Adolph Walter Samborski (February 10, 1904 – December 8, 1977) was an American coach and administrator who served as athletic director and head baseball coach at Harvard University.
Biographical details | |
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Born | (1904-02-10)February 10, 1904 Westfield, Massachusetts |
Died | December 8, 1977(1977-12-08) (aged 73) York, Maine |
Playing career | |
Basketball | |
1921–1925 | Harvard |
Baseball | |
1922–1925 | Harvard |
Football | |
1923 | Harvard |
Position(s) | Guard (basketball) Catcher (baseball) Fullback (football) |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Baseball | |
1934–1946 | Harvard (JV) |
1947–1948 | Harvard |
Basketball | |
1925–1928 | Harvard (freshmen) |
1933–1934 | Harvard (freshmen) |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
1927–1961 | Harvard (dir. of intramural sports) |
1961–1963 | Harvard (assistant AD) |
1963–1964 | Harvard (associate AD) |
1964–1970 | Harvard |
1971–1974 | Yankee Conference (commissioner) |
Samborski attended Harvard after graduating from Westfield High School. He was captain of the freshman basketball team and the starting catcher on the freshman baseball team. He became a starting guard on the varsity basketball team his sophomore season and became the team captain as a junior. He was the backup varsity catcher his sophomore before taking over the starting job his junior year. He was also a fullback on the 1923 Harvard Crimson football team.[1]
Samborski graduated from Harvard College in 1925 and remained with the Crimson as freshman basketball coach while he earned master's degrees in education and European history.[2][3] He also coached the Crimson's junior varsity baseball team and was the varsity baseball coach in 1947 and 1948.[4][5] He gave up coaching in 1948 to focus on his job as director of intramural sports.[6]
In 1927 Samborski presented Harvard with a plan for organized intramural sports. The plan was approved and he was named director of intramural sports.[7] In 1961, Samborski became Harvard's assistant athletic director.[3] In 1963 he was promoted to associate athletic director and took over as acting athletic director when Tom Bolles retired on August 31, 1963.[8] On March 10, 1964, he was given the job permanently.[9] He retired in August 1970. From 1971 to 1974 he was the commissioner of the Yankee Conference.[10][11] He died on December 8, 1977, in York, Maine after a long illness.[11]
Harvard Crimson head baseball coaches | |
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Harvard Crimson athletic directors | |
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Yankee Conference commissioners | |
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# denotes interim commissioner |