J. Burton Rix - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

In 1912, Rix became the head basketball coach at Texas, replacing W. E. Metzenthin, who had moved into the position of athletic director. Rix served in that capacity for one season and without pay. According to the student yearbook, the Cactus, he "took hold of the squad when it found itself without a leader and quickly demonstrated his ability to transform it into a quintet that was as good as any in the state." At Texas, he also served as an assistant football coach under Dave Allerdice from 1911 through at least 1913. After a 30–7 loss to Notre Dame in 1913, Rix wrote in The Alcalde:

"I was asked to criticise the playing of our team in this game. Had we won I should perhaps have been willing to do so. As it is, there is no necessity for it, for our men themselves, you may be assured, are criticising themselves with a self-analysis, and sincerity and effectiveness that will do more for the development of football in Texas than a whole season of ordinary games."

From 1915 to 1916, he coached the football team and served as the athletic director at Southwestern University. In February 1917, he accepted the position as athletic director at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. At SMU, he served as the head basketball and football coach from 1917 to 1921. He was replaced as football coach midseason by Bill Cunningham, also of Dartmouth, during a disastrous 1–6–1 campaign in 1921. In 1929, Rix became the second head football coach at the University of Miami, after a group of local businessmen financially backed the school. However, Rix left after one season as the Wall Street Crash of 1929 caused an end to the off-campus financing. He committed suicide by hanging in 1964.