Alpha Brumage

Alpha Brumage (March 16, 1880 – March 11, 1963) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball.

Alpha Brumage

Brumage pictured in The Bomb 1913, VMI yearbook
Biographical details
Born	(1880-03-16)March 16, 1880 Mitchell County, Kansas, U.S.
Died	March 11, 1963(1963-03-11) (aged 82) San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1901–1903	Kansas
Position(s)	Fullback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1904–1907	Ottawa (KS)
1908–1909	William Jewell
1910	Nebraska State Normal
1911–1912	VMI
1913–1914	Kentucky
Basketball
1908–1910	William Jewell
1911–1913	VMI
1913–1915	Kentucky
1915–?	Birmingham A. C.
Baseball
1909–1910	William Jewell
1914–1915	Kentucky
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1911–1913	VMI
Head coaching record
Overall	51–29–3 (football) 49–26 (basketball) 34–24–1 (baseball)

Early life and playing career

Brumage was a native of Beloit, Kansas and graduated from Beloit High School. He attended the University of Kansas, where he played college football from 1901 to 1903 as a fullback and captained the 1903 Kansas Jayhawks football team. Brumage also participated in track and field as Kansas, running the hurdles in 1902–03.^[1]

Coaching career

Ottawa (KS)

Brumage was the head football at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas for four seasons, from 1904 to 1907 compiling a record of 14–16–1.^[2] Brumage took over the team after a one-year hiatus because the school was attempting to purge professionalism from their college sports teams.

VMI

After coaching at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri and Nebraska State Normal School—now known as Peru State College—Brumage moved to Lexington, Virginia to become the tenth head football coach at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).^[3] He held that position for two seasons, from 1911 until 1912. His career coaching record at VMI was 13–2.

Kentucky

Brumage then went to Kentucky where he was football coach from 1913 to 1914, compiling an 11–5 record, and basketball coach from 1913 to 1915, compiling a 19–7 record.

Late life and death

In September 1915, Brumage was appointed as the physical director of the Birmingham Athletic Club in Birmingham, Alabama, and coached the basketball team.^[1] During World War I, Brumage attended officer's training school and was promoted to the rank of major in the United States Army. He served in France with the 322nd Field Artillery Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division.^[4]

Brumage retired to San Antonio in the early 1940s. He died there on March 11, 1963.^[5]

Head coaching record

Football

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Ottawa Braves (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) (1904–1907)
1904	Ottawa	3–5
1905	Ottawa	2–6–1
1906	Ottawa	5–2
1907	Ottawa	4–3
Ottawa:		14–16–1
William Jewell Baptists (Independent) (1908–1909)
1908	William Jewell	4–2
1909	William Jewell	7–2
William Jewell:		11–4
Nebraska State Normal (Independent) (1910)
1910	Nebraska State Normal	2–2–2
Nebraska State Normal:		2–2–2
VMI Keydets (Independent) (1911–1912)
1911	VMI	7–1
1912	VMI	6–1
VMI:		13–2
Kentucky Wildcats (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1913–1914)
1913	Kentucky	6–2	0–1
1914	Kentucky	5–3	1–1
Kentucky:		11–5	1–2
Total:		51–29–3

Basketball

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
William Jewell Baptists (Independent) (1908–1910)
1908–09	William Jewell	6–7
1909–10	William Jewell	10–3
William Jewell:		16–10
VMI Keydets (Independent) (1911–1913)
1911–12	VMI	6–5
1912–13	VMI	8–4
VMI:		14–9
Kentucky Wildcats (Independent) (1913–1915)
1913–14	Kentucky	12–2
1914–15	Kentucky	7–5
Kentucky:		19–7
Total:		49–26

^[6][7]