Davenport 1972 (Charter Member)
Jesse was a native of Nebraska. He participated in football, basketball, wrestled some and was an all-state tackle. He attended college at Grinnell concentrating on football with some track thrown in. Jesse played on Grinnell College’s un-defeated football team in 1917. Following college he Forest Grove, Oregon and coached football, basketball and baseball at Pacific University in 1919. The following year Jesse moved back to Iowa and Marshalltown were he coached football, basketball and track from 1920-1922. The opportunity then arrived to coach in a large school system and Jesse moved to Davenport in 1923. He was the head football coach at Davenport High from 1923-1945 recording a record of 153-43 with un-defeated teams in 1926 and 1941. Jesse also started his heralded track coaching career in 1923 as well. He continued to coach track and field for 15 years more following his retirement from football coaching. During his track and field tenure from 1923 through 1960 Jesse coached five state championship teams, ’31, ’35, ’42, ’47 and ’57, plus five state runner-up places and numerous invitational and dual meet championships. Jesse was inducted into the Football Coaches Hall of Fame and in 1989 into the Quad Cities Hall of Fame.