James Fred “Pop” McKale
“He was a great coach and a great man. He just didn’t take from players, he gave to them. Those of us who played for him have never forgotten the lessons he taught us.”
– Rollin T. Gridley, in They Fought Like Wildcats
James Fred McKale was catcher and captain of the Lansing (Michigan) High School team in 1905. He continued his education and sports career at Albion College where he majored in chemistry and history and was twice-named All-State Athlete in football and baseball. After a year teaching high school in Wisconsin, he headed West in search of desert sunshine. His teams’ stunning successes at Tucson High quickly drew community notice.
Arizona athletes and their supporters were tired of losing games to Tucson High. They lobbied President Wilde to steal the successful high school coach. In 1914, young James Fred McKale was appointed coach of all sports and Director of Athletics at the University of Arizona.
In his new position at UA, McKale oversaw the University’s five teams: football, baseball, basketball, tennis and track and field. The departmental budget started at $835 in 1915; his first annual salary was barely twice that amount. But in his first season at Arizona, McKale’s football team began to win – both attention and games.
“Pop” McKale was known for his salty personality, enduring sense of humor and love of practical jokes. Many of his players bore nicknames that stuck when he pinned them on: Orville McPherson became “Speedy,” Albert Crawford became “Bumps” and Mike Swick became “Balboa” when on a team trip to California, a railroad porter pointed out the Salton Sea and delighted him with the news of seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first time. But Pop’s student-athletes loved and respected him.
During his career, McKale made numerous contributions to college athletics, touching far beyond Arizona. He was active in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and a president of the American Association of College Baseball Coaches. Former University of Chicago coach J. Kyle Anderson called him a great friend of college baseball, and said that “It was work and devotion that has established college baseball on its high level today.”
