John Chalmers John George Chalmers ( August 17 , 1874 – June 8 , 1962 ) was an American football , basketball , and baseball coach . He served as the head football coach at Franklin & Marshall College ( 1902 ) , the University of Iowa ( 1903 – 1905 ) , Columbia College in Dubuque , Iowa , now known as Loras College , ( 1907 – 1914 ) , and the University of Dubuque ( 1914 – 1924 ) , compiling a career college football record of 100 – 47 – 8 . Chalmers was also the head men ' s basketball coach at Iowa for one season ( 1904 – 1905 ) , tallying a mark of 6 – 8 , and the baseball coach at Iowa for two seasons ( 1904 – 1905 ) and at Columbia College from 1915 to 1921 . Background . Born in New York , Chalmers was one of the most successful athletes in Lafayette College history . He graduated in 1902 . In 1901 , his coaching career began at Dubuque High School in Dubuque , Iowa . He led the D . H . S . football team to the state title in the championship game against West Des Monies High School ; the final score read 12 – 0 in favor of D . H . S . Chalmers then served as athletic director at Franklin & Marshall College for a year before being hired to replace Alden Knipe as head football coach at the University of Iowa in 1903 . Coaching career . Franklin & Marshall . Chalmers was the head college football coach for the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats located in Lancaster , Pennsylvania . He held that position for the 1902 season . His coaching record at Franklin & Marshall was 7 wins and 2 losses . As of the conclusion of the 2010 season , this ranks him # 16 at Franklin & Marshall in total wins and # 4 at the school in winning percentage ( ) . He was hired from Lafayette College to replace John C . Hedges who had resigned the previous year . Iowa . Iowa had a 9 – 2 record in 1903 under Chalmers . Those nine wins were a school record that stood for 82 years . The record was tied in 1956 and 1983 , but it was not until 1985 that an Iowa team surpassed Chalmers ' nine wins in 1903 . The highlight of the 1903 season was a home victory over Illinois . The Hawkeyes had not yet won a home game against a Western Conference opponent , and Illinois had humiliated the Hawkeyes 80 - 0 in 1902 . But the Hawkeyes pulled out a 12 – 0 victory in 1903 , Iowa ' s first conference victory since 1900 . Iowa had a 7 – 4 record in 1904 and an 8 – 2 record in 1905 . The 1905 team was led by captain Earle McGowan , one of the most prolific scorers in Hawkeye history . He scored 114 points in 1905 , and the 1905 Hawkeyes shut out seven of their ten opponents . But losses to Minnesota and Chicago kept Iowa in the cellar in the Western Conference . Chalmers served as Iowa ' s basketball coach during the 1904 – 1905 season , coaching the team to a 6 – 8 record . He also coached baseball at Iowa for two years in 1904 and 1905 . Chalmers wanted to leave the university after the 1905 football season and begin his law practice in Dubuque . However , school officials convinced him to stay for one more year . Mark Catlin from the University of Chicago , the heir apparent to Chalmers as head coach , was hired that season to assist Chalmers . Although Catlin was actually an assistant coach , many Iowa records consider Catlin , not Chalmers , the official coach of the 1906 Hawkeyes . TheWestern Conference meetings of 1905 led to two significant rule changes . Conference members were not allowed to play more than five games per season . Also , freshmen were now ineligible , and players were allowed a maximum of three years of eligibility . These rule changes were made in response to growing criticism over player injuries and deaths during games at that time . These changes greatly hampered play in 1906 . Conference players who were to be seniors were all ruled ineligible , because they had already played three years of competition . Players who were to be freshmen also sat out . Only players who were to be sophomores and juniors were allowed to play . Iowa finished with a 2 – 3 record in 1906 . Coaches Chalmers and Catlin worked well together but had contrasting coaching styles . Chalmers learned the eastern style of play at Lafayette , coaching players as individuals and devising conservative schemes to maximize their talents . Catlin learned the western style of play from Amos Alonzo Stagg at Chicago , coaching schemes rather than players and advocating an open , aggressive style . Chalmers left Iowa with a record of 24 – 8 over three years . Official records indicate that he has the highest winning percentage of any Hawkeye coach that coached more than one year . However , Iowa won just one Western Conference game with Chalmers , the 1903 victory over Illinois . Columbia and Dubuque . Chalmers left Iowa for Dubuque in 1907 . He set up his law practice , and he also became the first ever football coach at Columbia College . He coached Columbia from 1907 to 1914 , compiling a 28 – 16 – 4 record . His 28 wins for official Columbia football squads has only been surpassed by current Loras coach Bob Bierie . Chalmers , who considered coaching to be an enjoyable hobby , then became the first football coach in the history of the University of Dubuque . He coached football at that school from 1914 – 1924 and was also their first baseball coach from 1915 – 1921 . The University of Dubuque has named their football field " Chalmers Field " in honor of him . In 1992 , Chalmers was inducted into the University of Dubuque Athletic Hall of Fame . Chalmers was a prominent lawyer and later a judge in Dubuque for 56 years .