Joel Eaves

Joel Harry Eaves (June 3, 1914 – July 18, 1991) was an American college football and basketball player, coach, and athletic director. He is perhaps most known for coaching basketball at his alma mater, the Auburn Tigers of Auburn University.^[1] He was also once athletic director for the Georgia Bulldogs. Eaves was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.^[2]

Joel Eaves

Eaves in the 1951 Glomerata
Biographical details
Born	(1914-06-03)June 3, 1914 Copperhill, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	July 18, 1991(1991-07-18) (aged 77) Athens, Georgia, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1934–1936	Auburn
Basketball
1934–1937	Auburn
Position(s)	End (football) Guard (basketball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1957	Auburn (assistant)
Basketball
1937	Sewanee (assistant)
1938–1941	Sewanee
1949–1963	Auburn
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1963–1979	Georgia
Head coaching record
Overall	217–143
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Basketball SEC regular season (1960)
Awards
Football All-SEC (1936) Basketball SEC Coach of the Year (1960) Alabama Sports Hall of Fame

Early years

Eaves was born on the Georgia state line in Copperhill, Tennessee.^[3][4] He grew up in Atlanta and attended Tech High School.^[5]

Playing career

Eaves played on the Auburn Tigers basketball, football, and baseball teams

Basketball

Eaves was captain of the basketball team his senior year, an all-around guard.^[6] He stood 6 feet 3 inches and weighed 190 pounds. The head coach of the basketball team was Ralph "Shug" Jordan.

Football

On coach Jack Meagher's football team, Eaves was an end, selected All-SEC by the Associated Press in 1936.^[7] He was drafted in the eighth round of the 1937 NFL draft by the Boston Redskins but never played in the National Football League (NFL).^[8]

Baseball

He pitched on the baseball team.

Coaching career

Sewanee

Before coaching at Auburn, he coached the Sewanee Tigers basketball team.^[9]

Auburn

Eaves coached the Auburn men's basketball program from 1949 to 1963. He guided Auburn to its first SEC championship in 1960, and was named SEC Coach of the Year that season. Eaves made famous the shuffle offense while at Auburn.^[10] After 14 seasons at Auburn, Eaves finished with a record of 213–100 (.681).

Eaves also assisted with the football team while at Auburn, helping with the freshmen ends for two years before coaching varsity defensive ends, contributing to Auburn's 1957 national championship.^[11]

Joel Eaves was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.^[10] Auburn's Memorial Coliseum was renamed after Eaves to Joel H. Eaves Memorial Coliseum in 1987, and later to Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum in 1993.^[12]

Administrative career

Eaves was the athletic director for the Georgia Bulldogs from 1963 to 1979. He hired Vince Dooley as football coach.^[4]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Sewanee (Southeastern Conference) (1938–1940)
1938–39	Sewanee	1–16	0–13	13th
1939–40	Sewanee	2–13	0–9	13th
Sewanee (Independent) (1940–1941)
1940–41	Sewanee	1–14
Sewanee:		4–43 (.085)	0–22 (.000)
Auburn (Southeastern Conference) (1949–1963)
1949–50	Auburn	17–7	12–6	3rd
1950–51	Auburn	12–10	6–8	5th
1951–52	Auburn	14–12	6–8	9th
1952–53	Auburn	13–8	6–7	5th
1953–54	Auburn	16–8	8–6	5th
1954–55	Auburn	11–9	6–8	8th
1955–56	Auburn	11–10	8–6	4th
1956–57	Auburn	13–8	8–6	6th
1957–58	Auburn	16–6	11–3	2nd
1958–59	Auburn	20–2	12–2	2nd
1959–60	Auburn	19–3	12–2	1st
1960–61	Auburn	15–7	8–6	5th
1961–62	Auburn	18–6	11–3	3rd
1962–63	Auburn	18–4	10–4	2nd
Auburn:		213–100 (.681)	124–75 (.623)
Total:		217–143 (.603)
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