Daffin Theodore "Swede" Backstrom (July 17, 1916 â July 15, 1993) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach.
Backstrom played college baseball and basketball at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where he is a member of the schools Athletic Hall of Fame.
Backstrom played in minor league baseball as a pitcher. In 1940 he was with the Akron Yankees in the Middle Atlantic League. Later that year and also in 1941 he played for Amsterdam Rugmakers in the CanadianâÂÂAmerican League.
After graduating from Drew University and spending some time in the private sector, Backstrom returned to Drew to first be the assistant and later head baseball coach.
Backstrom was the 14th head football coach at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas, serving for the 1962 season. His coaching record at Kansas Wesleyan was 1âÂÂ7âÂÂ1 (.167).
While at Kansas Wesleyan, Backstrom taught classes for the history department. In 1996, the school inducted him into their "Athletic Hall of Fame" for his coaching success. He was active as a coach and or administrator at the school from 1954 through 1963.