career
After a coaching stint at Grangeville High School in north central Idaho,[9] Block joined the Arkansas State coaching staff as the backfield assistant in 1955, under head coach Gene Harlow , who had been the guards coach at Idaho while Block was in college.[9] Block was promoted to head coach in February 1960 and compiled a 13–14 record in three seasons.[2] [10] His offense was described as primarily reliant upon "the running of the fullback and quarterback ."[11]
He resigned after the 1962 season to become the defensive line coach at Nebraska under head coach Bob Devaney .[3] Arkansas State replaced Block with defensive backs coach Bennie Ellender .[12] After one season in Lincoln , Block joined the staff of new head coach Bert Clark at Washington State in 1964 and remained in Pullman through 1967 .[1] [13] He later served as an assistant at Iowa State until 1972.[14] Aside from coaching football, Block also competed in rodeo events and bred quarterhorses ,[15] which he later parlayed into "King Blocks Korral," one of the largest western stores in Iowa.
Death
After a lengthy illness, Block died in 2014 at age 85 in Ozark, Missouri ; his remains were cremated.[4]
Head coaching record
References
^ a b c "Ex-Idaho ace joins Clark at Pullman" . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). January 21, 1964. p. 11.
^ a b King Block Records by Year Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine , College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved August 21, 2010.
^ a b Rombach, Jerry (August 13, 1963). "Sport Scope" . Southeast Missourian . (Cape Girardeau). p. 5.
^ a b "M. King Block April 11, 1929 — Oct. 6, 2014" . Ames Tribune . (Iowa). (obituary). October 23, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2016 .
^ "Florence State host to tough Arkansas tonight" . Florence Times . (Alabama). October 1, 1960. p. 1.
^ "1951 NFL Player Draft" . www.databasefootball.com . Archived from the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2017 .
^ "Sigma Alpha Epsilon" . Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1951. p. 201.
^ "Seniors" . Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1951. p. 284.
^ a b Boni, Bill (January 30, 1957). "Art Smith puts a lot of faces in places" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). p. 18.
^ Arkansas St. Promotes Aide , The New York Times , February 3, 1960.
^ "Lions go through offensive practice" . Florence Times . (Alabama). September 28, 1960. p. 5, section 2.
^ Stout, Harold (May 23, 1971). "Tulane coach To speak" . Florence Times . (Alabama). p. 25.
^ "Assistant Football Coaches, All-Time", History & Awards Archived 2012-11-12 at the Wayback Machine (PDF), 2007 Washington State Football Media Guide , p. 171, 2007.
^ "Iowa State seeks new grid coach" . Deseret News . (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. January 2, 1973. p. 7B.
^ The Dutch Rub , Tri City Herald , April 28, 1964.
External links
Gem of the Mountains - 1950 - University of Idaho yearbook - 1949 football season - King Block - p. 217