| Wins against Kentucky - 1 | Losses against Kentucky - 0 |
Alma Mater: Wooster [1906]
Hometown: Union City, PA
Date Born: November 18, 1876
Date Died: September 30, 1950
Namesake of: St. John Arena
Date | Matchup | UK Result | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2/9/1911 | Kentucky at Ohio Wesleyan | L | 19 - 37 | - |
Obituary - Akron (OH) Beacon Journal (September 30, 1950)
L.W. St. John of Ohio State Dead at 73
COLUMBUS - Lynn W. St. John, for 35 years athletic director at Ohio State University, died here today after an illness of three weeks. He was 73.
The grand old man of Ohio State athletics, known as "Saint" by thousands of OSU students and alumni, passed away in University Hospital after suffering a stroke.
St. John's career at OSU started in 1912 and marked the emergence of the university as an athletic power in the collegiate world.
His football career started further back, in 1900, when he was a spectacular halfback on the OSU varsity which defeated all comers except Ohio Medical University.
Saint was born in Union City, PA. As a young man, he entered immediately into his chosen field when he started organizing YMCA gymnasium classes as a teacher in Barberton. He taught in public schools there from 1896 to 1900.
In 1900, he entered Ohio State as a freshman but a year and a half later was called home by a death in his family.
For another year, Saint coached all athletic teams for Fostoria high school.
From Fostoria, he went to Wooster College. He attended classes and coached at the same time, and in 1906, received his bachelor of philosophy degree.
From Wooster he went to Ohio Wesleyan University as director of athletics. While he was carrying out the OWU athletic program, he studied medicine at Starling Ohio Medical College from 1909 to 1911.
Saint took over as "manager of competitive and recreative athletics" at Ohio State in 1912.
Under his administration, Ohio State built a stadium with a seating capacity of 73,000; a gymnasium designed to accommodate 6,000 physical education students, and a natatorium in which is located one of the nation's finest collegiate pools. St. John retired July 1, 1947, and was succeeded as athletic director by Richard O. Larkins.
St. John married Barbara F. Leader in 1903 and had two children: Dr. Ruth H. St. John and James W. St. John.