Counted among the elite of MT athlete/alumni/coaches, Johnny "Red" Floyd's athletic roots are closely intertwined with the early growth of collegiate sports and of MT as an institution of higher learning. Floyd first attended MT from 1913-14, playing both football and basketball. During World War I, he coached the 1917 football team to a 7-0 record, MT's first undefeated season.
Floyd reprised his football coaching success at MT in 1935 with an 8-0 season. With the help of player Charles "Bubber" Murphy who would later return to MT and rise to be the school's winningest coach, between 1935-38 Floyd's football record was 30-8-1. (His 15-34 basketball record for those same years was less remarkable.) In recognition of his contributions to the school, MT named its renovated, 30,788-seat stadium in Floyd's honor in 1999.