John P. Metras
| Profile | |||||||||||
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| Positions | Center • Left tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | April 8, 1909 Berrien County, Michigan, US | ||||||||||
| Died | April 13, 1982 (aged 73) Naples, Florida, US | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||
| c. 1927 | Western State Broncos | ||||||||||
| c. 1932 | Detroit Titans | ||||||||||
| 1933–1935 | St. Michael's College | ||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||
| 1935–1939 | Western Mustangs asst. | ||||||||||
| 1940–1969 | Western Mustangs coach | ||||||||||
Operations | |||||||||||
| 1945–1972 | University of Western Ontario athletic director | ||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||
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Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of Builder, 1980) | |||||||||||
John Pius Metras (April 8, 1909 – April 13, 1982) was an American coach of Canadian football and basketball. He led Western Mustangs football from 1940 to 1969, winning 110 games, eight Yates Cups, and three Churchill Bowls. He coached 157 players who graduated to play in the Canadian Football League, including his son John. Metras was the first college coach inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and is honored by the annual J. P. Metras Trophy for the outstanding U Sports lineman. Prior to coaching the Mustangs, he was a player-coach for St. Michael's College, and was named an all-American as captain of the Detroit Titans.
As the athletic director at University of Western Ontario from 1945 to 1972, Metras also coached basketball and ice hockey. His straightforward and gruff demeanor earned him the nickname, "The Bull". Never having a losing basketball season in 19 years, his teams won 14 Ontario-Quebec Athletic Association championships, won 134 of 164 league games, and were the first university team to compete in the Canadian Olympic team trials. He was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.