“Fuzzy” Evans played football, basketball’ baseball and ran track during the “Orange Crusher” days. He played on the 1924 National Championship football team and by his sophomore year he was the Tigers star running back. He was a guard on the State Championship basketball team in 1924 and his senior year he was Stivers leading scorer. “Fuzzy” served as captain of the football and basketball teams his junior and senior years. Stivers won the City Championship in football all four years that “Fuzzy” was there.
John Evans went from Stivers to Ohio State but transferred to Illinois and was a starting halfback his junior and senior years for legendary Hall of Fame Coach Robert Zuppke.
In 1937 Evans was hired by the University of Vermont to coach football and basketball. He became the head basketball coach in 1940. In 23 years “Fuzzy” won 261 games which, until recently, was the “winningest” coach in UVM basketball history. He has been inducted into the UVM and the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame for Coaches.
The John C. Evans Award is presented annually to the University of Vermont Basketball Most Valuable Player.
Evans and his wife, Thelma, had one son, James, who was named after “Fuzzy’s close friend, James “Scotty” Reston. Reston was the guest speaker at “Fuzzy’s” retirement.
