Dennis K. Stanley
Encyclopedia
Dennis Keith "Dutch" Stanley, Sr. (April 14, 1906 – May 29, 1983) was an American education professor
, university administrator and intercollegiate sports coach. Stanley was a native of England
, but graduated from high school
in Florida
. He was a standout college football
player for the University of Florida
football teams of the late 1920s, and later returned to his alma mater
as a professor and coach, and ultimately as the long-time dean
of the College of Health and Human Performance.
, Buckinghamshire
, England on Easter Sunday 1906, the youngest of seven children. The Stanley family emigrated
to Canada
when he was a child, first to Winnipeg, Manitoba, then to Fort William, Ontario
. When he was 12 years old, the family moved to Umatilla
and then Ocala, Florida
. He attended Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Florida
, where he was an all-state end and captain
of the Hillsborough Terriers high school football
and basketball
teams. His mother died when he was 17, but he worked nights at The Tampa Tribune office, and managed to graduate from high school in 1924. With the help of a civil engineer
, Henry Freeman, for whom he had been working on a surveying
crew, Stanley scraped together enough money to go to the University of Florida
, where Freeman was an alumnus
.
Stanley attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
from 1924 to 1929, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Fraternity
(Florida Upsilon chapter). Stanley played for the memorable Florida Gators football
teams of 1926, 1927 and 1928 under two of the Gators' early football legends, coaches Harold Sebring
and Charlie Bachman
, and was a senior
on Bachman's 8–1 team of 1928. He was a standout end for the Gators, and played on the opposite side of the line from All-American end Dale Van Sickel
. Stanley was also a javelin
and discus
thrower on the Gators track and field team. After graduating from the university with his bachelor's degree
in 1929, Stanley earned a master's degree
in physical education
at Pennsylvania State College
in State College, Pennsylvania
.
and Jacksonville, Florida
public high schools for two years before returning to the University of Florida in 1931 as an instructor and assistant football coach under Charlie Bachman. After a downturn in the win-loss records of Bachman's teams in 1931 and 1932, Bachman resigned and Stanley became the Gators' new head coach at the age of 26. Stanley led an all-Florida-alumni coaching staff from 1933 to 1935, and his three-year turn as the Gators' man-in-charge represented a brief resurgence for Florida football. During the first three years of the new Southeastern Conference
(SEC), Stanley posted a 14–13–2 record, including notable victories over the new SEC rival Auburn Tigers
, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
and Sewanee Tigers, as well as the out-of-conference Maryland Terrapins
, North Carolina Tar Heels
and South Carolina Gamecocks
. After a 3–7 record in 1935, however, he was replaced by new coach Josh Cody
, and the Gators would not have another winning football season until 1952.
Stanley also served as the first head coach of the Florida Gators men's tennis
team from 1932 to 1940, compiling a 54–12 record, as well as the head coach for the Florida Gators track and field team from 1934 to 1936. As measured by his winning percentage (.818), Stanley remains the winningest tennis coach in Gators history.
Stanley continued to serve as an assistant football coach under his successor until 1939. Stanley left the Florida football program in 1939 to be an assistant coach under Wallace Wade at Duke University
in Durham, North Carolina
, and was a part of Wade's successful Blue Devils football
teams in 1940 and 1941, including the squad that played in the January 1, 1942 Rose Bowl
.
In 1946, a member of the Florida Board of Control
requested that Stanley prepare a plan for the University of Florida's athletic program and a new college of physical education. The plan was approved, and, having been instrumental in advocating the consolidation of the new inter-disciplinary academic program and designing its curriculum, he was appointed as the dean
of the new college. The College of Physical Education, Health and Recreation, the nation's first college of its kind, evolved to become the College of Health and Human Performance
, and Stanley remained its dean from 1946 to 1970. During the mid-1950s, Stanley developed a smaller court version of tennis for older players which received national attention. After announcing his resignation as dean in January 1969, he continued to teach in the college until he retired in 1976. The college founded the D.K. Stanley Lecture series in 1986, to recognize Stanley's "many contributions to the professions of physical education, health education and recreation."
Stanley was also a well-known author in his field; his publications included the standard textbook
Physical Education Activities Handbook for Men and Women. He was a member of Florida Blue Key
and was recognized as a Distinguished Letter Winner in the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. Showing his lifelong love of football, Stanley served as the NCAA representative on the Gator Bowl
organizing committee for twenty-eight years.
Stanley died in Gainesville on May 29, 1983; he was 77 years old. He was survived by his wife, June Cowperthwaite Stanley, two children and three stepchildren.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, university administrator and intercollegiate sports coach. Stanley was a native of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but graduated from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He was a standout 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...
player 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...
football teams of the late 1920s, and later returned to his 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:...
as a professor and coach, and ultimately as the long-time dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the College of Health and Human Performance.
Early life and education
Dennis Stanley was born in AylesburyAylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England on Easter Sunday 1906, the youngest of seven children. The Stanley family emigrated
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
when he was a child, first to Winnipeg, Manitoba, then to Fort William, Ontario
Fort William, Ontario
Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Ever since then it has been the largest city in Northwestern...
. When he was 12 years old, the family moved to Umatilla
Umatilla, Florida
Umatilla is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. It was named after Umatilla, Oregon. The population was 2,214 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 2,502. Umatilla is known as the Gateway to the Ocala National Forest,...
and then Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
. He attended Hillsborough High School 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....
