Arthur McQuiston Miller (August 6, 1861 – October 28, 1929) was an American educator, zoologist, geologist, and college football coach. He was the first football coach at Kentucky State College in 1892. Miller was also a professor of geology and zoology and the first dean of arts and sciences at school.

Early life Miller was born on August 6, 1861, in Eaton, Ohio, to parents Robert and Margaret Ann (née McQuiston) Miller.Geological Survey Affairs, Volume 35, p. 174, Kentucky Geological Survey, 1932. He spent his youth there, and enjoyed searching for trilobites as a pastime.Proceedings of the Geological Society of America, p. 283, Geological Society of America, 1936. From 1880 to 1882, he attended the College of Wooster before transferring to Princeton University in 1883.John E. Kleber, The Kentucky Encyclopedia, p. 637, University Press of Kentucky, 1992, . From Princeton, Miller received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1884 and a Master of Arts degree in 1887.The Kentuckian, p. 14, Kentucky State College, 1907. He remained there under a fellowship through 1889. Miller spent a year as a professor at Wilson College and studied abroad for a year at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

University of Kentucky In 1892, Miller joined the faculty at Kentucky State College as a professor of geology and zoology. That year, he also coached the football team in its inaugural season at the urging of the students, which came despite his limited knowledge of the sport.History and Tradition , University of Kentucky, retrieved December 12, 2010. Kentucky finished with a 2–4–1 record,Professor A.M. Miller Records by Year , College Football Data Warehouse, retrieved December 12, 2010. and Miller allowed John A. Thompson, who was more familiar with the game, to coach the team the following season.

By 1907, Miller was the head of the geological, zoological, and entomological departments at Kentucky, and "proved himself to be the friend and patron of pure athletics, as his heart co-operation and assistance can always be relied upon in any matter pertaining to the interests of the physical attitude."The Kentuckian, p. 21, Kentucky State College, 1907. From 1908 to 1917, he served as the school's first dean of arts and sciences. During the First World War, he worked as a field geology consultant and authored several scientific studies.

In 1922, Miller wrote an article in the journal Science decrying William Jennings Bryan for his actions to suppress the teaching of evolution in Kentucky schools.DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE; KENTUCKY AND THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION (PDF), Science, Vol. LV, No. 1416, p. 178, February 17, 1922. In June 1925, Miller was informed that he could be called upon to testify in defense of John T. Scopes, a University of Kentucky alumnus and former student of Miller's, during the Scopes Monkey Trial.Kentucky Professor As Adviser.; TO DEFEND SCOPES IN SCIENCE'S NAME, The New York Times, June 29, 1925. Miller retired from the university as a professor emeritus on June 30, 1925.

Later life and legacy Miller spent his retirement in Asheville, North Carolina. He died of heart disease in Palatka, Florida, on October 28, 1929, at the age of 68.DR. A. M. MILLER, KENTUCKY DEAN, DIES AT AGE OF 68, The Atlanta Constitution, October 30, 1929.ARTHUR McQUISTON MILLER; Professor Emeritus of Kentucky University Dies in Florida, The New York Times, October 29, 1929. Miller Hall on the University of Kentucky campus was named in his honor in 1940.Campus Guide – Miller Hall, University of Kentucky, retrieved December 12, 2010.

Head coaching record

Published works The Lead and Zinc Bearing Rocks of Central Kentucky (1905)Arthur McQuiston Miller 1861 - 1929, Open Library, retrieved December 12, 2010. The Geology of Kentucky (1919)

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