Leo Traister
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 9, 1919 Sterling, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 26, 2020 (aged 101) Eureka, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| c. 1940 | Eureka |
| Baseball | |
| c. 1940 | Eureka |
| Track | |
| c. 1940 | Eureka |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1948–1955 | Viola/Winola HS (IL) |
| 1956–1965 | Eureka |
| Basketball | |
| 1948–1956 | Viola/Winola HS (IL) |
| 1957–1975 | Eureka |
| Track and field | |
| 1948–1956 | Viola/Winola HS (IL) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1956–? | Eureka |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 11–55–6 (college football) 168–195 (college basketball) |
Leo Owen "Doc" Traister (September 9, 1919 – September 26, 2020) was an American football and basketball coach. He was the head football coach at Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois for 11 seasons, from 1956 to 1965, compiling a record of 11–55–6. Traister was also the head basketball coach at Eureka for 17 seasons, from 1957 to 1974, tallying a mark of 168–195.
Traister was a World War II veteran.[1] He stepped down at Eureka's head football coach after the 1965 season, and was succeeded by John Dooley.[2]
Traister died on September 26, 2020, in Eureka.[3][4]
Head coaching record
College football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eureka Red Devils (Prairie College Conference) (1956–1957) | |||||||||
| 1956 | Eureka | 1–6 | |||||||
| 1957 | Eureka | 3–4 | |||||||
| Eureka Red Devils (NAIA independent) (1958–1961) | |||||||||
| 1958 | Eureka | 1–7 | |||||||
| 1959 | Eureka | 0–5–3 | |||||||
| 1960 | Eureka | 1–4–2 | |||||||
| 1961 | Eureka | 3–2–1 | |||||||
| Eureka Red Devils (Gateway Conference) (1962–1966) | |||||||||
| 1962 | Eureka | 1–6 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1963 | Eureka | 0–7 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1964 | Eureka | 0–7 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1965 | Eureka | 1–7 | 0–4 | 5th | |||||
| Eureka: | 11–55–6 | ||||||||
| Total: | 11–55–6 | ||||||||
References
- ^ Leo Owen Traister in the U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
- ^ Quilter, Harry (September 10, 1966). "Lettermen Galore at Eureka". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. p. 12. Retrieved January 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Leo Traister". Woodford County Journal. September 28, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "Leo Traister Obituary". Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. September 28, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2026 – via Legacy.com.
- ^ "Eureka Football Record Book" (PDF). Eureka College. p. 74. Retrieved January 11, 2026.