, where he was an all-state end and captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
of 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....
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
teams. His mother died when he was 17, but he worked nights at The Tampa Tribune office, and managed to graduate from high school in 1924. With the help of a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, Henry Freeman, for whom he had been working on a surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
crew, Stanley scraped together enough money to go to 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...
, where Freeman was an alumnus
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
.
Stanley attended the University of Florida 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...
from 1924 to 1929, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
Fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
(Florida Upsilon chapter). Stanley played for the memorable 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...
teams of 1926, 1927 and 1928 under two of the Gators' early football legends, coaches Harold Sebring
Harold Sebring
Harold Leon "Tom" Sebring was a Florida Supreme Court justice, and an American judge at the Nuremberg Trials of German war criminals after World War II. Sebring was a native of Kansas and an alumnus of Kansas State Agricultural College...
and Charlie Bachman
Charlie Bachman
Charles William "Charlie" Bachman, Jr. was an American college football player and head coach. Bachman was an Illinois native and an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, where he played college football...
, and was a senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
on Bachman's 8–1 team of 1928. He was a standout end for the Gators, and played on the opposite side of the line from All-American end Dale Van Sickel
Dale Van Sickel
Dale Harris Van Sickel was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years...
. Stanley was also a javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
and discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
thrower on the Gators track and field team. After graduating from the university with his 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 1929, Stanley earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
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....
at Pennsylvania State College
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in State College, Pennsylvania
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
.
Academic and coaching career
Stanley taught and coached in Daytona BeachDaytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
and Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
public high schools for two years before returning to the University of Florida in 1931 as an instructor and assistant football coach under Charlie Bachman. After a downturn in the win-loss records of Bachman's teams in 1931 and 1932, Bachman resigned and Stanley became the Gators' new head coach at the age of 26. Stanley led an all-Florida-alumni coaching staff from 1933 to 1935, and his three-year turn as the Gators' man-in-charge represented a brief resurgence for Florida football. During the first three years of the new Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC), Stanley posted a 14–13–2 record, including notable victories over the new SEC rival Auburn Tigers
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and Sewanee Tigers, as well as the out-of-conference Maryland Terrapins
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina Tar Heels football
The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
and South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...
. After a 3–7 record in 1935, however, he was replaced by new coach Josh Cody
Josh Cody
Joshua C. Cody was an American college athlete, head coach and athletics director. Cody was a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of Vanderbilt University, where he was a three-time All-American college football player...
, and the Gators would not have another winning football season until 1952.
Stanley also served as the first head coach of the Florida Gators men's tennis
Florida Gators men's tennis
The Florida Gators men's tennis team represents the University of Florida in the sport of tennis. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Southeastern Conference . The team hosts its home matches in Linder Stadium on the university's Gainesville,...
team from 1932 to 1940, compiling a 54–12 record, as well as the head coach for the Florida Gators track and field team from 1934 to 1936. As measured by his winning percentage (.818), Stanley remains the winningest tennis coach in Gators history.
Stanley continued to serve as an assistant football coach under his successor until 1939. Stanley left the Florida football program in 1939 to be an assistant coach under Wallace Wade at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, and was a part of Wade's successful Blue Devils football
Duke Blue Devils football
The Duke Blue Devils football program is a college football team that represents Duke University . The team is currently a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference , which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Blue Devils compete in the Coastal...
teams in 1940 and 1941, including the squad that played in the January 1, 1942 Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
.
In 1946, a member of the Florida Board of Control
Florida Board of Control
The Florida Board of Control was the statewide governing body for the State University System of Florida, which included all public universities in the state of Florida. It was replaced by the Florida Board of Regents in 1965.- History :...
requested that Stanley prepare a plan for the University of Florida's athletic program and a new college of physical education. The plan was approved, and, having been instrumental in advocating the consolidation of the new inter-disciplinary academic program and designing its curriculum, he was appointed as the dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the new college. The College of Physical Education, Health and Recreation, the nation's first college of its kind, evolved to become the College of Health and Human Performance
University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance
The University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance is a college at the University of Florida. The college has three departments, and four research centers. The college is unique in that the majors that are offered are inter-disciplinary in nature...
, and Stanley remained its dean from 1946 to 1970. During the mid-1950s, Stanley developed a smaller court version of tennis for older players which received national attention. After announcing his resignation as dean in January 1969, he continued to teach in the college until he retired in 1976. The college founded the D.K. Stanley Lecture series in 1986, to recognize Stanley's "many contributions to the professions of physical education, health education and recreation."
Stanley was also a well-known author in his field; his publications included the standard textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
Physical Education Activities Handbook for Men and Women. He was a member of Florida Blue Key
Florida Blue Key
Florida Blue Key is a student honor and service society at the University of Florida. It is often written and referred to by the initialism "FBK."This organization was started at the University of Florida in 1923 under the presidency of Albert Murphree...
and was recognized as a Distinguished Letter Winner in the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame. Showing his lifelong love of football, Stanley served as the NCAA representative on the Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
organizing committee for twenty-eight years.
Stanley died in Gainesville on May 29, 1983; he was 77 years old. He was survived by his wife, June Cowperthwaite Stanley, two children and three stepchildren.
Football
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, 1920–1929
- Florida Gators football, 1930–1939
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- List of Florida Gators head football coaches
- List of Sigma Alpha Epsilon members
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida faculty and administrators
- University Athletic AssociationUniversity of Florida Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...