Ernest Alley
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 4, 1904 Tracy City, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | August 24, 1971 (aged 67) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1926 | Tennessee Wesleyan |
| 1927–1928 | Tennessee |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1929 | Tennessee (assistant) |
| 1930 | Itta Bena HS (MS) |
| c. 1932 | Philadelphia HS (MS) |
| 1933–1936 | Canton HS (MS) |
| 1937–1938 | Greenville HS (MS) |
| 1939 | Middle Tennessee State Teachers |
| 1940 | Vanderbilt (ends) |
| 1943 | Vanderbilt |
| 1944–1945 | Auburn (assistant) |
| Baseball | |
| 19340 | Middle Tennessee State Teachers |
| Track | |
| 1949–1971 | Vanderbilt |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 6–6–1 (college football) 77–17–6 (high school football) |
Ernest Hayes "Herc" Alley (June 4, 1904 – August 24, 1971)[1] was an American college football player, track athlete, and coach. He served as head men's track coach at Vanderbilt University from 1949 to 1971.[2][3] Alley was also the head football coach at Middle Tennessee State Teachers College—now known as Middle Tennessee State University—in 1939 and at Vanderbilt in 1943, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 6–6–1.[4]
A native of Tracy City, Tennessee, Alley attended the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After graduating from Baylor, he went to Tennessee Wesleyan College—now known as Tennessee Wesleyan University—when it operated as a junior college. He captained the football team at Tennessee Wesleyan before moving on to the University of Tennessee, where he played football as an end from 1927 to 1928. Alley remained at Tennessee in the fall of 1929 as an assistant coach before being hired as the head coach at Itta Bena High school in Itta Bena, Mississippi.[5] He also coached in Philadelphia, Mississippi before a four-year stint coaching at Canton High School in Canton, Mississippi. In 1937, he was appointed head football coach at Greenville High School in Greenville, Mississippi.[6] In nine years of coaching high school football in Mississippi, Alley led his teams to a combined record of 77–17–6. He also earned a master's degree in physical education from Louisiana State University (LSU) before succeeding Johnny Floyd as coach at Middle Tennessee State Teachers in 1939.[7]
Alley died of cancer, on August 24, 1971, at his home in Nashville, Tennessee.[8][9][10]
Head coaching record
College football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Tennessee State Teachers Blue Raiders (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1939) | |||||||||
| 1939 | Middle Tennessee State Teachers | 1–6–1 | 1–5–1 | T–26th | |||||
| Middle Tennessee State Teachers: | 1–6–1 | 1–5–1 | |||||||
| Vanderbilt Commodores (Southeastern Conference) (1943) | |||||||||
| 1943 | Vanderbilt | 5–0 | 0–0 | ||||||
| Vanderbilt: | 5–0 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Total: | 6–6–1 | ||||||||
References
- ^ "Ernest Alley". Fold3. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- ^ "S.Hrg. 116-526 — Compensating College Athletes: Examining The Potential Impact On Athletes And Institutions". Congress.gov. September 15, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ Moore, Gay Morgan (2012). Chattanooga's St. Elmo. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738594330. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ "Herc Alley – A Vanderbilt Coaching Legend". Vanderbilt Commodores Athletics. March 28, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ "Alley To Coach In Mississippi". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. The Daily News Journal. December 26, 1929. p. 12. Retrieved February 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Alley Is Named New Grid Coach In Mississippi". The Knoxville Journal. The Daily News Journal. April 15, 1937. p. 14. Retrieved February 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "E. H. Alley, New "Raiders" Coach, Arrives". The Daily News Journal. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. August 3, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved February 13, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Herc Alley Dies at 67". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. August 25, 1971. p. 37. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ ""Herc" Allen Dies". The Times-News. United Press International. August 24, 1971. Retrieved December 27, 2011 – via Google News.
- ^ "Track Coach Dies". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. August 25, 1971. Retrieved December 27, 2011 – via Google News.
