H. Lee Prather

Henry Lee Prather
Sport(s) Football, basketball
Biographical details
Born (1886-10-10)October 10, 1886
near Odessa, Missouri, USA
Died September 23, 1964(1964-09-23) (aged 77)
Newellton, Tensas Parish, Louisiana
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1912 Southwestern Louisiana
1913–1933 Louisiana State Normal
Basketball
19121950 Louisiana State Normal / Northwestern State
Head coaching record
Overall 825514 (football)
473169 (basketball)

Henry Lee Prather (October 10, 1886 September 23, 1964) was an American football and basketball coach. He served as the head football coach at the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute for one season in 1912, compiling a record of 34. He is best known, however, for his tenures as the head football and men's basketball coach at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Prather coached the Demons' football team between 1913 and 1917, and again from 1919 through 1933. The 1918 season was canceled because of World War I. In 20 seasons as coach at NSU, Prather compiled an overall record of 795114. Including his one season at SLII, his overall football record was 825514.

As the head basketball coach at NSU, Prather's tenure was very interrupted. He was the on-again, off-again coach seven different times. Basketball had not quite become as established as a sport as football in the United States, so he alternated many of the years with having no program at all. In his 35 total years as the school's coach, Prather accumulated an overall record of 473169. He stepped down in 1950 to become Northwestern State University's president in 1951. He is still the all-time leader in victories for men's basketball by more than 300 wins to the second-closest coach, Red Thomas, who compiled 138 between 1950 and 1957.

Northwestern State's basketball arena, Prather Coliseum, is named in his honor.

Head coaching record

Basketball

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Northwestern State Demons (Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1912–1948)
1912–13 Northwestern State 30
1913–14 Northwestern State Records unavailable
1914–15 Northwestern State 52
1915–16 Northwestern State 31
1916–17 Northwestern State 141
1917–18 No teamWorld War I
1918–19 Northwestern State 101
1919–20 Northwestern State Records unavailable
1920–21 Northwestern State 103
1921–22 Northwestern State 105 1st
1922–23 Northwestern State 87
1923–24 Northwestern State Records unavailable
1924–25 Northwestern State 105
1925–26 Northwestern State 131
1926–27 Northwestern State 202
1927–28 Northwestern State 112
1928–29 Northwestern State 166
1929–30 Northwestern State 811
1930–31 Northwestern State 176
1931–32 Northwestern State 151
1932–33 Northwestern State 127
1933–34 Northwestern State 1210
1934–35 Northwestern State 86
1935–36 Northwestern State 126
1936–37 Northwestern State 157
1937–38 Northwestern State Records unavailable
1938–39 Northwestern State 164
1939–40 Northwestern State 192 1st
1940–41 Northwestern State 172
1941–42 Northwestern State 511
1942–43 Northwestern State 1311
1943–44 No teamWorld War II
1944–45 No teamWorld War II
1945–46 Northwestern State 189
1946–47 Northwestern State 155
1947–48 Northwestern State 196
Northwestern State Demons (Gulf States Conference) (1948–1950)
1948–49 Northwestern State 235 1st NAIA Semifinals
1949–50 Northwestern State 188
Total: 473169

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs (Independent) (1912)
1912 Southwestern Louisiana 34
Southwestern Louisiana: 34
Northwestern State Demons (Independent) (1913–1933)
1913 Northwestern State 113
1914 Northwestern State 411
1915 Northwestern State 42
1916 Northwestern State 02
1917 Northwestern State 11
1918 No teamWorld War I
1919 Northwestern State 31
1920 Northwestern State 511
1921 Northwestern State 331
1922 Northwestern State 331
1923 Northwestern State 36
1924 Northwestern State 421
1925 Northwestern State 531
1926 Northwestern State 351
1927 Northwestern State 321
1928 Northwestern State 54
1929 Northwestern State 423
1930 Northwestern State 72
1931 Northwestern State 54
1932 Northwestern State 71
1933 Northwestern State 63
Northwestern State: 795114
Total: 825514

References

    External links

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