Chick Atkinson

Charles L. “Chick” Atkinson served as head football coach at Brigham Young University from 1949 to 1955 with a final record of 18-49-3. He came to BYU “when there were no grants-in-aid, no stadium, and very few capable football players. For seven years . . . he strove to build the Cougars into a unified, spirited team, emphasizing sportsmanship and hard effort on the playing field.”[1] He retired in 1955.

He coached at Pocatello High School prior to coming to BYU, where his record was 38-11.

He was born in Pocatello, Idaho, on January 16, 1918, and died on January 4, 1962. During high school, he was all-state in football and basketball and graduated from the University of Idaho where he had been captain of the football and basketball teams. Hart was named to the Pacific Coast All-Conference team in baseball and was president of the letterman’s club. He had also competed in football, basketball, and track for Idaho State College for two years.