Assistant Coaching Career and Military Service
Prothro spent that fall serving as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky University, then entered the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant to fight in World War II, where he served for 39 months.
Upon leaving the service, Prothro served as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University from 1946 to 1948, working as freshman coach during the first year. He then was brought along by the team's head coach, Henry Russell Sanders, when the latter was hired as head coach at UCLA. Over the next six years, Prothro used the single-wing formation as the team's backfield coach, helping the Bruins to an undefeated season and national championship in 1954.
Read more about this topic: Tommy Prothro
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