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OXFORD — John Pont, an icon of Miami University football and a member of the school's famed Cradle of Coaches, died Tuesday, July 1, at the age of 80 at his home in Oxford.

Pont's jersey — No. 42 — was the first of only three to be retired at Miami and he was a charter member of the university's athletic hall of fame.

"Miami University lost one of its great ambassadors with the passing of coach Pont," Miami head football coach Shane Montgomery said. "He was one of the greatest players and most respected coaches this school has ever had. His legacy will live on."

Pont starred as a halfback at Miami, earning all-Mid American Conference first-team honors in 1949, 1950 and 1951. He led the MAC in rushing as a sophomore and senior and received All-American honorable mention twice.

As the coach at Miami, Pont led the Red and White to a pair of MAC titles and 43 wins in seven seasons. He also had coaching stops at Yale, Indiana and Northwestern. Pont was named Division I-A coach of the year in 1967 after leading the Hoosiers to the Rose Bowl.

"John was beloved by Miami and the Oxford community," Miami Director of Athletics Brad Bates said. "He was a leader among leaders in collegiate athletics and shaped the future of intercollegiate athletics as a student, coach and administrator. To me, John has been an extraordinary and humble mentor, advisor and counselor as I learned from both near and far, through observation and interaction and by his words, actions and wisdom."

"When you think of Miami and the Cradle of Coaches, his name has to be the first that comes to mind," said Dave Young, former Miami sports information director and fellow member of the Miami Hall of Fame.

Pont, a resident of Oxford for the past 30 years, touched many programs during a career long on variety.

He spent three seasons as head coach at Hamilton High School, 1985-87, guiding the Big Blue to an overall record of 12-17.

Pont then helped create the football program at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati when that school went co-ed, becoming the first head coach in 1989 and remaining in that position until 1992.

His career took an international turn when he coached in Japan in that nation's popular industrial league for 13 seasons until he retired as a full-time coach in 2005.

Pont served as a volunteer assistant in recent seasons for Talawanda High School.

He also imparted his football knowledge directly to fans, spending many years as a radio color commentator for Miami football.

"John was a class person," Young said. "He always had time for you, it didn't matter that the subject was. He'll be sorely missed. He thought of himself not only as a coach, but also as a teacher. Anybody who had the opportunity to be around him, it was impossible for them not to learn.

"It was hard not to run into him around Oxford, he was at everything," Young continued. "Just a few weeks ago I saw him at a Miami baseball game ... You could always count on him to be at community events. He was the type of individual who gave back to this community. Anyone he touched felt that. More importantly, anyone that knew him knew why he was so important. He was a symbol of this community."

According to Sandy Ashcraft, office manager at the Oxford Senior Citizens Center, where Pont often volunteered, "John was full of life. He lit up a room. We will really miss him. I'm really glad I got to know him."

One of Pont's six grandchildren, John Pont, is a Miami graduate assistant and student assistant coach at Florida State who said any time spent with him was time well spent.

"You could sit and talk with him for hours about anything, it didn't have to be about football — life, college, even girls," Pont said. "He was tough, always pushing me to do my best. He was always the coach, but he could be there like a grandfather, too.

"Seeing his name and number on the side of the stadium filled me with a sense of pride." he added. "I could always look at his face up on Yager (Stadium) and know I was home ... I've always desired to walk in his footsteps and live up to the person he was ... He helped me in any way he could. He was gracious and supportive."

Former Miami athletic director Richard Shrider remembered Pont as a "real good guy, a real good coach and a real good person."

Pont was a native of Canton, where he attended Timken High School. He came to Oxford after serving a tour in a Navy submarine and wasted no time in making his presence felt during his first season with Miami varsity football.

As a sophomore touching the football for the first time in game competition on Sept. 24, 1949, he took the opening kickoff in the season opener at Wichita and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown. Miami won the game 23-6.

He went on to rush for 977 yards that season, averaging 7.6 yards per carry.

The next year Pont teamed with Hamilton's Jim "Boxcar" Bailey to give Miami a blockbuster running attack which helped the Redskins, coached by Woody Hayes, earned a berth to the Salad Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., where they defeated Arizona State 34-21.

Pont wrapped up his playing days in 1951, finishing with 1,130 rushing and receiving yards and scoring 11 touchdowns for a Miami squad which finished 7-3 under first-year head coach Ara Parseghian.

"The fact that his number was retired at Miami speaks volumes about his talent," Parseghian remembered. "He wasn't very big — 5-foot-7, 175 pounds — but he had an uncanny ability to change direction without losing speed."

Pont served as an assistant coach under Parseghian from 1953-55 and became head coach in 1956. Over seven seasons his teams compiled a 43-22-2 record.

"John Pont meant an awful lot to me," Parseghian said. "He was the captain of my very first team at Miami in 1951 and was an outstanding leader. Two years later, I brought him back as our freshman coach. He had all the qualities that you wanted in a coach — very knowledgeable about football, a great personality, and tremendous character.

"As a person, John could identify with everyone he met, from the janitor to the president," he added. "I'm very sad to hear of his passing."

Pont's Miami teams won MAC championships in 1957 and '58, and in 1962 Pont guided the Redskins to the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla., behind such players as quarterback Ernie Kellerman, receiver Bob Jencks, tackle Tom Nomina and halfback Scott Tyler.

In 1963 Pont was named head coach at Yale, where he compiled a 12-5-1 over two seasons.

His next stop was Indiana, where the Hoosiers struggled for two seasons, going 2-8 in 1965 and 1-8-1 in '66. But the following year Indiana shocked the nation, posting a 9-2 record overall and tying for the Big Ten Conference championship with a 6-1 record. The Hoosiers went to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to Southern Cal 14-3.

Following eight seasons at Indiana, where his overall record was 31-51-1, including another winning season in 1968 (6-4 overall), Pont coached the Northwestern Wildcats from 1973-77. His overall Division I coaching record over 22 years was 98-121-4.

Pont is survived by his wife, Sandy, and three children — John, Jennifer and Jeff.

His grandchildren include John (Pont), Aimee (Pont), Kevin (Pont), Alison (Pont), Amanda (Pont), Christopher (Shrack) and Carrie (Shrack).

His family also includes his brother, Richard Pont of Wallingford, Conn., a sister-in-law, Sarah, and one nephew and three nieces.

Visitation will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 6, at Smith and Ogle Funeral Home in Oxford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, July 7, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Oxford.

Burial will be in the Miami University section of the Oxford Cemetery. The public is invited to attend all of the observances.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the McCullough-Hyde Oncology Department at McCullough-Hyde Hospital in Oxford, the John Pont Scholarship Fund at Miami University, the John Pont Scholarship Fund at Indiana University and the Athletic Department at the College of Mount St. Joseph.