Frederick M. Irish

Frederick Mortimer "Cap" Irish (May 16, 1870 – April 12, 1941) was an American football coach, college athletics administrator, and science instructor. He served as the first head football coach at the Territorial Normal School, renamed Tempe Normal School in 1903 and now known as Arizona State University, coaching from 1897 to 1906 and compiling a record of 12–8. Territorial Normal did not field a football team in 1898 or 1901. Irish was also the first athletic director at Territorial/Tempe Normal, serving from 1896 to 1913. In addition, he taught science at the school. Irish Field one of the original homes of Arizona State Football was also named after the coach and administrator.^[1]

Frederick M. Irish

Biographical details
Born	(1870-05-16)May 16, 1870 Dubuque, Iowa, U.S.
Died	April 12, 1941(1941-04-12) (aged 70) Tempe, Arizona, U.S.
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1897–1906	Arizona/Tempe Normal
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1896–1913	Arizona/Tempe Normal
Head coaching record
Overall	12–8

Irish graduated from the University of Iowa in 1895 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He taught in his hometown of Dubuque, Iowa, before moving to Arizona.^[2]

Irish died at a hospital in Tempe, Arizona, on April 12, 1941.^[3][4] Irish Hall, a residence hall at Arizona State University, is named for him.^[5]

Head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Arizona Normal Normals / Normal School Owls / Tempe Normal Owls (Independent) (1897–1906)
1897	Arizona Normal	0–1
1898	No team
1899	Normal School of Arizona	3–0
1900	Normal School	1–1
1901	No team
1902	Tempe Normal	2–1
1903	Tempe Normal	2–0
1904	Tempe Normal	4–0
1905	Tempe Normal	0–3
1906	Tempe Normal	0–2
Tempe Normal:		12–8
Total:		12–8

References

1. Brad Denny (July 2, 2012). "100 Day Sun Devil Football Countdown To Kickoff, #59: The First Homes Of ASU Football". House of Sparky. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
2. Ickert-Bond, Stefanie M.; Pinkava, Donald J. "Vascular Plant Types In The Arizona State University Herbarium" (PDF). University of Alaska. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
3. "F. M. Irish, Veteran Tempe Educator, Dies". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. April 13, 1941. p. 2. Retrieved March 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
4. Eger, Bob (2001). Maroon & Gold: A History of Sun Devil Athletics. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 5. ISBN 1-58261-223-4. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
5. "ASU Tempe Campus Tour: Irish Hall". Arizona State University. Retrieved April 3, 2011.

External links

• Frederick M. Irish at Find a Grave