Roy Lester

E. Roy Lester (October 3, 1923 – May 3, 2020) was an American college and high school football coach.

Lester was named to the West Virginia 1940–1949 Team.

In baseball, he played as an outfielder from 1947 to 1949, and as a senior recorded 53 hits and a .339 batting average.

He played college football under famed coaches Bill Kern and Dudley DeGroot as an end in 1948 and participated in the 1949 Sun Bowl.

He graduated in 1949 with a degree in political science.

In 1949, Lester played football for the Paterson Panthers of the American Association, a farm team of the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 1950, Lester began his coaching career at Walton High School in Walton, West Virginia from 1950 to 1951.

The following season, he moved on to Allegany High School in Cumberland, Maryland.

Lester reintroduced the split-T formation at Maryland, which Jim Tatum had used to great effect there in the 1950s.

Lester's philosophy was explained by the Maryland sports information director Jack Zane: "The pass should open up the defense for the running game."

In the sixth game of his first season, Maryland's starting quarterback, junior Dennis O'Hara, was injured in a loss at South Carolina, and was replaced by sophomore Jeff Shugars.

In the season's penultimate game, Maryland lost to Penn State, 48–0.

Penn State halfback Lydell Mitchell had been recruited by Lester and originally intended to go to Maryland before he opted for Penn State instead.

Lester was bothered by a similar situation with fullback Franco Harris, whose high school coach was a friend of Lester's. Lester attributed Maryland's football woes to the turnover at head coach and lack of depth because of recruitment shortcomings.

Maryland won the finale against Virginia to finish the season with a 3–7 record.

From 1956 to 1958, Lester served under Tommy Mont as the University of Maryland's ends coach and freshman team coach for three seasons.

Lester served as the head football coach at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland, from 1959 to 1968.

During his tenure, Richard Montgomery compiled an 86–10–1 record, which included six undefeated seasons.

In a time before Maryland hosted high school football playoffs, Lester's teams were considered some of the best in the state.

At the end of his stint at Montgomery in 1968, he held a 25-game winning streak.

Future NFL linebacker Mike Curtis was among the players under Lester at Montgomery.

After a successful career at the high school level, he served as the head coach of the University of Maryland football team from 1969 to 1971.

Lester was the school's fourth head coach in five years, and compiled a 7–25 record during his tenure.

In 1969, Lester was hired as Maryland's fourth head coach in five years.

His embattled predecessor, Bob Ward, had been forced out in the face of a player rebellion and a combined 2–17 record.

Lester had previously twice applied for the Maryland head coach position.

The Daytona Beach Morning Journal speculated that Lester's undisclosed salary probably matched Ward's: $20,000.

In 1970, Lester's Terrapins finished with a 2–9 record.

After an upset loss in the season opener against Villanova, 21–3, Lester shuffled the roster.

He switched the positions of eight players, which included Tom Miller from fullback to linebacker.

In the previous season, Miller had gained 629 yards, the second-most ever by a Maryland sophomore.

After losing their first five games, Maryland beat South Carolina on Homecoming weekend, 21–15, which prompted Maryland fans to tear down the goalposts in celebration.

In the 25-mile per hour winds, the Terrapins capitalized on the Gamecocks' poor punting game, which included one blocked punt.

He was fired after the 1971 season when Maryland finished at the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference for the second consecutive year.

Lester returned to coach interscholastic football, including as head coach of Richard Montgomery High School where his teams compiled an 86–10–1 record and six undefeated seasons.

His high school teams won three Maryland state championships.

Lester attended West Virginia University where he was a three-sport athlete and earned letters in football, baseball, and basketball.

He was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

Lester grew up in Spencer, West Virginia and attended college at West Virginia University, where he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball.

In basketball, he played as a center and recorded 27 points in 21 games during his career.