Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
ARMSTRONG, John
ARMSTRONG, John. (Hutchison, KS, 1898-Dubuque, IA, Apr. 29, 1960). Armstrong served as an interim manager of the Dubuque Packers baseball team in 1960. He guided the team to two straight victories and then retired a "perfect" manager when the new manager arrived.
Armstrong came to Dubuque in 1918 to attend the UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE where he played baseball, basketball, and track. Armstrong, known as a "one-man team" for his incredible scoring ability, made the all-conference basketball team twice and the all-state team in 1920. He played on the Rock Island Independents of the National Football League, and later the first American Football League, from 1923–1926 with the legendary Jim Thorpe. The Green Bay Press-Gazette named Armstrong a third-team All-Pro in 1923. He also played with the national champion American Legion basketball team while attending Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. In 1924, Armstrong coached the Independents to a 5–2–2 record, and a fifth-place finish. Armstrong also played minor league baseball for the Dubuque Climbers/Dubs/Ironmen and Oklahoma City Indians from 1922 to 1928.
After his football and baseball careers, he took up golf and won the city championship several times. ARMSTRONG'S BOWLING ALLEY that he opened in 1929 later burned. In addition to success as a stock car racer, Armstrong served as the head football, basketball, and track coach at LORAS COLLEGE from 1927 to 1931.