Hall of Fame
Jack Massey, Class of 1917, played on three of Coe's finest football teams and was an unquestioned star on the running track. Yet the memory that many of his contemporaries have of this fine athlete revolves around only two plays in a single football game. Stories have been told and retold of the 1915 Coe-Cornell game as Coach Moray Eby held Massey out of the game until only 8 minutes remained and Coe trailed 10-0. On his first play Massey gathered in a pass and romped for a long touchdown. On the next series Massey blocked a Cornell punt and a teammate grabbed the ball and scored, giving Coe a 13-10 surprise victory. Jack Massey was a tall, rangy end whose defensive play was spectacularly dependable. Coach Eby reminiscing a decade later about his 1914 Point-aMinute team said, "Bailey and Massey were leading lights on the eleven that year." His speed was noteworthy on both gridiron and track. Captain of the track team as a senior, he was a hurdler and a relay man. In 1915 he won the Iowa Conference high hurdles and was a member of the mile and halfmile relay teams that set Coe and Drake Relay records. After graduation Jack Massey maintained his interest in Coe athletics. He was in sales work and on his trips around Iowa, he always kept his eyes open for promising young athletes. Many of these fine men came to Coe at Jack Massey's urging. For some time Jack Massey's track medals have been on display in the Coe gymnasium. Now athletes of a new generation will be able to see not only these medals, but they can read these words about him as we present his name for induction posthumously into the Coe College Athletic Hall of Fame. October 17, 1975
