Strahan, Oscar
Dates
- Existence: 1891 - 1971
Biography
Oscar Strahan (1891-1978) served as the first professional coach and first Athletic Director for Southwest Texas State Normal College from 1919 to 1961.
Strahan was born in rural Iowa to William and Mary Strahan on August 10, 1891. He attended Denison High School and Drake University, both located in Iowa. In 1917 during World War I, he attended military training at Camp Logan, near Houston, Texas, and was stationed in France during the conflict.
He moved to San Marcos with his wife, Marion (Hardy) Strahan, in 1919. In his early career at the college, he coached basketball, football and track, in addition to serving as athletic director. He helped found the “Border Olympics” athletic event in Laredo, Texas, in 1933. He received numerous awards over his lifetime; to recognize his contributions to the Southwest Texas State Athletics program, the university dedicated Strahan Coliseum in his honor on November 30, 1982.
He and his wife attended the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy. Strahan retired from the Athletics Department in 1961. He died August 21, 1978 and is buried in San Marcos Cemetery, Hays County, Texas.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Linnea Smith collection of Oscar Strahan memorabilia
Collection of memorabilia related to Oscar Strahan and his lengthy athletic career at Southwest Texas State University.
Oscar Strahan photographs and papers
Oscar Strahan served as the first professional coach and first Athletic Director for Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University) from 1919 to 1961. Largely photographs, the collection contains noteworthy images of early Southwest Texas State Normal College sports teams, World War I training camp Camp Logan, and mass produced battlefield views from France. Also includes Strahan’s family history materials.
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