Jess C. Neely (January 4, 1898 - April 9, 1983) was a Hall of Fame college football coach at Clemson and Rice University.

He played college football at Vanderbilt 1920-22. Three players from those teams, coached by Daniel Earle McGugin, were inducted as coaches into the College Football Hall of Fame: Neely, Red Sanders, and William Wallace Wade.

His football coaching career began at Rhodes College (then Southwestern), where he complied an 18-15-2 record from 1924-1927. He was an assistant at Alabama 1928-1930 and was also head baseball coach 1929-1930, with a 28-15-2 record.

From 1931 to 1939, he coached at Clemson, and compiled a 43-35-7 record. From 1940 to 1966, he coached at Rice, and compiled a 144-124-10 record. This makes him by far the winningest coach in Rice history.

Neely won the first 4 bowl games he coached: 1940 Cotton Bowl (with Clemson), 1946 Orange Bowl, 1949 and 1953 Cotton Bowls (with Rice). With Rice he lost the last 3 bowl games he coached: 1957 Cotton Bowl, 1960 Sugar Bowl, and 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl.

After the 1966 season, he returned to Vanderbilt as athletic director. In 1967, he received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award. In 1999, he was ranked number 39 in Sports Illustrated's list of 50 Greatest Tennessee Sports Figures of the 20th Century.

Preceded by Josh Cody	Clemson Tigers Head Football Coach 1931–1939	Succeeded by Frank Howard
Preceded by James Kitts	Rice Owls Head Football Coach 1940–1966	Succeeded by Bo Hagan

[edit] External links

• Rice site
• Clemson site
• College Football Hall of Fame site
• Year-by-year history at Rice authored by Froggy Williams

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