King Block (American football)

Milbourne King Block, Sr. -- known as King Block (April 11, 1929 – October 6, 2014)[1]—was an American college football player and coach. He was the head coach at Arkansas State College (now ASU) from 1960 to 1962 and amassed a 13–14 record.[2]

King Block
Biographical details
Born(1929-04-11)April 11, 1929
Superior, Nebraska
DiedOctober 6, 2014(2014-10-06) (aged 85)
Ozark, Missouri
Playing career
1948–1950Idaho
Position(s)Fullback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1955–1959Arkansas State (backs)
1960–1962Arkansas State
1963Nebraska (DL)
1964–1967Washington State (assistant)
1968–1972Iowa State (assistant)
Head coaching record
Overall13–14

Early years

Born in Superior, Nebraska,[3] Block earned 12 athletic letters at Twin Falls High School in south central Idaho,[4] and graduated in 1947. He played college football at the University of Idaho in Moscow, where he was a fullback under head coach Dixie Howell.[5] Block played on the varsity from 1948 to 1950, and was named to the All-Coast football team.[1] He was selected in the 21st round of the 1951 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.[6] At Idaho, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity,[7] and graduated with a degree in education.[8]

Coaching career

After a coaching stint at Grangeville High School in north central Idaho,[9] Block joined the Arkansas State coaching staff as the backfield assistant in 1955, under head coach Gene Harlow, who had been the guards coach at Idaho while Block was in college.[9] Block was promoted to head coach in February 1960 and compiled a 13–14 record in three seasons.[2][10] His offense was described as primarily reliant upon "the running of the fullback and quarterback."[11]

He resigned after the 1962 season to become the defensive line coach at Nebraska under head coach Bob Devaney.[3] Arkansas State replaced Block with defensive backs coach Bennie Ellender.[12] After one season in Lincoln, Block joined the staff of new head coach Bert Clark at Washington State in 1964 and remained in Pullman through 1967.[1][13] He later served as an assistant at Iowa State until 1972.[14] Aside from coaching football, Block also competed in rodeo events and bred quarterhorses,[15] which he later parlayed into "King Blocks Korral," one of the largest western stores in Iowa.

Death

After a lengthy illness, Block died in 2014 at age 85 in Ozark, Missouri; his remains were cremated.[4]

Head coaching record
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Arkansas State Indians (NCAA College Division independent) (1960–1962)
1960 Arkansas State 4–5
1961 Arkansas State 3–6
1962 Arkansas State 6–3
Arkansas State: 13–14
Total:13–14
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References
  1. "Ex-Idaho ace joins Clark at Pullman". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). January 21, 1964. p. 11.
  2. King Block Records by Year, College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved August 21, 2010.
  3. Rombach, Jerry (August 13, 1963). "Sport Scope". Southeast Missourian. (Cape Girardeau). p. 5.
  4. "M. King Block April 11, 1929 — Oct. 6, 2014". Ames Tribune. (Iowa). (obituary). October 23, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  5. "Florence State host to tough Arkansas tonight". Florence Times. (Alabama). October 1, 1960. p. 1.
  6. "1951 NFL Player Draft". www.databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  7. "Sigma Alpha Epsilon". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1951. p. 201.
  8. "Seniors". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1951. p. 284.
  9. Boni, Bill (January 30, 1957). "Art Smith puts a lot of faces in places". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 18.
  10. Arkansas St. Promotes Aide, The New York Times, February 3, 1960.
  11. "Lions go through offensive practice". Florence Times. (Alabama). September 28, 1960. p. 5, section 2.
  12. Stout, Harold (May 23, 1971). "Tulane coach To speak". Florence Times. (Alabama). p. 25.
  13. "Assistant Football Coaches, All-Time", History & Awards (PDF), 2007 Washington State Football Media Guide, p. 171, 2007.
  14. "Iowa State seeks new grid coach". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. January 2, 1973. p. 7B.
  15. The Dutch Rub, Tri City Herald, April 28, 1964.
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