John A. Harts

Who is John A. Harts?

John A. "Jack" Harts was a student and teacher at the University of Oklahoma from Winfield, Kansas. He was also the first coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 1895. At the university, he taught elocution. He was the primary organizer of that first team made up of students and Norman, Oklahoma residents. The team only played one game that year against a more experienced Oklahoma City town team. The upstart Sooners lost 34–0. Following that year, Harts left OU to prospect for gold in the Arctic.