John Boyd Christenbury (February 13, 1907 – July 17, 1944) was an American college football, basketball and baseball coach. His collegiate career began in 1938 when he became athletic director at Brevard College, serving there until 1940. While at Brevard, Christenbury also served as head football coach in 1938 and 1939.[1] In 1940, he moved to East Carolina Teachers College, now East Carolina University, where he assumed the role of head coach for men's football and basketball in 1940[2] and baseball in 1941. Christenbury's 1941 football team went 7–0 and recorded the only undefeated season in East Carolina history. He did not coach football in 1942 due to the outbreak of World War II, although he continued coaching baseball through the 1942 season[3] and basketball until early 1943.[4]
Christenbury enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943. On July 17, 1944 he was killed along with 319 others when munitions exploded during the loading of a ship in Port Chicago, California.[5] On January 6, 1953 the Christenbury Memorial Gymnasium was named in his honor.[6] He was inducted into the East Carolina Hall of Fame in 1993.
Head coaching record
Football
The following is a table of Christenbury's yearly records as a head football coach.[1][7]
Year
Team
Overall
Conference
Standing
Bowl/playoffs
Brevard Tornados(North Carolina Junior College Conference) (1938–1939)
^Tucker, John A. (June 25, 2019). "John Boyd Christenbury". ECU Chronicles: Our History. East Carolina University. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
^Lloyd Whitfield (May 11, 1951). "Baseball Has Come Long Way At College—Intercollegiate Sports Begin Decline". The Teco Echo. p. 4. Retrieved July 31, 2022. It was in 1942 when the U.S. government was drafting all young college boys that baseball as well as other sports began to decline. Many colleges dropped the most popular of all spring sports and Coach Christenbury could only draw up a 14-game schedule which saw only three college teams listed. The rest of the teams on the card were service teams which were loaded with professional material.
^"In Memoriam". The Teco Echo. October 28, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved July 9, 2022. Lt. (jg) John Boyd Christenbury, former coach and physical education instructor at East Carolina Teachers college, was killed in the explosion of two navy ammunition ships at Port Chicago, California, on July 18 [sic],1944. Christenbury came to ECTC in 1940. He was commissioned in the navy in March, 1943, and was given leave of absence from the college for the duration. He was from Statesville. He worked at Brevard college before coming to ECTC. His work in Greenville was outstanding, and he was popular with college officials, the students and the public.
^Tucker, John A. (May 5, 2022). "Memorial Gymnasium Dedication". ECU Chronicles: Our History. East Carolina University. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
^"East Carolina 2021 Football Record Book"(PDF). East Carolina University Athletics. ECU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. August 13, 2021. p. 60. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
^The Tecoan 1942. Charlotte, NC: The Lassiter Press, Inc. 1942. p. 165.
^"Bucs End Athletic Season". The Teco Echo. May 22, 1942. p. 4. Retrieved July 8, 2022. Coach Christenbury was able to find several teams which proved to make games of interest for the Pirates. By winning seven and losing seven the Teachers ended up with a .500 average.
