# J. Wilder Tasker

Joshua Wilder Tasker (June 25, 1887 – March 14, 1974) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Connecticut Agricultural College—now known as the University of Connecticut—from 1921 to 1922, the College of William & Mary from 1923 to 1927, and Rutgers University from 1931 to 1937, compiling a career college football record of 67–52–11. Wilder was also the head basketball coach at Connecticut from 1921 to 1923 and William & Mary from 1923 to 1928, tallying a career college basketball mark of 66–49. In addition he served as the head baseball coach at Connecticut (1922–1923), William & Mary (1924–1928), and Rutgers (1932–1937), amassing a career college baseball record of 88–108–4.

## Coaching career

Tasker became athletic coach at Connecticut Agricultural College—now known as the University of Connecticut—in 1921. He resigned as coach at Connecticut in January 1923. Connecticut's athletic director, Roy J. Guyer, took over coaching of the Connecticut Aggies men's basketball team.
In March 1923, Tasker was hired at athletic director and coach at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

## Later life and death

After leaving from coaching, Tasker ran an insurance business in Orange, New Jersey. He retired in the 1960s and moved to Kilmarnock, Virginia, where he died at his home, on March 14, 1974.

## Head coaching record
### Football

| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing |
| Connecticut Aggies (Athletic League of New England State Colleges) (1921–1922) ||||||
| 1921 | Connecticut | 3–2–3 | 0–2 | |
| 1922 | Connecticut | 2–6–1 | 0–3 | |
| Connecticut: | Connecticut: | 5–8–4 | 0–5 | |
| William & Mary Indians (Independent) (1923–1926) ||||||
| 1923 | William & Mary | 7–3 | | |
| 1924 | William & Mary | 5–2–1 | | |
| 1925 | William & Mary | 7–4 | | |
| 1926 | William & Mary | 7–3 | | |
| William & Mary Indians (Virginia Conference) (1927) ||||||
| 1927 | William & Mary | 4–5–1 | 2–0–1 | 1st |
| William and Mary: | William and Mary: | 30–17–2 | 2–0–1 | |
| Rutgers Queensmen (Middle Three Conference) (1931–1937) ||||||
| 1931 | Rutgers | 4–3–1 | 1–1 | 2nd |
| 1932 | Rutgers | 6–3–1 | 2–0 | 1st |
| 1933 | Rutgers | 6–3–1 | 2–0 | 1st |
| 1934 | Rutgers | 5–3–1 | 2–0 | 1st |
| 1935 | Rutgers | 4–5 | 2–0 | 1st |
| 1936 | Rutgers | 1–6–1 | 0–1 | T–2nd |
| 1937 | Rutgers | 5–4 | 1–1 | 2nd |
| Rutgers: | Rutgers: | 31–27–5 | 10–3 | |
| Total: | Total: | 66–52–11 | | |
| National championship  Conference title  Conference division title or championship game berth ||||||

### Basketball

Statistics overview :
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing |
| Connecticut Aggies (Athletic League of New England State Colleges) (1921–1923) ||||||
| 1921–22 | Connecticut | 15–4 | 6–1 | |
| 1922–23 | Connecticut | 0–1 | 0–0 | |
| Connecticut: | Connecticut: | 15–5 | 6–1 | |
| William & Mary Indians (Virginia Conference) (1923–1928) ||||||
| 1923–24 | William & Mary | 8–16 | 3–8 | |
| 1924–25 | William & Mary | 13–6 | 7–2 | |
| 1925–26 | William & Mary | 8–9 | 3–3 | |
| 1926–27 | William & Mary | 7–8 | 4–4 | |
| 1927–28 | William & Mary | 15–5 | 9–0 | 1st |
| William & Mary: | William & Mary: | 51–44 | 26–17 | |
| Total: | Total: | 66–49 | | |
| 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 ||||||

### Baseball

The following table depicts Tasker's record as head baseball coach at Connecticut.
Statistics overview :
| Season | Team | Overall |
| Connecticut Aggies (1922–1923) ||||||
| 1922 | Connecticut | 8–9 |
| 1923 | Connecticut | 4–9 |
| Total: | Total: | 12–18 |