McEwan, John J.
Football
b. Feb. 18, 1893, Alexandria, MN
d. Aug. 9, 1970
A 6-foot-4, 200-pound center, McEwan was a Walter Camp All-American as a sophomore in 1914, but was relegated to Camp's third team in 1915 and to the second team in 1916, when he captained Army to a 9-0-0 record.
Remarkably fast for his size, McEwan was one of the early "roving centers," playing five yards back of the defensive line and moving to meet the play. On offense, he was one of the first centers to use the spiral pass to the deep back.
McEwan coached Army to an 18-5-3 record from 1923 through 1925. He had 19 wins, 12 losses, and 2 ties at the University of Oregon from 1926 through 1929 and was 21-6-3 at Holy Cross from 1930 through 1932. In 1933 and 1934, McEwan coached the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers, who had a 9-11-1 record during that period.